7 things we don't mind spending money on

When it comes to money, my husband and I are not big spenders.  When we first got married we were extremely frugal. Now that we are both working we still are pretty frugal compared to some of the rest of our generation.

But. We loosen the purse straps and spend some money on several things.  If we experience job loss, of course these will be the first things that get cut from the budget.  However, while we are able to, these are things that we don't mind spending money on!

[8 years ago I did a post on this topic. It's fun to look back at what has changed and what hasn't!]

1. Streaming Services.  

We used to pay for satellite dish but found that we could save a little money by cutting that out and going to Netflix and Hulu.  For awhile I was able to leverage Microsoft Rewards and get Hulu for free but the system changed. I still use Microsoft Rewards but now save up for gift cards to use for Christmas and we just pay Hulu out of pocket.

2. Books.

Yep, 8 years later and this is still on the list! The Coronavirus (Covid-19) quarantine had us staying home more than ever and with time on our hands to get in some good reading time.  With the social distancing directives we have stopped a lot of other spending (I miss going to movies!) so we use that to justify ordering books with wild abandon.  

Related: Quaran-Reading: 6 Books to Read While Quarantined

3. Cherry Coke

I swear if you show this post to my doctor, I will track you down and glare at you.  Soda is definitely not doctor-approved.  We're all allowed one vice to spend money on though, right?  I don't drink or smoke so I don't feel bad buying some cans of Cherry Coke each week.  Cherry Pepsi is not the same. Don't @ me.

4. Heating & Cooling Our Home

In the last year we had extra insulation sprayed into the attic and bought a new heating/cooling system for the house.  We saved up the money until we were able to pay in full and that way we were able to upgrade without feeling bad for spending money.  Our old unit was too small and old to keep up with the temperatures outside. 

Here in the midwest we can see summers with a heat index over 100 and winters with wind chills -30.  We were constantly freezing or sweating in our home.  With the new insulation and heat/cool unit we are so much more comfortable AND energy efficient. Our monthly bills have gone DOWN.

5. Teacher Stuff

You may have heard that teachers spend a lot of their own money on their classrooms. You have heard correctly.  I try to focus on things that will benefit my students versus things that are just "cute."  For example, I give every student a brand new book of their own to keep at  Winter Break and at the end of the school year.  Since we are both working we can afford to do so and it's an expense that is worth it!

6. Graduate School

I am paying my way through a Master's degree program right now.  We pay each semester in full (no student loans!) and feel incredibly lucky to be able to do so.  It is indeed a chunk of money to spend but it is an investment in the future and in my earning potential so again, it's an expense that we feel is worth it. 

Pro-tip: Run the money through your 529 account. Adults can use those too!  It gives us a nice tax break at the end of the year on the money we were going to spend on my graduate program anyway!

7. Extra Life Insurance

Yeah, this is not nearly as exciting as Netflix, soda, and books. Still, extra life insurance (term life insurance) is worth the added cost.The goal is that if something were to happen to either of us, the remaining spouse would have enough money to provide for themselves and the children without added stress.  If, God forbid, we both die, we have a will and have left directives.  Again, the expense of an attorney and the expense of extra life insurance is well worth knowing that everything is taken care of for our children should something awful happen.