Mr Frugal was having a read through of my blog last night and he made me smile when he said how frugal I sounded from all my frugal posts this month and he wondered what you would think of some of the very un-frugal things that I choose to spend some of the money I save on.
He said that some of you would be very un-impressed with some of the things I spend my money but I think he’s wrong. I said you would understand that one of the reasons that I choose to be frugal in some areas of my life is so that I can be un-frugal in others.
Let’s see what you think of some of the un-frugal things I spend my money on….
Travel
I read somewhere once that travel is the only thing you can buy that will make you richer and I totally agree! After a few years years of choosing to holiday in this country we have made the decision that we want to start travelling abroad together more as a family. Last year Miss Frugal and I went to Cyprus together which was amazing but aside from Butlins and camping, any other planned trips were sidelined due to my illness.
This year we have BIG plans though and I’m frantically saving so we can afford them all. I’m planning to do New York with Miss Frugal in April, Milan at the end of May, the Isle of Wight in July and somewhere else in October. It means being super-frugal in some areas to save for these trips but I think they’ll be worth every penny!
Experiences
I love new experiences as a family and I try to do as much as I can to make sure that the kids experience as much as they possibly can and unfortunately, sometimes these experiences come at a cost and some certainly aren’t cheap.
The most expensive experience we’ve ever bought is the Boro mascot experience for Master Frugal which cost more than I’d like to admit. We thought long and hard about whether to buy him this and in the end, we went with it as his main Christmas present in 2015 and I’m so pleased we did. We started with pre-match drinks with the match officials, moved on to chilling in the changing rooms with the players he watches every weekend and then led the team out down the tunnel to a packed stadium. It wasn’t even over then as he had a kickabout with the players on the pitch, a couple of them made an effort to come over to him and sign his shirt and then he met the other team on the pitch. To me, an experience like that is a once in a lifetime thing and for the cost of an Xbox, he’ll be enjoying the memories of it long after an Xbox has been forgotten about so no, it wasn’t cheap but it was absolutely worth it.
My Camera
I’ve had a DSLR camera for years since Mr Frugal bought me one for Christmas after I started to really get into blogging but, and I know this sounds weird, I just couldn’t love it. I wanted to because it wasn’t cheap but it was just big and ugly and it didn’t even take that great a photo (I admit that last one is probably on me) so I mainly just used my iPhone. Then one day earlier in the year when I’d just found out I was going to need an operation he came home with a present for me and it was love at first sight!
Apart from the fact that it’s so much prettier and more compact than my big old Canon camera, it’s actually inspired me to do something I’ve been saying I was going to do for years – actually learn how to use a camera out of auto mode! I’ve invested in a few different lenses, a tripod and a monthly subscription to Makelight to teach me everything I need to know!
Taking photos makes me happy so it’s an investment in me. 😉
A good mattress
I’ve often heard it said that you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep, and to some extent, this is true. Sleep is vital to our health, and isn’t something that should be compromised for the sake of saving money. If you’re not sleeping well, I would definitely advise making room in your budget for a good quality mattress. Again, this is something that should last you for the next ten years, so don’t necessarily go straight for the cheapest option. This guide from Ideal Home tells you what kinds of things to consider when buying a mattress, and also reviews some of the best options on the market to help you get a good deal. If you’re still a bit apprehensive about spending the money, go for something like Eve mattress – if you’re not happy with it after 100 nights, they’ll give you a full refund.
Hobbies
I love being creative but I’m not actually that good at it and the things I make always come out looking nothing like they do when I picture them in my head. That doesn’t stop me trying though and I’m convinced that there’s an outlet for my creativeness out there that doesn’t require any actual talent. I found something earlier this year when I made a rag wreath but you can only have so many rag wreaths in your house before it starts to look ridiculous so that hobby was floundering almost before I’d finished my first one.
I’ve tried watercolour painting and enjoyed it but I’m not convinced it’s my thing and the next thing I want to try is to learn some hand lettering which is one of my goals for 2017. Trying new things isn’t necessarily cheap (although I always look for the cheapest possible way to do it) but it is something that I enjoy doing and I always encourage the kids to have a go with me so we’ll keep searching for our thing in 2017.
So there’s five things that I spend money on that aren’t frugal in anyway.
What do you do that isn’t very frugal?
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