5 Things We Splurge On
(Inspired by a recent MoneySavingMom post about the things their family splurges on)
Though we're a fairly frugal household here at Chez FG, we're really more about mindful spending than we are about saving Every Single Possible Penny.
So, we try to save on things that don't matter that much to us so we can spend on the things that do.
Before I get to my list, though, I want to say that I know not everyone is in a position to be able to splurge on anything. In fact, for many years, Mr. FG and I weren't.
(A warehousing salary gets stretched pretty thin in a 6-person household!)
During those years, we had to spend the bare minimum on almost everything just to stay in the black, and if you're in that spot, please know that this list isn't meant to be a judgment on you.
I'm just sharing how Mr. FG and I have decided to spend some of our money now that we're not in such a survival mode stage of life.
1. Quality, Ethical Products
I'm normally a hold-tight-to-my-money gal, but if I can spend more and get a quality, ethically-made product, suddenly my purse strings loosen.
For instance, there are three American Giant hoodies at our house, and I feel like that was money well-spent. They're American made, starting from seed, they're super heavy duty, and I think they'll last for years and years.
I could get a decent hoodie for less, but not one QUITE this marvelous. Plus I know part of what I'm paying for is fair salaries and good jobs for the people who work to make these hoodies and that feels like mindful spending to me.
A bonus of buying good quality products is that eventually, they mostly pay for themselves. I have such a great collection of solid kitchen equipment now, I don't think I'll have to buy more new items for years and years, which means my average kitchen equipment spending will be quite low.
2. Food
I'm not sure exactly how splurge-y this is, but I definitely spend more on food that I could if I worked really hard at it.
Partly this ties into the previous splurge, in the sense that I purposely pay more sometimes for quality food. I know this isn't realistic for everyone, but like Michael Pollan says, if we are able to spend a bit more to support good food, then we should do it.
So, I buy eggs from a local friend, organic chicken from a local market, beef from a local farm, and I pay for a produce box delivery every other week. Also, I try to buy whatever organic products Aldi offers (which aren't TOO much of a splurge because of their great prices!).
Plus, I consciously try to buy nutrient-dense foods for my kids, even if they're not organic or local.
For instance, I pay extra to buy nuts, fruits, and veggies for snacks instead of just buying what's cheap (i.e. crackers. Though we DO eat some crackers!)
(This is not to say I fling money around the grocery store with abandon...I mean, I do still bake my own bread, make yogurt from scratch, make chicken broth and cook most of our meals from basic ingredients. I'm just willing to spend a little more for better ingredients.)
3. Giving
(I don't know if giving is exactly splurging, but it is something we mindfully spend our money on, so...)
No matter what our financial circumstances have been, Mr. FG and I have always given 10% of our gross income to our church, and for a lot of years, that's about all we could manage.
But since we have more wiggle room now, we've been able to support other people and organizations we believe in, and that's definitely mindful spending for us.
I might not be able to go feed the homeless every weekend, but I can help support a friend who does.
And I might not be able to go drill wells for thirsty people, but I can support Living Water in what they do.
Heating/Cooling
We're not doing anything craaaazy, like cranking the heat to 78 ° or turning the AC down to 68 °, but we are a little more generous with the thermostat than we could be.
(Ok, ok, you wanna know? 70 ° in the winter, 78 ° in the summer.)
We used to grin and bear it at 65 ° in the winter, but you guys, I just had such a hard time staying warm, even with long underwear, slippers, three shirts, and so on.
Plus Mr. FG has an even harder time staying warm than I do, and we decided it is just not worth it to us to be miserable all winter long.
We used to keep our AC at 80 ° in the summer, and since Mr. FG can handle summer heat just fine, he was good with that. BUT, I really do not deal well with humidity, so 78 ° makes for a more cheerful Kristen.
Occasional Eating Out/Takeout
This is a tough one for me, because I knowwwwww how crazy much more expensive it is to eat out, and so I'm usually like, "Self! Whatever you do, you MUST COOK ALL THE MEALS."
Which is certainly a fine goal (saves money, plus it's usually healthier), and most of the time, I'm pretty successful at it.
But I have slowwwwwly come to realize that sometimes, a dinner out is a sanity-saving choice, and can be considered mindful spending.
So at the end of a week, if I'm particularly fried or busy, sometimes we order pizza from a local shop instead of making it from scratch. Or occasionally I'll have a crazy day in the middle of the week and a homemade dinner is just not gonna happen, so we might get subs and bring them home for dinner.
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Alrighty...your turn!
What things do YOU splurge on?
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P.S. In case the American Giant hoodies piqued your interest, I have a referral link from American Giant that gives you 15% off your first purchase. That'll net you almost $14 off the purchase of a heavyweight hoodie, which is what we own. Also: we really love their tshirts, which are quite reasonably priced.
