7 Things I Like, But Still Won’t Spend Money On

I’m on a bit more of a budget these days, so although I’ve previously cut expenses out of my life that were unnecessary/didn’t bring me any joy, I’ve found myself cutting out a few more. These are seven things that I genuinely enjoy, and would maybe spend on if I felt like I could, but chose not to because the price tag simply isn’t worth it to me.

1. Concerts.

I totally get why people enjoy going to these, but I just genuinely don’t feel the need to ever go to concerts. I like music, sure, and I enjoy seeing live music too. But since most live shows come with a pretty hefty price tag, it doesn’t feel worth it to me. There isn’t too much appealing about spending a shit ton of money to go to another location to hear music, when I could listen to it for free in my home. I get that the musician is “there” in front of you, but it isn’t like you really get to see them anyway. And while I agree that it is a fun experience to go out with friends and drink beer and dance, I think I’d much prefer to do that somewhere local and cheap, where we can spend $10 on drinks and call it a night. One day, this might be an experiential activity that is more in my realm of possibilities, but right now, it is too pricey to appeal to me.

2. Activewear.

I love the “athleisure” look, but I will literally never wear activewear unless I’m actually working out. I definitely went through a phase where I bought a lot of that fun neon workout gear, including a pair of electric blue running sneakers. Even though I engage in physical activity pretty regularly, I essentially never put on a pair of yoga leggings that aren’t black, which basically means that I wasted money every time I bought a trendy piece of athletic clothing, even if I liked the way it looked. Those neon-printed yoga leggings are great in theory, but for me, they were terrible in practice.

3. Scarves.

Another thing that I think looks chic af on Pinterest, but I’ll almost never reach for even in freezing cold weather. I love the look of them, but they always slide off while I’m walking, or I take them off inside and lose them. I have a super-thick one that I wear when it is necessary due to cold weather, and one that I got as a gift from Chelsea and Lauren at ~TFD Christmas~, so I don’t see myself buying another possibly ever. I’ll definitely wear them sometimes on chilly days, and I love the way they look, but I don’t get enough wear out of them to justify spending my money on anymore.

4. Bottled beer at restaurants/bars.

There’s no point in buying something bottled for $6 at a bar when I know I can bulk-buy (and bulk-drink) it at home. I like beer everywhere, but a bottle hardly feels worth that price tag, no matter how much I enjoy it. If I’m out, I’d rather spend on draft beer, or something else that I probably wouldn’t get to drink at home.

5. Trendy health foods.

The second reason people buy green juice and everything-free (after the fact that they look cute on Instagram) is that they often actually taste really good, considering the fact that they’re pretty healthy. I like these things, and definitely enjoy them when I actually consume them, but at the end of the day, I’m not going to reach for the vegan kale burgers in my freezer over literally everything else I own every day. They’re always going to be the sad frostbitten food I have left over when the good stuff is gone, because I never had a night where I was able to convince myself it would be better than cooking something else. I’ll basically never chose “tastes pretty good” over “tastes incredible”, and I need to stop tricking myself into doing so just because I sort-of enjoy it.

6. A yoga membership.

I love yoga, and I’ve done it for years. But somehow, I still can’t justify spending nearly $200/month on an unlimited yoga membership. I feel like I have enough tools to do yoga on my own it I want to do an “unlimited” amount of it, and if I’m really craving a true yoga class, I’d rather pay the $15 drop-in price. I don’t think I’d find myself actually going enough to justify the price tag of a membership. So, definitely something I like, but definitely not something worth my money right now.

7. Flowers. (For now.)

I really love flowers, and I enjoy being given flowers. They look beautiful and smell nice, so there’s really nothing not to love. My favorites are yellow tulips, and this time of year they are everywhere, so it stings that I know I shouldn’t really buy any. However, considering the fact that I’m not exactly flush with cash at the moment, I have a hard time spending money on something that is going to die in four days. I love them, and I’m envious of people who can afford to regularly buy them, but right now, it just adds up to too much money for me. I don’t necessarily consider them a luxury, but I only work part-time and I have to pay rent/eat, so they’re a luxury to me currently. My boyfriend picked up a bouquet of tulips the other day at the store and I looked at him like “I really appreciate the kind gesture, but we’re on too much of a budget to spend $8 on a dying plant today.” This is an aspirational thing for me; I’ll know I’ve finally “made it” when I feel comfortable buying fresh cut tulips every week. Until then, I’ll go visit my mom to enjoy her flowers – she’s the type of grown-up who always has them.

Mary writes every day for TFD, and tweets every day for her own personal fulfillment. Talk to her about money and life at mary@thefinancialdiet.com!

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