Spending regrets and happies
July 3, 2017
Shopping, man alive I hate shopping.
We’ve been doing a lot of it for the new place but it simply isn’t growing on me. Obviously it’s still a necessity, even if my budget and energy reserves prefer MacGyvering a way out of the need to buy, but every so often, I reconsider whether we’ve been making good choices. Going through our belongings to winnow them down reignites that feeling that the less (trivial) stuff we have, the better, though we don’t have as many regrets as I thought we might.
I’m glad we didn’t buy ….
- Custom blackout curtains for JuggerBaby’s room: $300. We bought cheap paper accordion blackout shades to see if it would help zir sleep better for about $10. They’re inconvenient, being cheap paper with absolutely no frills whatsoever, but they’ve done the job and we won’t have to regret leaving them behind.
- A bigger car. None of the garages that we’re seeing in our region are big enough to handle both of our current cars without a squeeze, much less a massive SUV.
- An address stamp and embosser. The stationery lover in me desperately wanted one of each – so pretty – but the commitment phobe in me kept saying don’t do it. Turns out the commitment phobe was right.
- Custom designed checks. When my first 50 checks ran out, there was a $5-20 upgrade available for some awfully cute checks. But I’ve learned my lesson. In 2002, I paid $12.95 for 1200 adorable baby animals checks and by 2012 I still hadn’t used them all. It broke my heart to shred them when I closed that checking account. Because once in a while I’m achingly softhearted.
I’m annoyed that we bought ….
- All hair accessories that aren’t the standard clip-free hair tie, or tiny claw clips. I can use absolutely nothing else successfully but yet I still wasted money on a really nice and soft Blom headband that I never use, these nice black thin headbands to hold back hair that don’t fit my tiny head, and these cool spin pin things that would have held up masses of beautiful hair if I were Jean of Extra Petite, but I’m really not.If you noticed a pattern here, it’s that I foolishly fall into the pit of thinking that my hair and I are meant to coexist peacefully. We’re not and it’s well past time I learned that.
- A dozen undercabinet replacement light bulbs. Now that we’re moving, we have no use for this particular type since we’re designing our lighting to be as energy efficient as possible. I suppose we’ll leave them as a little gift for the incoming buyers if they pay top dollar.
I’m glad that we bought …
- My new cell phone. I’ve been able to download some money-making apps (Achievemint and Poshmark), take a ton of great pictures and video of my family, work while on the road.
- Two tank tops from Target. They cost a grand total of $12 but they fit just perfectly and look great. They won’t last forever so it’s sad that they immediately went out of stock.
- This simply perfect, though slightly pricey, Barefoot Dreams cardigan
. I used a gift card to reduce the sting. It was my plane sweater for our most recent big trip, and it was perfect! It was warm and cozy, but not too heavy, snuggly enough to wrap around myself and JuggerBaby who allowed it, and it has pockets which is a lifesaver as for a mom with only two hands. After our trip, it was exactly right for wrapping up when I was down with the flu, or when the weather turned unexpectedly chilly. This probably doesn’t seem like much but I don’t have any clothing that’s both ultra comfortable and suitable to be worn out doors in the presence of other people.
- Our recliner before JuggerBaby was born. It was expensive, and new, but it was the only way we managed to get zir to sleep some nights as an infant. It’s now a cuddle spot when we have visiting infants, and when JuggerBaby needs a comforting rocking.
- Comic-Con badges for this year. It’s a combined family visit and cherished tradition.
I’m still on the fence about whether I’m happy about buying a new home – it’s the source of quite a lot of stress right now!
There’s a theme here, of course there is. I tend to appreciate very utilitarian things over time, and fail to appreciate things that are mostly for form, and less about function. Here’s a conundrum: my need to have a stockpile of supplies that we’ll use versus my need to have less stuff and not waste money on stuff we don’t end up using.
Tank tops from target are the best! I’ve been in the market for blackout curtains because right now I use two small blankets to cover my windows at night. The ones I’m looking at are around $30ish dollars a piece. What kind did you get that they were pretty expensive? Just trying to weigh if it’s worth investing more! Worst thing I ever bought fairly recently was a sun simulator alarm clock. It drives me crazy. š
Tonya@Budget and the Beach recently posted…June Rewind: Life Re-Organized
We actually only bought the $5 ones (I think) from Lowe’s, they’re just paper. The ones we were pricing out were on a friend’s recommendation from Blinds.com, but that’s with some bells and whistles. They said it cost a lot but it did a really good job for their rooms.
The best thing I’ve ever bought is an electronic toothbrush. It cleans my teeth so much better than I ever could with a manual brush, and I’m convinced it’s an investment in my oral health.
The worst buys (ugh, there are so many):
-Buying a bunch of candles in Paris since they were like, $5 off. Considering it takes a year to go through one candle, I’ve got several still taking up space in my closer.
-A lamp from West Elm that was overly expensive and did nothing to add to my happiness. I could have gotten a $5 lamp and been fine.
-A $10 label maker because I thought it was cute to label everything in the house. Well, I labelled 3 things and have never brought that thing back again.
I almost fell for an embosser for my wedding. I mean, how cute would it have been to have a little emblem on the envelopes? Well, for one time use, it would have been a waste. Glad I didn’t go there! But nice thank-you notes are calling my name…Gotta stay strong on that one.
I say work on being happy about it, since you’re doing it. Might as well have good feelings about it!
Too true!
I’ve personally never bought a house (really don’t want to right now), but I have a friend who just did. LHe’s also on the fence about if he’s happy he bought it or not.
On one hand he’s happy about the neighborhood and school system, but he hates it because he has more debt that he didn’t have before. He said it’s not that the payments are that much different, just the specter of having that over his head is a bit stressful.
Try not to stress out too much about the new house. Maybe slow down a bit and take it easy for the summer? š
I’m doing LOTS of deep breathing š
Unfortunately we literally cannot afford to slow down for the summer, it has to be done or we’re going to be in a really bad place financially. So we grin and bear it!