This is a pretty cool idea, I think

Collectibles for decorating the huge cave house you bought for tons of money from some town?
Making objects in the game just more expensive in general?
Unique Weapons?
Buy an Island?
Pay People for doing Jobs or Work for you? (Building a house for you, blacksmiths to create custom weapons,storekeepers to specifically order certain obejcts)
A town?
Equipment that gets used up and the higher quality versions of that equipment which costs tons of money? (traps for hunting, arrows, swords and armor that actually breaks and is beyond repair, Lockpicks, basic stuff like that)
Exquisite food?
Assassinations?
A personal army for conquering opponents/dungeons you cannot defeat on your own?
Exterminator to get rid of that rat problem you're having at your house?
Bribe people to help you escape from guards if you get caught?
A Treasure Vault? (like in Overlord)

I could keep counting!

If you buy several houses in different cities they should all need money for maintenance, especially if you hire housekeepers, cooks, groom, ect. I'd like to buy a farm and a castle and maybe a ship for trade with other provinces.

NPC services thats my character cant do self like enchanting and alchemy for warrior and armorer for mage,
healing service from temples and resting and eating in inns,
master trainers thats will cost much,
fast travel thats will cost much at long distances or transportations system.
Buyable properties and taxes on it
Guild dues for example in thieves guild
Deposit and loans in banks or putting in treasury in form of coins ingots and other valuables
Spending money on companions or make salary for mercenaries
Spending money on gambling in taverns or arenas
Coin for poor and temple donations.
Fine for crimes
Rare equipment in merchants stores
Make own manufacture and investing into merchants shops
Give gifts and bribery for rising deposition
Being robbed in sleep

Agreed, but I also think it should be able to buy some really rare and expensive stuff from certain shops.
Hard too make + expensive collectables = fun collecting expensive stuff(for some).

I'd go in the other direction and make gold very hard to come by instead.
Also, how about building your own city?

It makes sense to make money harder to come by. I agree with that to a certain extent. Nevertheless, there needs to be something to buy, no matter how hard it is to get money. Because even if making money is hard, you will eventually make some.

I would like to be able to buy and collect artifacts. For example, if you enter someone's castle and see an expensive painting on the wall, offer to buy it. Essentially just make every NPC a merchant. Some sell regular items that we are used to buying, others just sell their personal inventory (paintings, rugs, such). This could operate like the decorator scrolls in oblivion, except that you can buy them all over the place. Several people have mentioned this in different ways (statues, books, etc) and I agree. Collecting could become quite engaging if you had to work to build up your collection. Not only that, but it's fun as heck.

Also, someone mentioned commissioning things. I think that would be divine. The ability to pay to have a statue erected in a city, or to refurbish an impoverished district would be insanely cool. This is probably a little too ambitious though.

Anything that required me to make regular payments would be cool. Hotels should be more expensive, but also worth it. There should be some real difference to getting rest in a hotel vs just waiting around. Paying rent, or a mortgage on your home would be nice.

Hiring people would be a neat addition. I always wanted to pay the orc combat trainer from Oblivion.

Tips and bigger bribes could be a possibility. That leads me to think of transportation systems as well (carriages, taxi, something).

The general picture to paint here is that doing things cheaply in Skyrim should have some sort of consequence. In a good economy you pay for things that offer you a better alternative. If I could just FT to a city or pay for a cab, why would I pay for the cab? Because it's easier, safer, and faster. The game should reflect that. Not just with travel, but with as much as possible.

I like a lot of these ideas. Frankly the easiest way to make money hard to come by is give all the bandits and random enemies like that worse gear. So instead of everyone having iron weapons give them 'old' or 'tarnished' iron weapons that are slightly worse and less valuable, because living in the wilderness means more use and less opportunities to get it serviced.

Taxes. They should implement a taxation system in towns. A world without some kind of taxes is just too unimaginable.

OOooohh.. I just got a shiver from this idea. I love it.

Glad to hear :biggrin:

(I quess such attitude towards taxes only happens in gameworlds)

Only if I get to kill the tax collector.

I never noticed this. I agree theres not much to buy,

Maybe a few unique odds and ends that can only be bought at stores. Like little instruments for measuring(crystal compass and hourglass anyone?) or have some very nice unique armour only available at a shop.

All great ideas. Economies are great. Taxes are... well... good if you are the king. Rent! Not just homes but other items!
I agree, (weak) bandits shouldn't get great armor. Where is it all coming from? You should be able to craft it from mines and blacksmiths, etc.

Alternatively:
Maybe gold could have a size/weight. You can only carry so much on you? Your coin purse will get swollen and bandits will make you their target, and stealth NPC's, and thieves will come to your home, try to loot your giant treasure chests.

There could be some kind of Midas related spells that consume gold instead of magica. You could melt down your gold into golden weapons, gold paint for your house or items, jewelery.

Great idea that you should be able to own/fix forts. I would raise a huge army and wipe out entire enemy forts! Sounds like a great strategy aspect.