Those of you who regularly read Free Money Finance know how frequently I write about saving money. It's saving money this, saving money that, and saving money all around. In fact, my most posted to category here at Free Money Finance is, you guessed it, saving money.
Well with this post, I'm going to take a totally different direction. After all, if all we do is save, save, save, there's no room for fun in life. You can't save on everything, all the time. If you did, you'd be wealthy -- but you'd also be really, really bored.
All of my savings tips are meant to provide options. Options that you can choose to apply or ignore. But the idea is that you'll apply many of them, which will allow you to save money for retirement, to pay down debt, fund your kids' education, etc. as well as have some left over to have some fun with.
That's what I want to talk about today -- what you and I spend "fun money" on. Specifically, I want to know what you splurge on. What do you spend money on that makes all that saving worth it? What little (or big!) things do you splurge on to make life fun and interesting?
I was thinking of this topic the other day as I was taking my bicycle into the shop. I thought about how I'd spent about $1,500 last year on a new Trek bike, bike rack for my SUV, specialized bike clothes, hydration packs, nutritional bars, maintenance equipment and on and on. All of this stuff is necessary when you ride like I do (around 4,000 miles last year), but it's certainly not a necessity of life. It's an area I splurge on because it makes life fun (and keeps me in shape).
Not only did I spend a lot last year, but I'm off to a fast start this year as well. I've already spent $200 on bike shoes and $150 on new pedals and cleats (so I can lock my shoes into the pedals -- it provides more pedaling power). I don't think I'll come close to what I spent last year (after all, I won't need a new bike or a bike rack), but I may need a few more semi-expensive items like new tires/wheels, heart rate monitor (the one I have is "ok", but not great), and a few more jerseys.
I also thought about what area my wife splurges on -- and I really couldn't think of any. (If you think I'm a saver, she's REALLY a saver.) In fact, I have to encourage, almost force, her to spend any money on herself. "Why do I need that?" she'll ask. Or, "What I already have works fine -- I don't need a new one." And heaven forbid I splurge on her. When we were first married, I brought home flowers for her and she immediately asked, "How much did those cost?" (in a kind but firm way -- I now grow my own roses because you can get dozens of roses out of a live plant for the cost of half a dozen at the florist). My wife even has clothes she's worn forever. One pair of jeans she's had since she was in college 20 years ago. The benefit for me (other than the low cost of her clothing) is that she can still fit into jeans she wore in college. ;-)
But every once in awhile, she'll crack and then I can really treat her. I took her to Russia with me this past fall and she had a blast. My company paid my way and she came along for just the cost of a flight and some document fees. We're doing the same thing this fall -- except it's a cruise this time. But other than that, she won't splurge at all. And it's one of the main reasons our net worth has climbed so rapidly (just as it was noted in the Millionaire Next Door -- not to mention that just being married itself leads to a better net worth).
So, I've rambled on long enough -- now it's your turn -- what do you splurge on? Come on, come clean, we're all friends here. We won't make too much fun of you. ;-)
Books. And books. And books. And books.
The only pie chart I've made of my spending that included books as its own category was frightening.
Posted by: Terri W. | March 06, 2006 at 11:31 AM
My family spluges on a trip to Minnesota each year. I have three boys and my in-laws have a nice cabin near the Canadian boarder. We drive from FL to Minnesota each summer to spend a week fishing, reading, and just feeling like you are in a different world.
This helps my husband to unwind and the boys have a blast, they are just getting to the age of learning how to drive the boat, etc.. And grandpa loves the time with his grandkids.
We spend approx. $1700.00 to $2000.00 for the whole trip. This includes hotel for 4 nights (two going up and two returning), food (breafast is usually give by the hotel, so just lunch & dinner), we bring snacks in the car. Gas for the car and then any misc. shopping in town while we are visiting (which is very minimal). And usually we chose one movie to see in the evening while we are on the road traveling (one that is family friendly)
Yes, we could save this money, yes, we could put it somewhere else where it would grow and become more. But the memories and down time it gives my family, to me it is worth it.
Posted by: Lori | March 06, 2006 at 11:31 AM
The best economic law I ever learned is the one that says that every dollar we spend on one thing cannot be spent on something else. It is so simple, but profound. If, by being careful & frugal, I manage to save some money in some area, then (by reversing the law), I have now created money that can be spent elsewhere (like the $280 I recently saved restocking my sweater collection at "end of season sale" for $5 each).
