15 Times Rich People Took It WAY Too Far
In the Olympics of outrageous spending, celebrities and rich folks top the list because they’ve got all the money.
Unlike most of us, who feel remorseful when we go over our budget, these individuals will spend as much as they can on the finest items: jewelry, fur coats, designer boots, or the latest and most expensive perfume.
So, when you feel guilty after spending the entire week’s budget on the latest pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses, always remember that there are people who can spend much more. After all, you are not Beyoncé who purchased spandex leggings for $100,000, or Bono who bought a first-class ticket for his hat. Neither are you the Saudi King who bought his daughter a wedding dress that was more than $3 Million, then rewarded her with a gold toilet as a bonus. If you feel you have spent a fortune on a gift, keep in mind that rapper P Diddy, once spent more than $300K on a Mercedes Maybach for his 17-year-old son who had improved his grades. These are rich folks with exceptional taste and loads of cash.
However, sometimes they go too far; especially when they find pleasure in paying huge sums for the most bizarre items or services. Most of them have a habit of spending money on some of the most outlandish obsessions just because they can afford it. But should we blame them?
If you think about it, what should they spend their money on? They already have most of the things they need. So, in a way, maybe their spending is justified. After all, material competition is somehow embedded in our DNA, and most of us fancy expensive products, a luxurious lifestyle, and the possibility of amassing wealth to the point of absurdity.
I mean, why spend money on a house when you can purchase an entire town? There are several instances where rich people have gone too far:
15. BONO BOUGHT A FIRST-CLASS PLANE TICKET FOR HIS HAT
This U2 frontman was unhappy when he arrived in Italy, for a concert, and discovered that he had forgotten his favorite hat in London. Bono made the discovery when he arrived in Modena for Luciano Pavarotti’s charity concert and was immediately sent into panic mode. This was in 2003.
Without hesitation, he started making arrangements to have the hat brought in and went ahead to pay for a first-class ticket, worth around $1,600, to have the hat airlifted to Bologna, Italy.
The cap was driven to Gatwick airport by a cab before being placed in the cockpit of a British Airways plane. On arrival in Italy, it was chauffeured to where the concert was being held.
Clearly, money is no biggie to the Irishman whose net worth, at least by 2017, is more than half a billion dollars. How else can you justify an air ticket for a trilby, and especially first class because you do not want it squashed by other passengers? Unless of course, you have millions in your bank account and the headgear is prized.
It cost him around $1,600, but that is nothing compared to the money he was going to make from the concert. Who knows? Maybe the hat was supposed to bring back his mojo.
14. SAUDI ARABIA’S KING ABDULLAH BIN ABDULAZIZ SPENDS MORE THAN $3M ON HIS DAUGHTER’S WEDDING DRESS (AND REWARDS HER WITH A GOLD TOILET)
There is no way of justifying a $3+ million wedding dress unless you are the King of Saudi Arabia and you make tons of money from your oil-rich kingdom.
There are wealthy Arabs out there, and they are well-known for showcasing their wealth and eccentricity. One of them is a former King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, who made headlines when he spent more than $3 Million on a wedding dress made out of gold and designed to give the bride a ‘Pyramid’ look.
The king extended his kind gesture with a golden toilet as a reward. Yes, a toilet made of gold.
The toilet was fitted with gold furnishings, including its commode and bidet. The luxurious masterpiece was so stunning and was once showcased as part of the 11th World Toilet Summit in the city of Haikou. The price of the toilet was not disclosed, but it was evident that it must have amounted to millions.
The King is no stranger to rich lists. In 2011, his wealth, combined with that of his family, totaled a whopping $21 billion.
Unfortunately, King Abdullah passed on in January 2015, at age 90.
13. NBA STAR DESHAWN STEVENSON INSTALLS ATM MACHINE IN HIS KITCHEN
DeShawn was not happy with the idea of having to look for an ATM whenever he wanted to withdraw cash, so he decided to install one in his kitchen; making the revelation on his Instagram account in 2012.
It may be convenient when you think of the number of times you needed cash but didn’t want to leave the house; however, it comes at a price and has many risks, but not when you have cash.
