To look at walk in tubs as an expense or a luxury is an extremely short-sighted goal. It is something very narrow-minded. You have to look at things in the long run of things. For example you want a walk in tub because you have an elderly person with you at your home. Perhaps you have someone who has mobility issues or problems of such a kind.
Someone who is disabled or has mobility issues is risking serious even fatal injury each time they use a regular tub. There are many ways for them to rack up injuries, some of which can even be fatal or lead to life-long debilitation. Think about the medical costs of such situations. Pull out the calculator and try to do the math on having such things and expenses on a monthly basis, is that expensive or what?
Buying a walk in tub means that you do all the spending on the front, but it's like buying an insurance policy. You pay some on the front, to save on the back end. With a walk in tub you save on the costs on surgery, broken limbs, different doctors visits etc etc...
The same logic holds when you compare walk in tubs to alternatives like a caregiver and a retirement home for example. They might seem cheaper if you look at their salary for a given months versus the cost of the tub.
The walk in tub is meant to last forever however, while something like a caregiver's salary is a recurring monthly cost that you incur each month. If you look at the big picture and the potential expenses that a walk in tub saves you from, you realize it is quite a great investment in terms of returns.
Not everyone should get everything they want or need. Some people can't afford a walk in tub, and this is no matter how hard they try to budget it. This article is for those who can afford it if they really wanted to, but still haven't bought one due to false notions about it.