Since my wife doesn't care to travel and our life style isn't extravagant, about all we splurge on is restaurant meals and home maintenance. Beyond that, we like to use excess dollars to become more generous: Buy grandchildren stock for college fund; Help daughter & son in law who is back in school a couple years; Look for needs at church or community that we can help with. I actually get more enjoyment from these things than most of my personal splurges & some are even tax deductible!
Gary
Posted by: Gary | March 06, 2006 at 11:41 AM
You sound like us...we are savers, but there are a few things we splurge on. My husband is also an avid cyclist and rides to work, so he can justify all the new gadgets he gets for his bike. The biggest splurge? We take an international trip atleast once a year, sometimes twice. Besides that, I hang onto my dollars closely.
Posted by: TADollar | March 06, 2006 at 12:13 PM
My wife is a minimalist; I on the other hand am an impulse buyer. We save constantly as long as I never go to the mall and when we are not spending money on home or child, we spend it on traveling. Interesting travel trend emerging among readers.
Posted by: wpfreak | March 06, 2006 at 12:29 PM
Travel. I have a deep need to see the world and experience other cultures - I think about my next trip all the time. I love to be able to really enjoy my trips as well, sample the local cuisine, see as much as possible, and take home some exotic souvenirs. Thankfully, my husband-to-be shares this passion, so at least we can combine our splurge efforts! I think its a good thing to spend money on - seeing the Taj Mahal would be much more rewarding than a new car or an expensive handbag.
Posted by: Amanda | March 06, 2006 at 12:39 PM
We do not usually slurge on much of anything. Occassionally, we go out to eat, but we spend less than the average family of five would. However, last night, my wife and I took out her parents to celebrate our anniversaries (their is the day after ours). We spent about $250, on the four of us, at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. That actually seems pretty frugal, from what I have read of other's adventures in the land of divine bovine. It is the most I have ever paid for a meal, per person. I think that the value warranted the price, however.
We do something expensive like that about one every other year. A couple of years ago, we took my brother-in-law, and the rest of the family, out to Buca di Bepo for his birthday (about 13 people) and spent about $350. A couple of years before that, we all went out to a nice German restaurant here in town, the Rathskeller, and spent about $280 on a party of eight.
Beyond that, I plan on spending a nice chunk of change on my house here soon. We have some exterior work we would like to do (build a front porch, landspacing, new garage door and entry door), and plenty of interior work (new laminate flooring for the first floor and stairs, carpet for the upstairs, new kitchen cabinets and countertops, fixing up the bathrooms, and painting everywhere). We also hope to do some more travelling. My wife and I have both been to the Bahamas and to the UK, but we would like to see more of the US, and maybe spend a couple weeks in Europe. That adds up quick, too, especially when you have to account for airfare for five.
Posted by: Dus10 | March 06, 2006 at 12:41 PM
I'm glad someone finally approached this topic. Most of the blogs I read are so centered on saving, that I often wonder what they will do with the money they are saving. Everyone goes on and on about saving money, but never really reveals any ideas about how they will use it. But, I digress.
I splurge on tech stuff. I just spent $150 on a new cell phone simply because I was tired and really annoyed by my old one. My old one worked perfectly fine, but there were some little things that drove me absolutely crazy.
My wife splurges on clothes and things for the house. I really dread seeing the receipts when she goes out for a day. She just gets going and can't stop. There was actually one time when we went through everything she bought that day in hopes (my hopes) of returning some of it. We came up with about $400 of stuff to return. I was quite pleased after that, except for that fact that she bought enough stuff to have $400 to return.
Posted by: Brian | March 06, 2006 at 01:15 PM
I am like Terri W. above, I spend a lot of money on books. I still try to get them cheaply at Amazon, though, and don't pay for shipping. Plus I only buy books that I think will have lasting value for me; usually they are non-fiction books on marriage or other topics that I am perennially studying. I consider home DSL a "splurge" in a sense, and my husband and I pay for some online games that we play together; but then again, we don't subscribe to cable TV, because we'd rather spend the money on our fun internet activities. We also buy DVDs of things to watch together--favorite TV series especially. There are lots of things that I "want" but never spend money on, because when it comes down to it they have no lasting value for me. If I had more money to splurge with, I'd like to take the family to museums and places like that more frequently.