First, it’s strange and costly to have an ATM in your own house, and second, people are always going to try and break in when you are not around. In fact, the only way you can pull this off is if you have a remarkable security system.
It is alleged that the ATM was stocked with some $20,000 and was restocked six times a year. The machine allowed the former Orlando Magic player to charge his friends a fee of $4.50 for any transaction.
The biggest question here is how was Deshawn going to use the money without leaving the house? You probably don’t have to give this question so much thought when you rack up millions from your NBA career. There were speculations that Stevenson may have been inspired by skateboarder Rob Dyrdek, who also installed one during the filming of MTV’s Rob and Big.
When asked about it, Stevenson remarked that he liked doing things differently, and added that the machine would be used by his wealthy friends before they go out.
12. JEWELER LAM SAI-WING BUILT THE MOST EXPENSIVE BATHROOM MADE OF GOLD
In 2001, Jeweler Lam Sai-Wing built a washroom made entirely of gold and other precious jewels. The toilet was constructed in his Hong Kong shop and cost $3.5 million. According to reliable sources, the wall tiles, doors, toilet paper holders, mounted chandeliers, toilet brushes, toilet bowls, wash basins, and mirror frames were all made out of 24-carat gold. To add to its beauty, the ceiling was decorated using amber, emerald, ruby, and sapphire.
Hundreds of Hong Kong tourists, mostly gold speculators and gawkers, thronged his shop to have a glimpse of the opulent spectacle that was attached to a ‘small palace’ that he called the Hall of Gold. The working lavatory boasted of a state-of-the-art automatic flushing system but was off-limits to tourists. In fact, visitors were supposed to wear plastic covers over their shoes to avoid damaging the 900-gram gold bars used on the floor.
However, speculations became rife that Sai-Wing began melting his gilded palace when gold prices skyrocketed to help his jewelry shop expand. However, he never touched the toilet, and even promised that whatever happened he would never sell the Guinness World Record-certified gem.
Unfortunately, Sai-Wing died, aged 53, and his company immediately started running into problems. Just after his demise, there were allegations that $23 million worth of gold bars had gone missing. Sai-Wing had been inspired by the vision of the communist leader, Lenin, who believed that the best thing to do with gold was to build public toilets.
11. BEYONCÉ SPENT $100,000 ON GOLD BALENCIAGA LEGGINGS
Queen Bey spent a whopping $100,000 for spandex leggings that were made of real gold.
Most people buy their leggings at the local department store, but not the disputed queen of R&B and the brain behind the much-acclaimed Lemonade album. Especially not when she can get hers from Balenciaga for $100,000.
For that fee, we assume that her leggings are not your everyday leggings. They must be more comfortable and should afford the wearer numerous stares. Or maybe they can absorb sweat during a performance.
Beyoncé sported the leggings during the 2007 BET Awards, and chances are she may have only bought them for this event. She will probably never wear them again because when you are a superstar songstress, you are a pacesetter in fashion, and you are never supposed to wear a garment twice, at least according to unwritten industry standards. Maybe you are only expected to wear leggings that are crafted by Balenciaga and adorned with gold. It doesn’t matter if the price is insane.
10. INDIAN POLITICIAN, DATTA PHUGE, ORDERS A GOLD SHIRT
In 2013, Indian politician Datta Phuge shocked Indians, and the world, when he ordered a shirt made of pure gold. The $240,000 shirt was made of 14,000 pieces of 22-carat gold, Swarovski crystal buttons, and white velvet. In fact, it took 15 goldsmiths working 16 hours daily, for two weeks, to complete the valuable shirt. The shirt was designed by Tejpal Ranka who decided to give it an armor-like appearance.
Phuge made headlines for this pricey shirt that weighed 3.32 Kilograms and earned him the moniker “gold man.” He went further to express his excitement for the pricey garment, claiming that while wealthy Indians preferred to spend money on Mercedes and Audi cars, he had spent money on something he liked.
The money lender from Pune, in Maharashtra, narrated how he had fallen in love with gold at a very tender age and had lived wearing gold in the form of chains, bracelets, and rings.
