You would think that the economic meltdown had never happened.

With the news that Katie Holmes spends over R200 000 every month on clothes for her three-year-old daughter, Suri, we dug around a little for more celebrity extravagances.

Some people buy holiday homes, and celebrities buy? holiday islands. And Nicolas Cage bought three of them. In 2006 he spent R18-million on a 40-acre island in the Exuma archipelago, some 85 miles southeast of Nassau. No wonder he's having financial troubles. Virgin mogul Richard Branson at last count laid claim to four islands across the globe. Sir Richard owns two luxury islands in the Caribbean a mile and a half apart. He also bought Makepeace Island off Australia's coast for the staff of Virgin, and the Island of England which is located in Dubai's manmade world map. Who else has their own tropical getaway? Other island owners include Johnny Depp, Mel Gibson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Shakira and Eddie Murphy.

When a new family moves into the street, you either a) peer through the curtains b) wave quickly and look hurried as you climb into your car or c) take around some muffins as a 'Welcome to the neighbourhood' token. When David and Victoria Beckham moved into their LA home in 2007, neighbour Tom Cruise gave them three new cars. Victoria was given a R1.5-million Bentley Continental GT, with monogrammed gold rims elegantly scripted VB, while David received a DUB Edition Cadillac Escalade, as well as a DUB Edition Lincoln Navigator.

Other car-obsessed celebs include Jay Leno, who spends the majority of his fortune on his collection. The collection apparently includes a Lamborghini Miura; a 1932 Packard Twin Six 12-cylinder coupe; a 1913 Mercer; several Bugattis; two Stanley Steamers; a 1956 Chrysler Imperial; a 1966 Dodge Coronet Hemi; A Dodge Viper; and a 1955 Buick Roadmaster. His favourite vehicle is his McLaren F1.

For my last birthday, I went out and had dinner and cocktails with two of my closest friends. When Sean 'Diddy' Combs turned 40, he spent a whopping R22-million on a champagne-fuelled fiesta for 500 guests. He installed his own black dance floor and chandelier, had on display R220 000 worth of orchids and had Al Green perform for his guests. He also apparently spent a massive amount on security to protect guests like Jay-Z, Bono, Kim Kardashian, Denzel Washington and 'Twilight' star Kellan Lutz.

Mariah Carey is well-known for her over-the-top diva ways. According to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper, Mariah spent R11-million on a recent trip to london. This included renting out the top floor of the Dorchester Hotel (R3-million), first-class flights, a massive bash at a nighclub and R175 000 to hire a Rolls Royce and a Bentley. Guests at her promotional bash at Jalouse nightclub were treated to R17 500 bottles of champagne out of a R1.2-million diamond-encrusted ice bucket. The total bill for champagne at the end of the night? R3.65-million.

'Tis the season to be jolly, and also to spend exorbitant amounts of money on all-things-Christmassy. Amy Winehouse very seriously got into the spirit of things by splurging R243 000 on Christmas decorations from Selfridges in London. These included singing Santas, musical lights and moving reindeers. And this is all before presents.

And? Brangelina. Brad Pitt has just finished designing and building an R131 000 custom home for his children's pet gerbils. Yup. Rodents. Maddox and Pax picked out the furry critters at a pet shop in France, and Brad ? who is passionate about architecture ? built a run that includes mazes, seesaws, tunnels and platforms.

And speaking of celebrity pets, Paris Hilton managed to drop R2.6-million on building her dogs a kennel. This luxury kennel featuring crystal chandeliers and a miniature wrought-iron staircase. The dogs also have their own air-conditioned bedrooms and a lounge. Apparently Paris wanted it to be "cute".

Celebrity spending: Justified or just too over the top? Have your say!