Earning money to live your dream life is a noble pursuit, but if you’re still not living that life despite your financial means, is it truly worth the effort?
A user took the forum and asked, What is your LEAST frugal habit/expense? Here are the top responses.
PERSONAL TRAINER
“Personal Trainer. It’s an extortionate amount, quadruple what I’ve paid other trainers or gym programs, but this is the first time I’ve been pain-free for seven years, and you can’t put a price on that.”
MASSAGES
“Massages. Fresh fruit. Fancy cheese.” “Massages are so worth it; my partner and I started getting them last year, and we go every three or so months. So many health and wellness benefits.”
“Before I married, I would go for a 90-minute massage every 3-4 weeks. This cost was no worse than a night out on the town with friends and much more relaxing. If the place I went didn’t become a Covid casualty, I’d still be going. I brought my wife once, then she started going on her own too!”
GREEN TEA
“Green tea. Some incredible stuff right from Japan for $30-40 more than your average tea, but it’s noticeably more delicious in so many ways.”
SHOES
“Shoes. Have RA ( Rheumatoid arthritis) that affects joints in feet, and comfy, supportive shoes are invaluable. Can argue that’s frugal as a concept, but where it becomes my least frugal is my desire to have multiple colors and styles when I could be in comfort with just one pair.”
COOKING AT HOME
“I save money cooking at home for most meals, bringing a lunch every day to work, buying everything reasonable that I can use, or tracking prices for a discount so that I can blow the excess on a trip.
Wrapping up two weeks on the west coast now, and expenses still hurt, but it’s been a fantastic break from reality!”
TRAVELING
“Travel. Fondest memories are places I’ve been.”
DOG
“My dog. She is older. Larger, eats science diet sensitive stomach. I give her bully sticks almost daily. Very expensive. But it’s 100% worth it.”
GIFTS
“Gifts…when I’m buying gifts for family and friends, I can’t help going a little overboard.”
PAPER TOWEL
“Viva Paper Towels. I love the feeling. I use them sparingly ( I prefer to use old clothes and rags) but will always buy them without substitutions. It’s my one “splurge.”
TAKING TEEN TO HARRY STYLES
“I’m taking my teen to see Harry Styles. It costs an arm and a leg. But we are so excited to be doing something so big. It’s not a “habit,” though.”
GOING ON VACATIONS
“Vacations. They are few and far between, but I love experiencing new places and cultures more than anything. I’m frugal in many areas, so I can save up for nice international trips.
That, and as someone else said here fresh produce. I’m spending like $40 a week on produce alone for my wife and me; it’s ridiculous. I like to tell myself the health benefits will outweigh the cost.”
GROWING GREEN ONIONS
“I regrow my green onions. It started off as a windowsill experiment, and then one time, I was about to leave on a trip, so I planted everything outside, and now I have an entire garden of green onions. These resilient bubs even keep me fed in the winter.”
GROCERIES
“I am so careful with every dime I spend… except for my weekly groceries. I haven’t prepared a list. I don’t look at the sales flyers, and I don’t keep a pantry stocked with low-cost basics that can be used to prep different meals; I don’t use coupons (often).
My only frugal behavior on groceries is that I’ve stopped buying junk foods unless they are deeply discounted, and I buy whichever meat is on sale and use that for my dinners that week.”
BUYING A BOTTLE OF BUBBLY
“I’m self-employed and have a “company policy” that I buy myself a bottle of bubbly every time a client pays an invoice. Some clients take forever to pay, so if the bills have piled up, I ignore policy (but have a stern HR-type chat with myself about following the rules).
If finances are up to date, and I’ve met my savings goal for the month, I’ll buy a little something to celebrate with. I buy real champagne (the French stuff) for my birthday or Christmas, but I can get a decent bottle of bubbly for ~$20, which is my idea of a splurge, especially if I do it 2 or more times in a month.”
EXPERIENCES
“Experiences, I just paid for orchestra tickets for my group so we can have a fantastic night on the town and I bought a new dress for the occasion.
I love my free hobbies, but some things in life just aren’t free, and I can’t put a price on building memories with my friends. You better believe I shopped around for that dress, though, and snagged a winner with a steep discount because of a small mark on the inner lining. No one even sees the lining!”
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This article was originally published on Mrs. Daaku Studio.