Posted by: Sarah Leon | March 06, 2006 at 01:22 PM
Books are my spending achilles heel. Amazon.com tends to get a lot of my money for small items (new kitchen gadgets or other items I justify spending my money on). I also spend money on my home because I live there and like to enjoy my surroundings.
Posted by: Jane Dough | March 06, 2006 at 01:55 PM
I mainly splurge on 3 things: CDs, DVDs, and wine. I've been getting better at controlling some of my spending, though, and I've always been good at buying on sale. I've gone through times where I've bought 50 CDs in a year, but I've only purchased one so far this year, which is a big improvement. I'm also trying to control my DVD buying, since there's only so much time you can spend on the couch, though I'm always tempted if I see one that I like on sale for $10 or less. When I see a CD or DVD that I want to buy, I try to stop and think, "will I really watch/listen to this often enough to justify buying instead of renting?" That's really helped me to keep my spending under control.
I try to limit myself to cheaper wine (under $15 a bottle), so it doesn't make a huge dent, especially since I don't drink more than 2 or 3 bottles a month. Sometimes it's just nice to relax with a glass of wine, so I don't really begrudge this expense too much. Some things are just worth spending money on.
Posted by: beren9955 | March 06, 2006 at 02:53 PM
I buy a lot of running shoes; I don't like to run more than 400 or 500 miles in any one pair of shoes, and usually rotate between at least 2 and up to 5 pairs at a time (depending upon whether I was able to get a deal on the style).
I estimate that I have run just shy of 20,000 miles in the last 7 years or so, and am now averaging about 1700 miles a year for the last couple of years. I don't run 85-95 miles a week anymore, so my shoes last more than a couple months now; I've only had 2 or 3 active pairs that I run in at a time for about 3 years now.
Posted by: Blaine Moore (Run to Win) | March 06, 2006 at 02:59 PM
this is going to sound lame, but I'm still a kid so eh.
I still buy graphic novels (aka comic book) occasionally, and I still spend money on computer and computer games.
Posted by: Cap | March 06, 2006 at 03:41 PM
Cap -- I love them too. ;-)
Don't know if you saw it or not, but Batman is taking on Al Qaeda . ;-)
See this:
http://comics.ign.com/articles/688/688140p1.html
Posted by: FMF | March 06, 2006 at 04:10 PM
Still being in college, I spend very little. But when I do, it's usually on a computer game or food. I don't need much. :)
And of course, tuition takes up most of (and then some, at this point) of my money.
Posted by: twins15 | March 06, 2006 at 05:14 PM
Travel for us and the occasional video game to keep me occupied. I guess we also go out to eat at least once a week, but it isn't to really nice places, so it isn't much of a splurge.
Posted by: RS | March 07, 2006 at 04:37 PM
The comic thing is pretty funny as I just quit collecting all together a few months ago. I was eventually spending about $150 a month collecting comics as there are just so many that are good...or look good so I have to get the #1. I miss them, but it is nice having an extra $150 around to toss into Vanguard.
Posted by: RS | March 07, 2006 at 04:39 PM
horrible to say. but i have weakness for classic designer purses. i have only gotten one louis vuitton but, i have never bought myself another purse in 6 years.
strangely enought i feel the call to buy another. help!
Posted by: girmander | March 07, 2006 at 04:56 PM
Good food and cheap travel. That's what I like to spend my money on, because I never regret doing so. That said, I also tend to spend on clothes and shoes (like your stereotypical girl) but then I regret it because I see something new I like and end up not wearing what I bought and wasting gas returning items.
Posted by: justme | March 11, 2006 at 08:42 PM
Good food and cheap travel. That's what I like to spend my money on, because I never regret doing so. That said, I also tend to spend on clothes and shoes (like your stereotypical girl) but then I regret it because I see something new I like and end up not wearing what I bought and wasting gas returning items.
Posted by: justme | March 11, 2006 at 08:42 PM
books and food. i'd splurge on travel too except we already splurge on books and food so travel falls almost to the bottom of the list.
us being homeschoolers, books are a given.
Posted by: stef | March 12, 2006 at 01:01 AM
Bikes. I actually saved the cost of one bike by using it to commute to work. It didn't hurt that there were showers at my office. I had a 6 mile commute one way at the time. From June to August of one year, I missed one day of riding, plus quite a few days in May and September. I wasn't as consistent the following year, but I still commuted by bike roughly half the time from May through September.