His purchase was understandable considering India is one of the biggest consumers of gold – with purchases mostly made for weddings and religious festivals.
Unfortunately, Phuge, thought to be in his mid-40s, was killed after he was attacked by twelve assailants in July of 2016. It was not exactly clear why his attackers had launched such a vicious attack, but it was suspected that there must have been a dispute over a money transaction.
Regardless, Phuge enjoyed the fame that the shirt had brought him and only wore it on special occasions. There were also allegations that he had put an order for a gold-plated Nokia phone.
9. JAY-Z REPORTEDLY SPENDS $55 MILLION FOR A RACE HORSE
In 2014, rapper and business mogul, Jay-Z, reportedly spent a staggering $55 million on a racehorse, named California Chrome, which almost won the Triple Crown: racing’s biggest prize. It is not clear why Jay decided to spend that kind of money on a horse that was already past its racing prime, though it is an in-demand stud horse and had won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness.
Chrome’s owner, Steve Coburn, revealed (while sobbing) that he had hated to sell the horse, but couldn’t turn down the amount that the rapper had offered. He further added that the purchase had been a good thing to the racing community, which had been pushing to have a rapper own a race horse. The purchase was going to bring the kind of diversity that the racing community had been looking forward to, for the longest time. Hopefully, it would also open an entirely new demographic, according to Coburn.
Jay, who also co-owns an NBA team, stated his delight with the exchange and was glad that he had been welcomed by other racehorse owners who he mentioned as being supportive.
The purchase of California Chrome has been disputed over the years; with some claiming the racehorse had never been sold. But with Jay’s secretive nature, we can’t rule out that this may have been one of his business ventures.
8. MUKESH AMBANI BUILDS A BILLION DOLLAR SKYSCRAPER THAT HE CALLS HOME
The rich are addicted to mansions or beautiful homes in the countryside, but Mukesh went a different direction and built a one-of-a-kind skyscraper. What else would you expect from India’s richest man? The building is 27 stories and is 173 meters high with almost everything you could ever need in a home: health club, gym, guest room, lounges, swimming pool, recreation center, helipad, cinema, and a dedicated staff.
To be precise, it is rumored that the house has a two-story recreation center, a 50-seat theater, and three helipads. Think about that for a sec.
The home, referred to as Antilia, after a mythical island, cost around $1 billion and sits on Mumbai’s Altamount Road, rumored to be among the world’s ten most expensive streets by 2008.
The Ambanis wanted a custom home, and so they sought the services of the architectures behind the Mandarin Oriental, based in Los Angeles and Dallas. The experts drew the plan and managed to come up with the 27-story skyscraper with altering floor plans and unique designs. They also managed to give the building 400,000 square feet of interior space.
Due to its customized fittings and measurements, the home cost more than a hotel or high-rise of similar size. In Antilia, no two floors are similar. The whole idea was to avoid repetition by blending styles and architectural elements in a way that made the spaces consistent.
The shape of the house is based on Vaastu, an Indian tradition that is believed to move energy beneficially through the building spaces. What prompted Ambani to build such an expensive house is not clear. The media had been portraying him as an introvert, and maybe, he wanted to make a statement that he was a tycoon of his own right.
7. P DIDDY REWARDS 17-YEAR-OLD SON WITH A $390,000 Mercedes Maybach
He further added that since it was a unique car, he hoped that his son would only use it for special occasions, though the teen was free to use it in any way he saw fit. But he hoped Justin would use it to impress the girls. To celebrate his son’s good grades, hip-hop mogul, P Diddy, went ahead and bought 17-year-old, Justin, a Mercedes Maybach worth $390,000; not to forget, it was a collector’s car. When asked about his ‘generous’ reward, P Diddy remarked that he was impressed that his son had turned into an honors student and he had bought the gift to treat him and he wanted him to used it to impress girls.
He claimed it was a birthday gift, but we all know no ordinary parent can afford to buy such a costly car for a child, let alone themselves. But Diddy is a multimillionaire and is one of the richest rappers in the world. In the past, he has admitted that most of his success, in business and music, comes from his love of work. He is known to own several businesses, including a restaurant chain, a clothing line, and a branded aftershave.