P.P.S. I shared an American Giant link here some months ago, which meant I got some $15 credits (thank you!). So we were able to get our hoodies for about the same price you can. Schweet.
It is really interesting to me to see what people choose to spend their money on, especially when they are making conscious decisions about that spending. I like your list --- although I don't thinking the AC at 78 degreees in the summer of much of a splurge! I try to keep our AC at 73 during the day, but I have been known to knock it down even lower at night, because I like to be cold to sleep.
My family's big splurges are eating out and vacations. We definiately could eat out less, but we enjoy it. We also save a lot of money for our vacations because traveling is important to us. I'd rather go on vacation than have expensive clothes, shoes, and furniture.
I love this! Mindfully spending on meaningful things is just as frugal as pinching pennies on things that don't matter. We splurge on:
1. Travel. We home exchange, so the room is free, and we cook out of the kitchen when we get there. That means for the price of flights we can see the world and enjoy all the incredible benefits travel bestows.
2. We also give to our church. Not quite 10%, but we have been working toward it.
3. Special occasion gifts for friends and family. We like to give nice wedding and shower gifts.
4. Home repairs. I respect the DIYers out there, but I would rather work harder at my own work and pay someone else to renovate my bathroom.
5. A cleaning lady. I'm a grad student with two small children and my husband runs his own business. The $60 I pay a friend to clean once a week buys us three hours of work time, something very precious around here.
1. We definitely spend more on food now (than during my $1 double coupon days) because we figure it is worth it for our health, and the health of our planet. I am going to throw eating out in with food. It seems among the better ways to spend your dollars locally. We usually patronize local establishments, from Chinese takeout to a family owned Italian place.
2. I feel the same way about ethically made goods as well as quality goods. For valentines day my husband gave me the wide opening funnel you recommended, as I had an old plastic one (and I didn't like putting hot things through it).
3. We tithed for many years but have done more giving the past few years. I feel as if we have been blessed and I want others to experience that as well,we are not interested in raising our standard of living.
4. Heating/Cooling is on my list as well. We use to keep the house at 66 degrees in the winter. I don't know how we did it as we now use the same settings you do. I hate being hot or cold in the summer so 78 degrees is perfect for us. If someone is really cold or hot we adjust it temporarily.
5. Travel. Because we do not live near family and our parents don't travel these days we spend a good amount of money on airfares, and some on rental cars and hotels. I will be going next week to a special event in my nephew's life.
6. I know I should stop but... Fitness is important. I have a monthly membership to a yoga studio. I keep the cost per class down by attending about three classes a week. My daughter also does yoga, but not as often, so she pays for a set number of classes per session.
I believe yoga provides more than just benefits for physical well being, I believe yoga treats the whole body so don't feel bad about this splurge (this coming from someone who has tried to like yoga and just can't). Anyway, I see exercise, in any form, good for mind and body and if you feel better and are reducing your reliance of pharmaceuticals, you are saving loads of money in the long run.
Very nice post!
We're still on a tight budget but if it permits,we would splurge on:
-donation to church and charities
-eat out once in a while
-travel
Sometimes take-out is a God-send. With a houseful of sicklings yesterday, our Easter dinner was Chinese takeout.
Our main splurge is lawn maintanence. My hubby used to spend hours to mow our (average sized) property, weed whack and edge. For years we have paid $30 per week to have this taken care of for us.
It sounds like quite a bargain, to gain all that time for the amount you pay.
1. Food, in much the same way you do. It's hard to swallow the price differential sometimes, but I remind myself of my overall goals and try to achieve them.
2. Heat. I can tell the difference between 68F and 70F, so 70F it is. Moderated by a programmable thermometer and low temps overnight. I'm fine with heat so AC is mostly related to humidity, which is not good for the house.
3. Occasional eating out, particularly with friends. I keep things at home for the days I'm running late or frazzled.
4. Donations. I choose a small number of goals (3-5) and fund them heartily. One that few know of, that can literally be a lifesaver, is the National Poison Hotline.
I do not consider quality clothing to be splurge - it's a long-term investment.
This is a great post!
We too push the limits of our home environmental system. Layer up in the winter, peel off in the summer and take advantage of our community's pool. We're paying for it anyway! May as well cool off. And we really do feel cooler after a dip in the pool, even walking around in the heat.
Our big splurge is education. Our kid has a special need that our assigned school cannot provide for, so non-public school it is. And really it's a big splurge, taking a good portion of the household income, but for my husband and me we believe it is a necessary investment. So, we forgo quite a bit in order to provide this for our kid. We see the benefits so we know it's the right choice for us but it does mean eating out is a treat, vacations are, at best, every 3-4 years and our kid is far from 'keeping up with the Joneses' - a difficult feat at my kid's school - but it works for us.
