Live, Don't Own

Now you can borrow the latest Coach (COH Quote) bag for a fraction of the sale price for a week, six months or just an evening out at Bag Borrow or Steal. Membership costs about $60 a year, and additional monthly borrowing prices range from $20 a month for a bag in the "trendsetter" category to $275 for a runway-worthy "couture" bag.

If you simply cannot part with your borrowed bag, there's always the option to "steal" (buy) it. A fair purchase price is determined based on the age of the item, its condition and availability in the marketplace.

Art Cycle

For those with a passion for contemporary art, but not the funds or connections to build up a collection, ARTvest provides a way to satiate your creative appetites virtually hassle-free.

Per the site, members join a syndicate where pieces of modern art are reviewed and selected quarterly by a panel of members and advisors, and are then rotated around the members' homes.

Membership costs about $3,000, but that's nothing compared to paying thousands for a Cecile Azoulay on your wall.

Pick a Pooch

The lure of an energetic playmate and warm companionship has brought me to the door of my neighborhood animal shelter, but I was always stopped by thoughts of the poor pup being penned up all day while I'm at work.

San Diego and Los Angeles-based Flexpetz lets you borrow a dog of your choice for a few hours, a day or even a week. All their dogs come from accredited rescue organizations and range from an Italian greyhound named Pike to Tango, a stunning black Afghan.

Owner Marlena Cervantes says many of their San Diego clients are military personnel who don't want to kennel their dogs while out at sea. A number of celebrities also showed interest at a pre-Oscar event this year. "We had a lot of interest from actors who have to be on-location a lot," she says.

Membership is based on a monthly fee of $40 and a Daily Doggy Time charge, payable for each day or part of a day you spend with the dog, amounting to about $20 on weekdays and $30 on weekends.

They are planning to open a branch in New York City in June and have their sights on cities all over the U.S. as well as Europe and Asia. Soon you will never be left without the companionship of a faithful friend.

Piece of the Vine

	Part-time Pooch
Photo: flexpetz.com

A wine estate is perfect in that it gives you excellent wine, a lovely profit and a beautiful retreat anytime you want it. The not-so-practical part lies in finding the capital to purchase it.

Wine enthusiast Arjen Pen saw an answer to this problem by finding a group of investors to buy a carefully selected, high-potential wine estate. He is managing director of Wine Estate Capital Management, where investors can contact him to be put on a waiting list for the next ownership opportunity.

His first estate was purchased three years ago in Bordeaux, and he just finished the purchase of an estate in South Africa.

The return side of the investment has three components, says Pen. "We are extremely selective because we ourselves are shareholders," says Pen. "An investor ... has the right to receive dividend payments if the shareholders decide to do so." Investors also receive 12 cases of wine every vintage (yearly) and have the right to live at the estate between three to five weeks a year.

So next time you get the urge to own, think fractional. Remember, those who are rich in experience win.

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