Books. I love to read. When I was younger, I couldn't afford to buy everything I wanted to read, and a lot of it never turned up in any libraries nearby. Now, I don't have enough time. I carry a book with me almost everywhere I go in case I have a few minutes to read. I keep myself to a reasonable budget two ways. First, our library has its catalog online. Except for books I'm going to keep as references for the long term, I always check there first. Second, I require myself to finish a book before I can buy another. It doesn't matter whether the one I finished was bought or borrowed. What matters is that I'm not buying books faster than I'm reading.
Posted by: Dale | March 21, 2006 at 12:34 PM
Snowboarding - lift tickets, gear, lodging, clothes... it adds up. Usually about $1000 - $1500 a year in gear alone, and I try to get out every month for the season, so that adds up to about 5 trips. But it's worth it!
Posted by: Laine | March 22, 2006 at 02:00 PM
I have monthly "splurge" budgets for wine, REI, hardware store and bike-related purchases.
Posted by: Beck | June 06, 2006 at 03:34 PM
I splurge on quality classic, timeless clothes, which are rare find out here in LA. If I find a great pair of pants with a clean line and lining, I'll spend up to $100. I have pairs from the 90s that are still in style. I also splurge on well fitting bras. There's nothing worse than a cheap uncomfortable one.
Lastly, I always splurge when I'm on vacation. I hate traveling on a budget: counting pennies while I'm away is such a drag.
Posted by: Ciji | February 08, 2007 at 02:30 PM
Used books and used records. Yes, used records. You can now copy the oldies to MP3 very, very easily and save a bundle. Wasn't alwways that way.
And public library book stores sell used books that are a fantastic deal. So good a deal I can barely buy food for all the books I find I must have.
Posted by: Ike | March 06, 2007 at 01:25 AM
Travel! I spent about $2500 (for everything!) to spend 3 weeks backpacking through Italy and Greece in October with my best friend from college. Worth every penny.
Posted by: Sara | March 30, 2007 at 12:59 PM
I like to splurge on good organic food. You can't put a price on health and that is what is most important to me. I also splurge on personal products from the health food store and pay a little more money to live in what I consider to be a really nice area. Peace and Health are the way to go in today's world.
Posted by: rjfarrin | May 16, 2007 at 01:16 AM
well i bought a very expensive Omega.
and we spent a boatload on vacationing last year. 2 months unpaid leave plus the cost of travel to foreign countries.
other than those which aren't typical expenses, i splurge on educational materials - financial books, magazines and newsletters. subs to WSJ, the economist and a variety of mags eventually add up!
Posted by: Adventures In Money Making | May 18, 2007 at 03:55 PM
Books, CDs and travel to visit friends are the main things I can spend a lot of money on.
These days I borrow fiction from the library but still spend a fair bit on non-fiction, I have a bit of a weakness for impulse buying beautiful cookbooks.
The music I like is mostly early classical and the discs tend to be the expensive variety. itunes is a cheaper way to buy music, but there's something special about having the actual disc with its cover notes.
Australia is a big country and I have friends who live all over, so visiting them is expensive but well worth it.
Posted by: Carmen | June 16, 2007 at 02:49 AM
Suits.
Posted by: pj | July 30, 2007 at 12:31 AM
Travel & eating out.
Posted by: EC | January 13, 2008 at 09:45 PM
Food & cooking equipment. I see $140 knives and other high-end supplies as investments because I LOVE to cook.
My hair. My stylist has years and years of experience under her belt, and can command high prices because she's a true master at her craft. It's worth it...no more lop-sided broke-ass-college-kid haircuts for me!
My computer. Forget cheap $400 Dell laptops that'll last 6 months, I splurged on a Mac. It's still kicking butt 3 years later.
Posted by: Kel | January 25, 2008 at 02:23 PM
Amen @ cheap Dell laptops. But I have an Acer and it has lasted a year and is still going strong. *crosses mental fingers*
I used to splurge on books. Then I wised up.
Posted by: Dana | May 09, 2008 at 06:58 PM
I splurge on firearms: rifles, pistols, and shotguns. They retain value and if the world goes to hell, them guns just got more valuable.