Interesting to see the different replies. I have recently started to make more foods from scratch, and shop at Aldi more, but we still eat out a couple times each weekend and will probably continue to do that. (There are only 2 of us now.) We have decided that we will buy only quality, comfortable shoes. No more shoe purchases because they are on sale or "cute" unless they meet the comfort and quality criteria. I am sure there are areas that we could cut back on spending, but we are careful and mindful in what we spend, so that's good for us.
it has taken me years to learn that cheap shoes are a waste of money. I will not wear shoes that hurt my feet any longer. If I had all the money back I wasted on cheap shoes I never wore more than a few times....
I live in a very small town and being an hour away from most shopping and fast food conveniences means I also have to factor the cost of two hours worth of driving for some splurges. This makes it easier, or rather forces, some mindful spending. We do have a pizza shop which I do patronize occasionally, and it is expensive, but worth every penny for the break it affords me. Sometimes if I am working on a project (like decluttering our basement!) it allows me to devote my cooking time to finishing. I am very frugal with almost everything but a warm house and the occasional pizza are my luxuries!
My splurge is to get my hair colored. I tried to do it myself for a few years but I had poor results and I was not happy so it didn't feel like I got anything except frustration for what I saved. The place I go uses a more environmentally friendly product than is available at the store, it is my time to read magazines, have a cup of tea, chat, daydream and leave feeling like a million bucks:)
P.S. I made your roll recipe for Easter yesterday- super easy and delicious! Thanks for sharing.
Sports is the big one for us. My son's swim team is a big money/time commitment, but we believe its so worth it.
I have been thinking a lot about splurging lately. And although my budget is tight, I am making room for small indulgences every once in awhile. It lifts my spirit to buy a good chocolate bar, a nice bottle of wine etc when I can afford.
And I am with you on creature comforts. I need heat when it's cold in the winter and AC when it's hot in the summer. Being comfortable improves my mood and makes me a nicer person!
Thank you for your timely post today.
We share one of our big splurges with you. FOOD! Whether going out of cooking in we buy quality food that tastes delicious but also make us feel good eating it. For us that means a lot of avocados.
Our second major splurge is travel. We love it. Whether a day trip, a week in the wilderness or a weekend at the beach. We budget and save so we can do all the traveling we love!
While I could probably stand to be a lot more mindful of spending on other areas, areas where I make a conscious choice to spend more are:
Books/educational/homeschooling materials. I don't spend as much as I possibly could on curricula--I'm sure you realize how quickly that would add up!--but I also don't really skimp. Especially for non-consumable materials, that I can presumably use with all four kids, I don't hesitate to make purchases or go with a curriculum on the more-expensive side.
Bras. As a very well-endowed person, I never, ever skimp on bras.
Shoes. Again, I don't spend as much as I could possibly spend, by any means, but whereas I have no problem buying a really cheap t-shirt from Target, I would not buy a pair of really cheap shoes from Target (for me or the kids).
Oh, and haircuts! I am terrible at giving haircuts, and we have a wonderful neighbor who will come to your home to cut your kids' hair. She does a great job, and it's so convenient that the price is worth it.
I love American Giant products! My husband and I have both a heavy weight and mid weight sweatshirts and they are amazing. We've had out heavyweight sweatshirts since AG started, so about 4 years. They still look brand new. Recently I purcheased a pair of their sweat pants and love them. I can't imagine I'll ever have to buy another pair again.
1. Eating out - I know that we could save more by cutting this and recently we've been spending even more as we're traveling and getting ready to move overseas.
2. Sneakers - My husband feels like quality sneakers last longer than the super cheap ones.
3. Recently we bought 4 Osprey back packs, which weren't cheap. They have a life time warranty, are carry-on size, and we hope to use them for many, many years in our missionary career.
4. Occasional Redboxes, since we don't have cable, netflix or any of those other movie packages.
5. Tools - My husband loves mechanic work, and in the long run, I think the tools has saved us a lot of money.
Oh yeah, I pay a lady to cut my hair...I tried doing it myself, but it wasn't very successful. 🙂
My car feels like a splurge, although by most definitions it isn't. Late last year I sold off my 15-year-old car - it just wasn't safe anymore - and bought a used Honda Civic with cash saved over the past five years for that purpose. Do you know it doesn't have a tape deck, unlike my old 1999 marvel of engineering? 😉 The difference in mileage is amazing, and I don't cringe when going over speed bumps anymore. It's nice when a solid purchase feels splurgey.
1. I get a massage every few months. Back in the day insurance would've paid for it because of my medical condition, but that's not our insurance world anymore. It's an important, no-side-effects part of my healthcare and I get myself spa cards at Costco.