Every parent has rewarded or ‘bribed’ a child in a way, but not in a mind-boggling way like P Diddy did.
6. JUSTIN BIEBER SPENDS $25,000 ON ‘FAMILY GUY’ NECKLACE
If you are already a multi-million-dollar recording artist by age 17, then you’d understand why you can spend as much as $25,000 on a necklace inspired by Family Guy’s Stewie Griffin. This is what Justin Bieber spent his money on.
He was already working hard at that age, and so it is okay if he had to treat himself to something that costly. Come on, let’s just be honest. Even though Stewie is hilarious, and probably the wittiest cartoon, he is just a Family Guy character.
Apparently, the necklace was costly because it was diamond encrusted with 12 carats of precious stones, including white diamonds and multicolored rubies, all of which are set in 14-carat gold.
It was also reported that Justin had been involved in designing the necklace with the help of a jeweler named Jason Arasheben, from Beverly Hills. The artist revealed that Justin had a particular vision for the Family Guy-inspired necklace. He probably wanted to stand out from other artists who love wearing bling with crazy slogans.
Justin is a heartthrob to millions of fans, and maybe when you have millions of people supporting your art, you can reward yourself with a $25,000 necklace.
5. KANYE WEST HAD THE SISTINE CHAPEL ‘RECREATED’ IN HIS HOME FOR $350,000
Kanye West has often compared himself to Jesus and has earned plenty of names with some even calling him the cockiest man in rap.
He tops the list of artists who have made some outrageous purchases because he is rich and he has the money to support his lavish lifestyle. For a fee of $350,000, he had the Sistine Chapel recreated in his home in 2005. He commissioned artist, Ernie Barnes, to draw a replica of the Sistine Chapel painting on the ceiling of his New York dining room. In the look-alike, Mr. West is depicted as an angel, and a larger angel is reaching out to him.
The painting, A Life Restored, was supposed to send a message about his life-changing near fatal car accident.
He has reportedly spent $140,000 a year on flowers for his socialite wife, Kim Kardashian, and has also spent some $750,000 for six beds and $613,000 for four gold-plated toilets. He is also known to spend millions on property.
Mr. West was disappointed after his wife was robbed at gunpoint in 2016, so he resorted to injecting some $6 Million into their private security team. There are reports that the security team has round-the-clock ‘Kim Kardashian’ lookalikes whose aim is to confuse potential kidnappers.
In 2016, a story surfaced that he had spent a fortune on expensive furniture and interior design decorators, only to realize that he did not like any of the stuff. This is probably the type of extravagance that motivated him to reach out to Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, to ask him for help in settling his $53 million debt. He wanted Zuck to invest in “Kanye West ideas.”
4. JOCELYN WILDENSTEIN SPENDS MORE THAN $6 MILLION ON…
This American socialite has been in the media for all the wrong reasons. She made headlines when she received one of the biggest divorce settlements in history; from her husband, Alec Wildenstein. She has also caught the attention of many for her failed plastic surgery procedures and extravagant life.
Jocelyn Wildenstein is famously known for her failed cosmetic surgery procedures that have earned her the nicknames ’Bride of Wildenstein’ and ‘Catwoman,’ but she has vowed to continue undergoing these operations even into her eighties. She has already spent over $6 Million on hundreds of procedures but claims those are not enough.
She began her surgeries a year after marrying billionaire Alec Wildenstein, back in 1978. At one point, the couple went for his-and-hers facelifts after ‘Catwoman’ noticed that her husband’s eyes looked baggy.
However, the couple divorced in 1999 after Jocelyn claimed her hubby was having an affair with a younger Russian model. The reports led to one of the bitterest and high-profile divorce cases in history that ended with Jocelyn receiving around $2.5 billion divorce settlement and $100 million every year for 13 years. The judge then ruled that Jocelyn was not supposed to use any of her alimony for plastic surgery. Alec later died of prostate cancer in February 2008.
