Drew Housman* says as long as you have your basic finances sorted, you shouldn’t feel guilty about splurges that lead to a dramatically increased quality of life.
Photo: Mike Kenneally
I am proud to call myself a wary consumer.
I do my best to combat manipulative marketing, I recognise the value of repairing and maintaining my things, and I focus on long-term goals rather than short-term gratification.
That being said, there are certain products I buy without guilt, even when I know an alternative can be had for less.
Everyone will have their own version of this list, and that’s great.
We shouldn’t feel guilty about small (and sometimes large!) splurges that lead to a dramatically increased quality of life.
Razors
Safety razors are all the rage in the personal finance community, and for good reason.
They represent the cheapest way to shave, they produce less waste than disposable razors, and many people get a closer shave by using them.
I tried for over a year to master the art of shaving with a safety razor.
I found it tedious and painful.
Then, one day, against all my frugal instincts, I splurged on some fancy (to me) multi-blade razors.
My next shave was glorious.
It was like I’d unlocked a super power.
Ever since that moment, I’ve been spending $50 to $60 a year on new blades.
When using a safety razor, I could get a year’s worth of blades for less than five bucks.
It’s a steep price to pay, but for me, the new blades are worth every cent.
Headphones
I commute to the city for work, and I don’t know how I would do it without headphones.
It is so nice to get lost in my music while riding a squeaky train or navigating the impossibly crowded, noisy streets.
I quickly realised that if I really wanted to get some peace and quiet, my $10 earbuds were not going to cut it.
I had to blast those at dangerously high decibels in order to hear them over the din of the city.
I have sensitive ears and I didn’t want to get tinnitus, which is when you hear a ringing in your ears.
This is not a minor issue.
Millions of people have some sort of tinnitus!
I look at the care of my ears in much the same way I think about my dental health, in that relatively minor efforts now (like brushing twice a day) will go a long way toward securing a healthy future.
Thus, I invested in a nice pair of noise cancelling headphones.
They are very expensive, but I think they’ve been worth it.
Hands down, the best aspect of the headphones is the noise cancelling function, which allows me to listen to my music at a reasonable volume amidst the chaos of the city.
I use them about an hour a day.
Even if they only last me four years, that will be about 1,500 hours of listening time.
That’s enough time spent with one product for me to be willing to invest in something of the highest quality.
Kitchen knives
As an avid home chef, I find my $120 chef’s knife to be indispensable.
If you’re chopping onions and capsicums with a dull knife, you have no idea what you are missing.
When using quality knives, prep work in the kitchen is infinitely easier.
I’m actually more likely to consume healthy foods than before I had this knife, as I’m less hesitant to prepare dishes that require me to chop vegetables.
Yes, my past self was lazy.
But that doesn’t change the fact that an upgraded knife made a big difference.
It is durable and easily sharpened, so I should be set for a long time.
When you make eating at home a pleasure, you’ll be much less likely to spend money eating out, an activity that can cost thousands of dollars per year.
Coffee
I really like to drink nice coffee.
It’s something I do every day, and it would feel like a big sacrifice if I were to try to save as much money as possible on my habit.
I do limit my costs by mostly brewing my own coffee at home, but I’ll drink more expensive stuff, when I could easily find coffee much cheaper.
I estimate this costs me an additional $300 to $400 per year.
I consider this a worthy expense, though — especially because I drink my coffee black.
If I used milk and sugar, this wouldn’t be as big a deal.
You can mask a lot of the poor qualities of bad beans with additives.
Bath towels
This one might seem like an odd choice, but hear me out.
Most of us use a bath towel every single day of our lives.
Do you want to be rubbing yourself dry with something that’s rough, slow to dry, and prone to holding in smells?
For me, high-quality camping towels solve all of those problems.
They’re soft, quick drying, and can pass the smell test for a lot longer than a cheap cotton towel.
They aren’t prohibitively expensive, but they are significantly more than a generic one I could get at a chain store.
While it’s not a necessity to spend money on a towel that perfectly suits my needs, it sure is nice.
Summing up
I wouldn’t recommend these splurges to people who are in debt or have yet to save an adequate emergency fund.
But, for those who have those basics covered, there’s nothing wrong with spending a fair amount of money for quality things that make you happy.
* Drew Housman is a contributor for The Simple Dollar.
This article first appeared at www.thesimpledollar.com.