2. Two dogs. They're an expensive part of the family, but we can't imagine not having at least one dog.
3. A set of good sheets, for much the same reason as your hoodies.
Like you, I also feel like I am in a financial position to be able to splurge a little on ethical products. I haven't found much for clothing (I'm not much of a hoodie gal) but I do spend a little extra for american made products, or organic hair/bath products, homegoods and food. I also get meat locally and an organic produce box and buy from the local farms around here during the summer. I understand not everyone has this ability, but since I have no kids and a good salary I feel it's important for me to do it, simply because others can not. I don't travel as much as I'd like. If I didn't have a dog I might travel more, but I don't like having to ask others to take care or him or leaving him at a kennel. If I have one real splurge I think it is my Yankee Candles. Oh I love them. I know some people think they are not healthy or environmentally friendly, but I adore them. I have cut back in the last couple of years, now I only spend maybe $100/year on them. Not much of a splurge, but it's probably the only thing I buy that I really could live without.
78 in the summer is a splurge?? That would be miserably hot to us! 68 is our perfect summer temp. We sometimes go as low as 65 at night (that's supported by research--we sleep better in cool temps). My skin cannot handle heat and humidity, and I think my husband would have to change his clothing 8 times a day at 78.
We splurge, obviously, on cooling, but it doesn't cost us that much now that we have new windows and insulation plus a super efficient AC unit. We also spend a lot on high quality food. That's it for us--our income is too low to splurge on anything more!
1.) Travel - well, now that we have a baby on the way this will probably not happen again for a long time. My wife and I love to go to fun things like anime conventions and stuff like that.
2.) Movies, DVDs, books etc. No, watching it on Netflix is not the same as having the DVD/BD copy forever. I am choosy about which ones i must own and frugal about getting the best price but I'm not going to stream everything. I want a nice media library.
3.) I don't wear used clothes. It's something I'm frivolous about but I just don't want to wear used stuff any more (I had hand me downs a lot as a kid.) My future kid will wear used stuff, though.
4.) Live events - I enjoy going to concerts, Fathom live shows (e.g. Rifftrax) and such. Again, the DVD is just not the same.
5.) Computers - I custom build fairly nice desktops. That said, I'm still rocking my 2006 Gen 1 Macbook so I do make things last a long time.
6.) Cookware - I don't own any All-Clad but I do own some mid-priced Tramontina pieces which are just as good. I still consider it a splurge since it's not a $10 skillet or pot.
7.) I am a grown man and I feel no shame in hiring someone to mow my lawn. There's no way in heck I'm doing it myself. Lawns are the biggest waste of time in existence (my elderly neighbors think otherwise, of course.)
Congratulations on the impending arrival! I hope we hear more about it in the coming months.
You remind me of two more splurges: house cleaning and lawn care. I do the composting and veggie gardening, the company does the mowing and edging. I tried edging - it was one, as one might say, a great success.
So...our budget is pretty tight and has been for the past 6 or 7 years or so. But we have a roof over our heads and food to eat so we don't have any complaints. God is good, and provides for our needs. 🙂
Occasionally, my splurge is a drink at Starbucks or Biggby (a coffee chain that started in Michigan). I love to sit and read or do some of my work related to homescholing at the coffee shop. It's a nice break for me!
Tammy, I went to MSU and have many fond memories of studying at Biggby! Back when I thought that I didn't have much money...but now I reflect on how many lattes that I bought there! 🙂
Ha! Biggby's drinks are larger than Starbucks, so their lattes are more expensive! But I do love to study/read there, especially by their gas fireplace! So cozy.
1. Good Tea... we buy loose leaf tea from Upton Tea online. We love our good teas.
2. Good Olive Oils and Balsamic Vinegars... we have a few dishes that are oh so good with a better olive oil and better balsamic vinegar
3. We do eat out, used to be once a week, now it is probably once every two weeks. This is partly a cost cutting measure, but it is also a things in California are different, as my husband seems to have some work related activity that is paid for by someone else and involves a meal out about once every two weeks, so less need to head out. Sometimes the rest of the family has the need though!
4. I have to say electronics are a splurge for us. We each have a laptop, even if my son is dealing with a very old laptop. In a year, he will be heading to college and we will be buying him a new laptop then.
We're not in our "salad" days anymore so we do spurge a bit. Here's what we would have a difficult time giving up: 1) good coffee; 2) eating out every Saturday; 3) a couple bottles of wine - never more than $20/bottle though; 4) at least one week-long vacation per year (not camping); 5) hiring someone to mow and weed (just can't do it anymore).
I love that you added "not camping" That is the phase we are in now. Not only because it's cheap but because my kids love it and Michigan is a great place to be in the summer. I do think there will be a time when I want vacation to be "not camping" though.
