When it comes to being a saver and a spender, I tend to be both. I love to shop, update things and have some convenience in my life. I also want to be sure to save money and not live beyond my means. To keep a good balance, it is all about balance. Here are a few of the areas we choose to spend and save.
Spend
- Gym memberships: We pay for a monthly membership for CrossFit and for our daughter to take gymnastics. We spend on this because it keeps us healthy and we are way more likely to get a better workout if we attend a class.
- Housekeeping services: We work a lot! Both of us work 40 hours per week jobs, I own a bakery and we both work on the eBay business (mostly Daniel). We also hit up the gym 4-5 days a week and we have a child. A few months back we hired a professional to clean our house every other week. It makes a huge difference and I would pay her to come daily if I could.
- Eating out: This one is tricky. We generally do not go to expensive places but we do give ourselves a cooking break about one workday a week and pick up dinner. We also go enjoy a good amount of meals out with family and friends on the weekends. To keep this in balance, we stick to moderately priced establishments and trade out dinners out for potlucks at friend’s homes.
- Halo Top ice cream: It is a bit pricey for ice cream, but it tastes amazing and the entire pint has the same or fewer calories than a quarter cup of regular ice cream. It’s just so darn nice to enjoy a pint at the end of a big day.
- Massages: This one is more me, but Daniel enjoys getting them as well. I find they help my anxiety and my problem foot. I used to have a membership at a
local spa but now I go to a good friend of mine who started her own business recently. It makes for some great “me time” and I am supporting a fellow entrepreneur. - Vacations: I want my child to see many different places and there are so many places we want to go as well. It is so great to take a week off from reality and spend time together too. I look for deals as best I can, but no matter what, a vacation usually has to be a splurge.
Now for some savings…
- Cars: While we both bought our cars new, we have been driving them for several years now. We try to buy well-priced models that have a reputation for being reliable. Daniel has a Prius and I have a Yaris. Fortunately, since we only have one child, these small cars work for us. My favorite thing about my car is its paid off and I only buy gas about once a month or less. Now if I ever become a millionaire, I am moving cars to the splurge category and buying myself a Mercedes.
- Home projects: Oh dear goodness, we are all about the sweat equity! We bought our house as a new build and Daniel and his step-dad built the basement. A few years later they finished the basement, two years later they expanded the porch and we are currently ALMOST completely finished with our upstairs addition. We have saved thousands doing so much of this work ourselves. On our most recent project we hired out drywall, HVAC and Daniel paid a friend to help him with the framing. Daniel’s step-dad has been a huge blessing in all these projects!
- Clothes: I love to bargain shop so this one is easy. Almost everything we wear is on sale, many items I score are used. If I pay full price for clothes, I am usually at Target and even there I scope out the sales racks and check for online coupons first.
- Toys: This one is harder as your kids get older but there are always people selling outgrown toys that are still in great condition. Our daughter was given a used Little People house for her first birthday. If you have kids, your house will be full of toys that drive you crazy, don’t overpay for the madness.
So there we have it, a few things we spend and save on. What are your favorite spends and favorite ways to save?
Susan