This article is a reprint of one I wrote for Gather Little By Little a few days ago…
I was thinking about how I have spent a whole lot more money on certain items only to find out that they are just a little bit better than the cheaper alternatives. And on the other hand there have been things I have spent just a bit more money on and they were a whole lot better than the cheaper alternatives. When you look at buying decisions this way, it can dramatically change how and what you buy.
Let me first say this is my list of things that I have found to be worth spending more money on. Everyone will have a different priority list of what is most important to them. But maybe this will generate some ideas for you. Here goes…
1. A Mac.
I know that this may rub some of the PC people the wrong way, but I just switched to Mac about a month ago and I just can’t believe what I was missing out on. The overall simplicity has saved me countless hours of time and frustration that was a regular event with my PC.
2. Quality food.
I am not necessarily talking about $100 meals prepared by French chefs, but rather food that will benefit your health rather than harm it. Organic food is great, but even just eating fruits and vegetables rather than hyper-processed stuff that once resembled food. There are consequences to our actions and decades of eating fast food 5 days a week is not likely to yield a good result.
3. A Honda.
Or Toyota. They are more expensive than a lot of cars on the market on the front end, but looking at the big picture you will end up saving money in the end. Consumer Reports says that the Honda Civic has the overall lowest total cost of ownership. This figure includes everything from sticker price, car depreciation, insurance, repairs, to resale value. After it all is calculated the Civic was the cheapest to own. But if you just look at the sticker price, you will find that there are a lot of cheaper cars out there.
4. Medical expenses.
Eating better is my attempt to prevent these from occurring, but when I am in the hospital I want the best Doc I can find working on me. It is amazing how little money seems to matter when you are in pain.
5. Looseleaf Tea
If you have always drank bag tea and never tried looseleaf do yourself a favor – find a Teavana near you and get some Rooibos Vanilla. You can thank me later.
6. Nice dress shoes.
(Disclaimer: I am a guy, I have no idea if this is true for ladies) Working in an office environment for most of my career, I have come to appreciate high-quality dress shoes. You can spend a couple hundred on a nice pair of shoes that can last you decades. You may need to replace the soles every few years, but if you take care of them they will last. The conservative business style hasn’t changed much over the last 50 years – I anticipate it to stay that way. (Tip: to save money, check what the Ebay sellers are selling them at. I have found some great bargains on Ebay.)
7. Potting soil.
I planted a balcony garden this year and I have always heard this from gardeners and it is true. Get good potting soil, it will make a tremendous amount of difference.
8. A wallet.
Like my dress shoes I like to keep my wallets for a long time. They get broken in so nicely and get contoured to fit just perfectly to your body. But if you don’t get a nice leather one, they probably won’t make it that long. I actually just retired my old wallet that I had for about 12 years. My wife bought me a new one from Coach – isn’t she sweet?
9. A bed.
We took all of our wedding money and bought a nice King sized bed. I am convinced that it was and will remain one of our best buying decisions of our marriage. You spend 1/3 of your life in it – it ought to be nice!
10. Chocolate.
I prefer to minimize my indulgences, but to make them really good. Quality over quantity is the key here. I like the darkest dark chocolate you can find. It is so strong that you can’t really overindulge like you can with milk chocolate. And the added bonus is that Dark Chocolate actually has health benefits!
What about you? What do you think is worth spending more on?
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
I agree that is good to spend money on quality food. I just ate some potatos from Aldi’s that reinforces that thought.
However, I read a while back that eating healthier foods can be cheaper. Eating out every day, of course, is expensive; but so is going to the grocery store instead of the farmer’s market. It’s cheaper not to eat meat every single day, and an apple is cheaper than a package of fruit roll-ups (to reference your healthy eating article).
@cory
And you know, I recently made a stop to the local farmers market (that I hadn’t been to in a while) and it was so much cheaper than I remember! I mean some stuff was 1/3 the cost of what it is at the grocery store. I am going to have to visit it more often
I would also add that exercise equipment is generally worth spending more on. If I try to extend the life of my running shoes too far I can get hurt which will cost more in medical bills than a new pair of shoes. The same would go for treadmills, etc.
I agree with the Civic thing ours is great!
ok, well.. there are a lot of things to spend money on these days, the value of a dollar ain’t what she used to be, so i think i will leave you all with the idea of the best way to spend a dollar. The best way to spend a dollar is in the 3 minute massage chair that you can find stashed away somewhere in the middle of most malls. A) it relaxes you B) it builds confidence and C) it only cost one dollar.
@Rob
I agree completely! What a deal? all that for only a buck!
I would add my fishing license and fishing rod. Endless supply of fish! Mwahahha
A Mac? I use both Mac and PC, they are equally good. But I’m not sure I’m willing to buy a Macbook Pro which is almost $600 more than similarly specced (or even better) Asus laptop. Probably what I would do is to buy a PC and put Mac OSX on it.
On the other hand, when people ask me for computer purchase advices, I tell them to get a Mac so they don’t bother too many troubles to bother me. But they lose a chance to learn more about computers. Mwahaha~~
@Roland
I agree about the Mac, you don’t have to know nearly as much about computers to get things accomplished. That is precisely the reason I love it
Great list.
Disagree on this one – in fact, I’m considering switching to a zip-loc bag for my next wallet. Got this idea from a guy at church: It’s inexpensive, thin, gets the job done, and waterproof!
1) I’ve always had PCs (even had the original PC when I was a kid) but the next time we are in the market for a computer, I think I’ll have to seriously consider a Mac.
3) Already have two Hondas – so I guess I have to agree there
Sorry about that: apparently ‘8′ followed by ‘)’ equals emoticon with sunglasses.
Great, Fresh roasted Coffee!
@john
I have tried out different wallet type systems and I just keep coming back to the good ‘ol bi-fold. I have not tried the zip-lock bag system, sounds like a fun idea
Switching to a Mac is more widespread than you realize. I did so myself and wish I could do so at work. With you on the chocolate – a great reward when you have achieved something.
@Andys
I completely agree with the Mac issue. I had a hunch that it would be a little bit better than my PC, but I had no idea how far-reaching the benefits would be. It is very cool!
Eh. Instead of paying more for a mac, buy a PC and install Linux
Yes, I know that sounds daunting, and I wouldn’t recommend that a newbie run Debian under testing/unstable, but Ubuntu is extremely user-friendly.
could not agree with you more about a mac and a honda!
I agree with “RobShirley” on- The best way to spend a dollar is in the 3 minute massage chair … but after all, yes, it’s all the mall. So that one dollar might of been stretch out a bit more with shopping. Going to the mall will just tempt. you to spend more . Great article and blog Bob!