Love this post! We splurge on travel, especially, right now. While we don't do anything too luxurious, we definitely do take a lot of trips and try to have fun multiple times a week.
I pay a lot of money for haircuts. I have short hair that, in my experience, looks really stupid unless a skilled professional has been at it. I do space out these visits (about 4 a year, which is very few for chin-length hair). That's the only beauty money I really spend--I wear makeup only on the most special of occasions, wax my own eyebrows, wash my hair with baking soda, use the kids' sunscreen on my face, do not style my hair with products, etc. But I do like a nice haircut.
And we also sometimes eat out, order a pizza, or make donuts part of a relaxing Sunday morning. We try to use these occasions judiciously to make sure that we are only spending money on things that will REALLY be fun or save a lot of stress (like the time Mr. FP was exhausted and ill, and I left our two preschoolers with him all day Saturday while I went to work. Came home to pizza in the fridge and movies on the Roku).
Things we splurge on...
1) Eating out. Depending on my stress level this one can teeter on "lifestyle" I don't want it to become a lifestyle and keep it at a splurge! One time during the week that we eat out that I do not want to give up is right after church. When we leave we are all hungry RIGHT NOW!
2) Food. I love to cook from scratch. I love to make dinner way more complicated than it needs to be. I meal plan and every meal is gourmet. Then I can't live up it (cooking for a family with a husband that works late can be hard) and end up ordering a pizza. I have started to throw in dead easy and short cut meals in to the mix. So once in a while I buy...hot dogs (gasp!!) and frozen pot pies (shudder). Oh and healthy prepackaged snacks have made it on our grocery list...trail mix, peaches, apple sauce... it keeps us from hitting up a drive through.
3) Medical Expenses. We decided late 2014 that we would very quickly meet our high deductible in 2015 with things we could of gone with out. Some therapies that may help with attention issues for some one in our family. It's has been good timing because some other things have come up and we are glad to have the deductible paid for the year. It's a luxury to go to the chiropractor for my head aches and not pay out of pocket!
4) Camping equipment. Camping is so cheap...once we buy everything we need we'll be set...Right? Oooo look at that hammock and cast iron dutch oven and camp chairs and...
This is made more complicated because we like several types of camping...car camping with the kids, back packing with just me and the hubby. If we had a place to put a canoe I would be even more tempted.
Things I want to splurge on but don't because we are saving to buy a house...
1) Massages!!! Help with stress and head aches! My husband keeps pushing me to do this monthly or every other month
2) House cleaning...I dream of this!
Dayna;
I'm with you totally about cooking. I like it. I like going overboard. I like trying new things. But that's not always feasible with my sked and the outcomes weren't popular with all diners. So I was in a slump recently, saved from extravagence only by a well-stocked freezer.
It wasn't really working for me, though. So we sat down and created a rough weekly meal plan: Monday is hunk o'meat (aka steak, chops, or roast),... Saturday is junky (pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, maybe movie night), one night is mix-and-match (aka leftovers). So far I feel liberated and on track, and not compelled to make a Big Fancy Deal of chicken night.
Wow that is a really good idea have a rough weekly dinner planner, I have tried doing a weekly plan but leftovers always get in the way. I am going to work on that!
If it helps, here's mine:
Monday: steaks, chops, roast, aka hunk o' meat
Tuesday: chicken
Wednesday: Asian (stir fry, domburi, dumplings, etc.)
Thursday: starchy dinner (pasta, sandwiches, breakfast)
Friday: ground meat (hamburgers, sausage, kefta, meatloaf, etc.)
Saturday: junky (pizza, hot dogs, etc.)
Sunday: leftovers
Already I've messed with it. I misremembered how long it would take to cook Tuesday's chicken recipe, so it was leftovers and Wed will be chicken. I'm thinking of moving leftovers to Friday, as that's when I'm most likely to want to skip the work.
Thanks for posting that info!
It's great to plan for left over days!! I find if I make too many simple meals I get bored and want to dine out and if I make too many complicated meals I get overwhelmed and sick of fighting the kids and want to dine out. There is a happy medium in there some where!
My sister suggested crock pot salsa chicken one night to me (you know...chicken + salsa = taco meat) and I scoffed at it (in my mind) as too simple but did it anyway. Now it's a family favorite and makes great left overs. Though the version that Kristen posted on the blog is probably better.
I am a big fan of what an old food BBS group of mine used to call Stupidly Simple - tasty food that so simple to make it's hard to believe. Simmering chix or seafood in a sauce is one of my fave examples. It's not "cooking" in my poor, messed up mind, but it's tasty, frugal, and gets good food on the table.
Suddenly I fell like we splurge on a lot of things!