Posted by: Josh | June 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
My husband and I have been having money problems, he is a driller for a oil company and I work at a headstart as a teacher aide. We had split up some time back and I asked for child support, I also get child support for my oldest daughter that is not his, he also pays his exwife child support. we have seperat acounts and don't see how to pay our bills and how to manage money his is tight with money he questions the way i spend and doesn't mind spending on his other kids and their's no limit on how much he spends on them but when i spend on our kids their's issues please give me advice
Posted by: MARI | August 02, 2008 at 02:06 PM
travel when we need to get away like to st maarten/stmartin
and cashmere sweaters for my boy.
I like to see him toasty and fashionable in the winter.
me I couldnt care less.
Posted by: maxile | August 12, 2008 at 12:37 AM
Home Improvement
Brand-new, high quality furniture for the new baby (I feel safer with higher quality stuff)
Fresh produce rather than canned or frozen
Posted by: Tarah | October 24, 2008 at 10:35 PM
Jeans, clothes...on monthly basis. Now that I said it here, I feel pretty stupid. And would you count a speeding ticket as a splurge?
I am pretty surprised that I can actually save a big portion of my income, and I am actually disciplined with all other things.
Posted by: JJ | November 09, 2008 at 11:03 PM
I have an acer laptop purchased for $500. Still going strong after 4.5 years!
Posted by: sara | December 17, 2008 at 01:28 PM
I know this will sound stupid, but I like to splurge on Ed Hardy t-shirts and caps and the average Ed Hardy hat is $240 I think because I'm estimating this from Bahraini dinar to American Dollar, and the t-shirts cost about 120$. I also splurge on telephones i bought one about a year ago for about 430$. I also spent about a year and a half ago about 1600$ for a laptop. I also like to buy $90 watches.
The problem with all of this is that I am 12...But I get 120$ allowance per month but I still would like to save up to buy things that are more expensive. Help me!! and dont worry i do not have any debts or anything I pay in cash or with my debit card
Posted by: Faris | August 31, 2009 at 10:09 PM
My big splurge? A professional housecleaning service every 2 wks. I feel guilty about spending the $ but oh, it makes my life as a single working mom soooo much easier!
Posted by: MC | September 21, 2009 at 02:14 PM
Well, There is not much spare money around in our budget these days. My husband works for a GM dealership where he is on a frozen salery for which we are very thankful.I am in real estate but have a part time retail job. We both worked at our antique business which we are temporaily shutting down till other people have more spare cash to buy our beautiful furniture. LOL
Our splurge is ordering in some food for dinner. That is our date night instead of going out. We are lucky to have a great chinese delivery close by. And a splurge on cable drv....we are set for home entertainment.
We did splurge on a second honeymoon a year ago to Hawaii. I am glad we did. This year vacation is a long weekend to the beach staying with friends in their home.
Otherwisw we are home bodies for now and have tied a knot in the end of our rope (and spending) and are hanging on.
Posted by: jdwyatt | October 06, 2009 at 07:36 AM
We splurge on cable, highspeed DSL, Netflix, a new boardgame every once in a while, a Massage Envy membership, bottom floor housecleaning every 2 weeks ($40 a pop), Magic: The Gathering cards every few months, a funny Woot t-shirt or two, restaurants, and pet expenses (necessary for our dogs but I bet it is a splurge to have pets). Annually we splurge on a $1500-$2000 vacation (Las Vegas or a cruise). That's all our paid for fun right there :)
We also read hundreds of library books every year...I really love the library!
Posted by: Crystal | October 12, 2009 at 12:05 AM
Bikini wax. The killer is that you have to do it monthly otherwise it hurts like hell. The pain of paying the bill is as bad as the pain of the procedure, but it is worth it.
Posted by: ETF | October 21, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Living on a Caribbean Island I really don't "splurge" on anything. I have a nice life, lots of friends, enjoy having people to dinner plus go out a couple of times a month where money is required but the rest of the socializing is boating (someone else's), beaching it, snorkeling....all free activities. However, when I travel home to the US to see family I set aside a good size budget for purchasing clothes, shoes and replenish worn out household items! I hope to go to Honduras next month for a week's vacation but that won't be an expensive venture.
Posted by: Maggie | April 07, 2010 at 03:17 PM
3 years ago I bought a new imac.
Posted by: Financialbondage | June 02, 2010 at 01:59 PM
im a recent graduate so my expenses are still relatively small, but i do splurge on the typical young adult items, travel, nights out, sporting events etc. i know on certain days i spend too much, but in general i have been happy and never regretted any of the nights out or games i have gone too.
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Posted by: Stephan | June 07, 2010 at 04:59 PM