Ok, here’s the truth: about certain things, I am very, very cheap. There are so many things that I get annoyed about spending money on. Parking and cover charges immediately spring to mind, but there are lots of other examples. I drive the people in my life a little nuts sometimes trying to avoid spending money on stuff that I deem “a waste.”
But there are definitely other things that I’m surprisingly un-cheap about; some of these are even things that other people deem “a waste” that I will happily shell out the big bucks for. I’ve written in the past about things that I’m willing to dig into my pockets for, but I wanted to write this post as a sort of response to the people who are *always* telling me I’m wasting money on X, Y, and Z. So, here are the usual X, Y, and Z:
1. Owning pets
Owning pets can get very expensive, between vet bills, food, toys, prescriptions, boarding fees, etc. I try to minimize costs where I can, but not owning a pet is just not an option for me. I love have a furry creature to come home to and will gladly sacrifice other things to be able to afford my kitty. I mean, look at her – how could you live without that face?
2. My iPhone
Ok, fine, I’m still carrying the vintage iPhone 3G, so it’s not like I’m shelling out money every year for the latest and greatest, but having the iPhone has made my life immensely more convenient; I would have a very hard time giving it up. Luckily, my parents have generously let me stay on their plan, so my costs are significantly lower than they would be if were to pay for a plan by myself, but if I had to I would. Being able to get my email, directions, and a restaurant recommendation within 60 seconds is something I’ve become very spoiled by, I’ll admit. (Just FYI – I pay for the total monthly cost of my portion voice and data plans, but when you’re on a family plan that total cost is lower. My parents are NOT paying my phone bill!)
3. Living alone
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: living alone is so, so worth the extra costs. Again, I’m lucky that I found a decently-priced apartment in a nice neighborhood, so the costs could be much higher. But given the intensely social nature of my profession, it would probably drive me to drink if I had to come home and continue to be social. To me, living alone is the definition of expensive, but worth it.
What about you? To your mind, what’s expensive, but worth it?