We also fall into the categories of:
1) food-trying to eat local, organic, high nutrient. I also cook almost everything from scratch and when I see the high cost of prefab frozen stuff full of garbage, I feel like that evens out the expensive ingredients a bit.
2)quality ethical products
But also:
3) travel. We live in Alaska. It's expensive to get anywhere and much of our family does not love here. Plus, we love to visit new places.
4) Hobbies. We play in an African marimba band. I knit and do many sorts of paper craft and my husband does encaustics. We love sharing the joy of music at performances. And our art keeps us happy and creative. Nothing against therapy, but this is therapy for us!
5) Gifts. Both individual and charity. We have recently been able to expand this as we have gotten older and have more income, less debt. We also have the time to volunteer more., since we can afford to spend less hours working.
My DH and I worked very hard to be completely debt free for the last 2 years -no mortgage,no car payment,no CC debt. It wasn't always easy when we were surrounded by family and neighbors that were constantly purchasing new cars and going on cruises,vacations,etc. We told only 3 very close friends when we paid off our $250,000 mortgage in 5 years because most people thought we were nuts and that being in debt was the American way. So now that we are debt free we choose our splurges very carefully. We like to splurge on high speed internet as we don't have cable or satellite TV - it is so nice to not subsidize C**P TV- ,good quality food and donating to many charities.
The American Giant hoodies have increased in price to $89,so the discount will help with the new higher price. I bought my husband a Dutch Harbor hoodie for Christmas and it is very heavy cotton and nice quality and the price was around $60 on Amazon.
Thanks for another great blog post!
We paid off over $100k in debt and I will admit that I still have a hard time letting myself splurge! I am a bit stuck in the gazelle mentality. Our next goal is to buy a house and I can get too focused on that goal.
That said here are the categories that I am working on splurging on:
1) house cleaner every two weeks. My hubby works long hours and I work part time so this has been such a huge blessing. I wish that we had done it sooner!
2) clothes for myself and my husband. I am happy to buy used clothing for my four kiddos but I have been trying to push myself to buy new and nice for myself. I think that my hubby would appreciate me putting more effort into my appearance.
3) giving! We weren't giving 10% during our debt pay off days. Once I realized it, I increased our giving. Man alive, we were so blessed by that! We have had a change in income and this is a nice reminder to make sure that we are back up to the 10%.
4) trips with extended family. As our parents age, the more important getting away with them becomes.
5) consistent date nights. Hiring a sitter for those vs. doing babysitting swaps with friends.
1) Videogames. My husband and son are heavy gamers (hubby works for the industry) and we are homebodies who use our library quite extensively so we have no other "expensive" hobbies. We have a Gamefly membership and hubby also buys quite a bit of games on Steam. However, he's also quite cheap (err... frugal) so he waits until he can get them for $2-$3 a piece.
2) Our vehicles. I have a large SUV (bought when we still had 6 kids at home) and my husband has a largish pick-up truck. We love them. They're both paid for and we got employee pricing on them since my father-in-law retired from that car maker. However, I wince when I think of how much we spent on them and how much more we could have in the 401(k) instead and the gas mileage is really pretty dismal. I counterbalance it by trying to run errands only on Wednesdays and staying home the other days (hubby has a long commute but tries to work from home 1 to 2 days a week). We didn't get a bunch of options either, just pretty basic models.
3) This year I'm splurging on going to Europe with 2 of my kids for them to finally meet their grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins. I did get a pretty good deal on airfare (still about $1,000 a head including all fees and taxes) but we're renting a car instead of taking the train, which will be expensive even if I rented the smallest car that I could because gas and tolls are a killer over there. I consider it a splurge because I read blogs where people report flying for free with all kinds of frequent flyers awards and complicated scenarios with various credit card reward programs whereas I just went on Orbitz and tried to find the cheapest flight for the dates that worked for me. I'll nickel and dime my food budget as much as I can, but when I book a flight, I just want to get it done and not agonize over it. Since we're very frugal the rest of the year, I don't feel guilty over it.
A big splurge is a fancy gym membership... we pay a fair amount of money each month to go to a local, non-chain gym. We could go to a 24 Hour Fitness type place for much less, but we love the community and the little luxuries at our gym. It is worth it for us, and in fact I would pay even more for all we get there.
Also, I think it's funny that you are a little opposite of us for heating/cooling. We stay at around 64-66 in the winter for our heat, but we like it to be cooler in the summer... maybe around 72-74 (although we don't need to run the AC very often, so it doesn't cost an insane amount to keep it that cool).
You just must be more in your zone with cold temps, no matter the season, whereas we tend more toward the warm side!
Fun to read these comments. I don't consider tithing a splurge, but I can see how it may be viewed that way by others.
