Some products and services are worth spending more money on, like a comfortable bed or durable kitchen equipment. What are you willing to shell out for that is worth the extra money you’ll pay for it?
Image from dinnerseries.
Spending more seems counterintuitive if you’re trying to save money, but splurging every so often can actually motivate you to reach your financial goals or cut down on impulse buying. I’ve found that high quality shoes are worth spending more on. For a long time I bought cheap flats, but I mentally cringed at the thought of wearing them because I knew my feet would hurt after only a few hours. Spending more for comfortable flats is worth it to me since I know that means I’ll actually wear them. What about you? Share what you splurge on and why in the discussions below.
16 20-Somethings On The One Splurge That Ends Up Saving Them Money [The Financial Diet]
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21 responses to “What Do You Splurge On That’s Worth It?”
TV/monitor. I spend so much time these days staring at these screens, it’s not worth saving money on a poor quality screen that will give me eye strain, look terrible, and last less time, while having poor quality slow menu’s. My friends cheapies last 1/3-1/4 of the time of my quality screens, while mine still look pretty fantastic by the time I pass them on, still functional.
Bed.
You spend about one third of your life in a bed, so it’s completely legitimate to spend loads of money on a good mattress and good bed linen – especially given how much better your day-to-day life will be if have a good sleep.
+1 to that. All my life I had the cheaper end of beds and mattresses without thinking about it. One day I decided I wanted a good bed and mattress and it changed my life.
Internet, and petrol.
I have never regretted my decision to get business-grade Ethernet Internet at home (no more waiting for netflix at peak times). Similarly, the enjoyment gained by driving a German car in a way that drinks 25 liters of petrol per 100km far outweighs the pain of paying for it at the pump.
How long do you have to drive that car before you break even compared to what you would have bought otherwise?
My car uses 9.6l per 100 on average, his uses 2.5l per hundred.
If you did 20,000km per year and petrol was $1.40 a litre, you would save around $2000pa.
@poita not two point five, twenty five 🙂 – about 2.5x the amount of petrol an average car uses. (That’s what happens when you buy a twin turbo V8 and drive it like an idiot).
@darren That is still a valid question. I would trade my car in for a Tesla P90D, in a heartbeat, which would have similar performance and cost far less to run – but the outlay on a Tesla is at least $100,000 more. So at $1.40 per litre that difference in purchase price equates to about 71,000 litres of petrol, which would drive me just shy of 300,000 km’s before it would’ve been even remotely more economical to buy a Tesla.
I take it you mean 2.5l per hundred, not 25?
I think he did mean 25L/100km… – he has a nice german car that he can hoon in, and enjoys every moment of it, even if it does cost him a fair bit more at the pump.
plus extra for insurance/tyres etc. Not financially wise, but clearly a quality of life choice.
exactly.
Undoubtedly one of the the worst financial decision of my life.
But one that brings me immense enjoyment, and which I don’t regret for a moment.
A bit like having kids, I suppose. 😉
You’re not really splurging on the petrol then. You’re splurging on the car.
DSLR. I was getting good shots with my point-and-shoot during the day time but at night the noise really was bad.
Looking back at the photos now, it was worth it. Totally worth it.
I heard this before somewhere and I totally agree with drbatman because of the 8hour rule each way (this is for office workers):
1. Good bed
2. Good Shoes
3. Good Chair
and definitely agree with a good monitor.
General rule: When something is separating you from the ground – pay for good quality.
Everything. Life’s too short.
Toilet paper. Only the best quality, there is nothing worse than saving $5 and using sand paper, then walking around like a cowboy all day.
My parents are loaded and buy this shittest toilet paper available. I don’t get it.
A good chef’s knife and a good and heavy chunk of cast iron ( Le Creuset or similar) – mine have lasted me 20 years.
Bike. Had a cheap steel-framed one for years – upgrading my primary mode of transportation was a life changer.
Also cables, phone chargers, PC power supplies, a high quality SSD, keyboard/mouse and monitor… getting quality stuff means a hefty up-front outlay, but anything you use for 2-8hrs a day, every day should be the best you can afford and then some.
Bed, lounges, cookware, knives, my wifes car that she transports my daughter in, shoes, batteries, Computer gear, petrol (i use BP ultimate, i notice the power increase, and the better consumption, maybe not enough to warrant the extra spend in some cases, but it makes me feel at ease), Power Tools, most hand tools.
For those considering the cheap vs posh petrol, here’s a road test done by Fifth Gear a few years back. Food for thought.