Jocelyn’s friends believe she has been trying to look like a lynx because she had one as a pet. In fact, she has undergone too many procedures that some plastic surgeons got concerned and spoke out against their colleagues who continue to perform surgeries on her.
According to her, she did all the surgeries for her ex-husband who loved big cats. She made a decision to change her look because she thought she was already aging and was afraid her husband would leave her. So, she resorted to looking like the felines. Despite her surgeries, her husband still left her, and today, she is probably one of the scariest-looking women in the world.
3. SULTAN HASSANAL BOLKIAH OF BRUNEI PIMPED HIS BOEING 747 BY CASTING MOST AMENITIES IN GOLD
First, owning a Boeing 747 is a big deal. Second, pimping it with gold just shows that your wealth is unmatchable. In fact, you can only achieve both if you are Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.
He bought a new Boeing 747 for around $400 million then fitted it with an exclusive interior and additional features made out of solid gold. The Sultan fitted the plane with gold-plated furniture, and it is believed that the plane is one of the most luxurious in the world. It was reported that the extra gilding cost him $220 million.
The Boeing has often been described as a palace by itself. It has a bedroom, a living room, and touches of gold everywhere in its interior. The plane is also equipped with almost all of the modern facilities to make it comfier.
This must be one of the most comfortable jumbo jets with its fine furniture, beds, and Lalique crystal ornaments. And the Sultan pilots it himself, sometimes.
He is one of the world’s longest serving monarchs who took power in 1967 and has a personal wealth of around $20 billion. In fact, he was the richest man in 1997. Besides two helicopters and six smaller planes, the Sultan also has an Airbus 340. There have also been reports that he owns some 6,000 cars and has built mosques using diamonds and gold.
2. KIM BASINGER BOUGHT A SMALL TOWN IN GEORGIA
Sometime in 1989, Georgia-born actress, Kim Basinger, was sitting in a traffic jam in Braselton, a small town in Georgia, when she read a billboard that persuaded her to buy an entire town. And she did not hesitate, for a price of $20 Million, she joined with a group of investors and bought almost the whole town – or at least 1,751 acres of the 2,000-acre town.
Basinger had hoped to turn the 500-person town, Braselton, into a tourist attraction with a film festival and movie studios. The town had been under the ownership of the Braselton family for more than a century and was near Basinger’s hometown of Athens. With the price, she (and her investor friends) acquired a few small businesses, a shopping center, an industrial park, the town’s water and sewer system, and around 50 homes.
According to a spokesman, Basinger had been negotiating to buy some 1,600 acres of the town for almost 18 months. It was a good move, considering land appreciates in value. But things did not go well for the actress. In 1993, she was sued for $8 Million after she withdrew from the thriller, Boxing Helena. Basinger had to declare bankruptcy and sold her portion of Braselton at a huge loss of around $1 Million
In fact, it is reported that the town was auctioned off because of her many debts. Rumors had also been flying around that the purchase had caused a serious rift in her family.
1. PAVEL DUROV THROWS MONEY PAPER PLANES FROM HIS OFFICE WINDOW
Pavel Durov is the CEO of VKontakte, a prominent social networking site in Russia. So, obviously, money is not a biggie.
But Durov took things too far when he tossed those paper planes from his office window in St Petersburg. The ‘planes’ were real 5,000-ruble notes and it was reported that Durov threw a total of around $2,000, causing a fight as people started scrambling for the notes. He only stopped when things turned ugly.
When asked about the incident, he gave an entirely different story. He claimed that his company was bestowing a big bonus on one of its employees who he claimed was responsible for the act.
He added that he felt the employee was not throwing money in the right manner and so he joined to ‘help.’ But they had to stop when a fight ensued. He claimed it totaled to $4,000-5000 in ruble bills.
Coincidentally, Durov’s new project, Telegram, has a paper plane as its new logo. However, he claimed that the connection between the two was incidental.
Durov’s net worth is above $260 million, and this is not the first time he has been involved in a headline-grabbing act. Not so long ago, Durov wrote a manifesto detailing his plans of transforming Russia into a flourishing economy. One of his recommendations was the abolishment of Russia’s national currency.