We are taking Amtrak from Michigan to Chicago this week for a fun family trip. Since we typically tent-camp, this is a splurge for us. The hotel doesn't offer breakfast, so I will be packing foods we don't normally eat (shelf-stable milk, instant oatmeal, etc.) but which will still save money for us instead of eating at a restaurant for breakfast. I think a "splurge" is in the eye of the beholder ...
Yes! Splurges do vary by person.
I don't really consider tithing to be a splurge, but the giving on top of that feels more like a luxury to me, especially because we were so limited in our ability to give in days past.
Our Splurge/Hobby is travel, which we do a lot of. To that end we save wherever we can. I make our own bread, beer, keep chickens, grow our own vegetables and keep our costs down wherever we can.
One way we save, and I guess it is also a splurge is that we have Solar hot water, solar electricity, geo-thermal heat and A/C and we drive a Prius (54 MPG!) We recently raised our heat to 70 - Julia hates to be cold. Our A/C is at 78 or even 80 which we find comfortable.
I am definitely with you on buying American and local. I think this actually saves money, even if the price is higher. Because if Americans are working we are paying out less in unemployment, food stamps, welfare etc. This cuts our taxes! I don't buy at places like Walmart where everything is Made in China and who don't pay a living wage so that many of their employees get food stamps etc Instead I shop at Costco as much as possible -they pay well and take care of their employees with health care etc. Buying American gives jobs to Americans and money to Americans and makes us all better off. People who have a job are happier, which makes me happier too. 🙂
A few of our family's splurges, in addition to agreeing with most of what you listed: lawncare so that my husband doesn't have to spend his precious free time outside in the heat and humidity; haircuts for me at a salon (about 2-3 times a year), and travel!
Shoes.
Quality work clothes.
Nutritious dog food.
Le Creuset cash iron pans, I was lucky enough to find 2 cheap, one at Goodwill and another at Home Goods.
Heating, winter 78 to 80 due to health issue.
Supporting several local animal rescue groups.
One I would like to add is a house cleaner.
I have two big splurges - eating out and helping friends when they need it. We eat out about three times per week right now, because nerve issues make one of my hands not work properly, and I broke the wrist on my other hand about a week ago. I can still type, but can't open containers, drawers or doors, I still consider it a splurge.
I'm definitely enjoying being able to help my friends in any way they need. We've received so much help from others when we needed it that I'm glad we're now in a place to give back. 🙂
I am going to be a bit of a broken record here:
1. Food. I have come a long way since the days when burning a meal meant pb&j all week becuase I had planned to eat the leftovers for other meals and couldn't afford to replace the one I burned. But the grocery budget still requires a lot of attention. Nevertheless, I like to have good ingredients on hand like real maple syrup and vanilla extract and good olive oil and chocolate and meat and produce. I recently made the decision to increase my grocery budget because I was budgeting the same amount as I have been since 2009 and it just wasn't working anymore. I have not had a raise in all that time, either, but that is another story.
2. Heating and Cooling. I am with you Kristen. Being comfortable is a luxury I am totally willing to pay for. For me, 70 degrees in the winter and 75 in the summer are just about right, although I like to sleep in a room about 65.
3. Good shoes. There is no other option.
4. Nice pens/paper. I take a lot of pleasure in using nice stationary supplies and as luxuries go, its a pretty affordable one.
5. Gifts. I don't buy extravegant gifts but I do like to remember special occasions and treat my friends and family occassionally.
I work on my feet for 8-12 hours at a stretch so good quality work shoes are an investment in my health and my job! Also, I don't buy cheapie scrubs or socks any more. I just bite the bullet and buy the ones that although cost a little more, will give me much more wear in the long run. I launder them seperately from everyone else's stuff so no mishaps happen with them.
*Handmade soap! It smells wonderful and is so creamy, plus a bar lasts much longer than the commercial bars.
*Kids' sports. These aren't necessary, but the kids enjoy them and have gained a lot of benefit from them. Still, they take up a lot of time and even more money, particularly if you have a kid playing club sports (both the club fees AND the hotel/eating out expenses for out of town games).
*Private schools. We homeschooled our 2 older kids until middle school and put the 2 younger ones in private school until middle school. We decided it would be better to pay out to give our kids a really good head start in school rather than put the money into a college fund. The older 2 are college-aged now and we haven't regretted it yet.
I think it's interesting that a lot of us feel that we need to explain/make excuses for our splurges. 🙂
I was thinking over your list of five things tonight while meeting with our financial advisor and tried to come up with our five. I know many would consider a FA a splurge but she has helped us to make better financial decisions that have raised our net worth.
1. Travel - my husband and I try to take one big vacation a year. We put money aside each month and don't travel until we can pay for it. Last year we were able to travel to Iceland for five days.
2. Monthly dinner with my college friends. Girl time does wonders for my mood and these women inspire me!
3. Gym membership - our gym is amazing and has childcare. I can take as many classes as I want, sit in the sauna, and have access to the pool so my son and I can go swimming. There is also a salon so when I get my hair cut (about every six months) I don't have to set up a babysitter.
4. A beautiful winter coat. It covers everything I wear for almost six months so I want a pretty one.
5. Boots - same as the coat. I wear boots with everything October to mis April. They need to be stylish, comfy and have a good grip.
In the interest of transparency (yours), I used your link about 7 months ago and bought a Hoodie so I know you got some $$ from that. So, basically you dont spend 79.00 on a hoodie because you make $$ from your readers who purchase.
Yep! The hoodies are normally $89, but with the $15 referral discount, they're $74, not $79. My bad!
Anyone who shares a referral link to American Giant gets a $15 credit (I don't have a special blogger deal with them...my referral credit is the same as what you could get!), but the credits cannot be stacked. So, using a credit to buy a hoodie isn't a lot different than getting the 15% off like you did through my link.
I can't get free hoodies or anything like that! 🙂 But you're right, I did get $15 off the hoodies, and I put the wrong price into the post originally.
They really can't be stacked? I referred 2 ppl and they say I have a 30.00 credit now. Hmmmm.
Yes, you can accumulate a bunch of them, but you can only use one per order. So the largest discount you can get on an item is $15, no matter how many credits you have.
In the interest of snarkiness (yours), Kristen is consistently up front about referrals. IF she slipped even the tiniest bit on this one, I think she has more than earned some grace. Randi, your last sentence is so impolite that I'm not going to dignify it by quoting it. Kristen is far too kind to call you out, but (alas) I am not. She blesses her readers day in and day out for little reward and your comment is something I cannot let pass unremarked upon.
#1: Heating and cooling. My childhood home was cold in the winter, hot in the summer. I vowed that once I became an adult who paid her own bills I'd be comfortable in my own home which translates to 72-73 degrees in the winter & summer. I have never mind paying the bill each month because I remember the uncomfortable days of my childhood vividly!
#2: Purchase some meat directly from farms and/or butchers that I know & respect. I can't afford to buy all of my family's meat this way but when I'm able to, I indulge in pricier, but I think better for us, items. Ditto for dairy products.
#3: Hair cut & color at my expensive salon. I stretch my visits to every 8 weeks, (gone are the 10 weeks between visits days), and the cost is worth it.
#4: Quality footwear for my children during their growing years. I patronize a store across town because it offers old fashioned service. Don't feel I've ever been steered wrongly in a purchase. As a bonus I usually am given a small discount because the owner knows I travel 35-40 minutes to his shop.
#5: NFL Sunday Ticket thru Directv, (another related splurge), for my football loving husband. He has his pick of many matchups which he loves. Being supporters of a team not in our home town means we don't always get our team's games on a local channel. My husband doesn't spend much money on himself, and I have had to convince him that he deserves a treat too.
We splurge on travel. My husband is from Oaxaca, Mexico, and we try to take an every-other-year trip down to see family. It's important to us to maintain those ties, and so we save up and spend most of our "disposable" income on travel. If we didn't do this, we couldn't have to scrimp in so many other ways, but it's worth it to us.
Food is one of the things I am least likely to splurge on. It might be that my taste buds aren't all that sophisticated, so when comparing say more expensive cuts of meat to less expensive cuts of meat, I tend to be frugal on the purchase knowing I probably won't get that much more enjoyment out of the higher price cut of meat.
Out of your list, my splurge would be using the Air Conditioner. I absolutely hate being hot! I have no problem wearing layered clothing around the house to avoid turning the heater on, but the AC is something I cannot live without.
Ah, it's not so much that I'm spending to buy fancier foods (like high dollar steak)...it's more that I'm willing to pay for food that is more nutritious and/or produced ethically (local food, organic food, etc.).
Eating lobster and steak isn't that important to me, but supporting ethical food and eating nutritious food is, so that's where I spend my money.
I am normally very frugal, but I do splurge on well made products. I admit I own Hunter boots and UGG boots, but they have kept my feet warm and dry for 8 and 3 years and still look really good. Target brand boots would never have held up that well. I also buy my kids good quality clothes (Love Hanna Andersson) because they don't wear out and I can then use them for the next kid!
I also will splurge on travel when it comes to visiting family and friends. Some things (like relationships) are too valuable to not do just to save a buck. I would rather have my children see their grandparents more than 2 times a year and have less in savings...its worth it to us.
Yep, I do the same thing. And if I can score a high quality item gently used, then it's a double win (my girls have a number of Gymboree and Boden clothes that I bought secondhand from Schoola.)