People are always trying to save money – right? While I would say that statement for me is, generally speaking, correct there are a few things that I am not willing to compromise on and that I will, most likely, always be willing to spend a little more money on. So, I thought I’d share with you what those things areJ
Vacations
Jimmy and I love love love to travel. We did lots of it while we were dating and continue to value it as something we want to always do. When we were dating it was pretty easy to do – we didn’t live in the same state so we figured instead of flying to one of our places (which we did our fair share of too) we’d just meet somewhere. We spent weekend in the North Carolina Mountains, Chicago, Tenerife (Canary Islands), St Louis, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Dallas, and many more. Now that we are married, and hence live in the same household, we haven’t traveled as much but still enjoy getting out and exploring when we can. We honeymooned on a private island called Petit St Vincent whom is known for one of the most beautiful beaches in the world (kudos to Jimmy for planning that one)!, we’ve traveled to Punta Cana, Eureka Springs, San Diego, Galena, Denver, and a few more places in the last few years as well and enjoyed every minute of it. Vacations are one thing that creates lasting memories and is something I’m definitely willing to spend a little extra money on when it comes to nice accommodations and great experiences!
Make up
Make up isn’t something I’ve always spent money on but as I’ve gotten older I’ve begun to significantly notice a difference in brands and price points. I’ve never had “bad” skin in terms of acne, excessive oil, redness, etc. but it was never uncommon for me to have a zit/blemish here and there, until I started using Bare Minerals for my base. I use the eye lightener, foundation, bronzer, and loose powder and love it all. It’s all in powder form, which took some getting used to but it's done wonders for my skin - I love it. I also can tell a huge difference in Mac eyeshadow compared to all other brands. All my primary colors, those that I wear on an everyday basis, are Mac and whenever I use a CoverGirl or Maybelline type product I can see the difference. Mac lasts longer and goes on so much better too!
Jeans
This is also something I haven’t always spent money on but as I’ve gotten older I’ve gotten wiser and realized the difference in quality and fit of a good high end jean compared to the Old Navy $20 jeans. My absolute favorite brand of jeans is Joe’s Jeans and the pairs I have fit like a glove, have lasted a long time, and are so cute! I also really like the jeans they carry at Black House White Market and have a few for the same reasons as my Joes. As I’ve gotten older less is more and having a few great fitting and great quality items in your closet goes a lot further than 20 pairs of jeans that don’t fit right, look great on (not just good), and fall apart after 20 washes. Here’s a couple pictures and links to the few pairs I own and one on my wish list J
 |
| the honey |
 |
| the best friend |
 |
| loving this color! |
http://joesjeans.com/shop/product.php?productid=3335&cat=2
Purses
I think this one goes without much explanation as we all know my love for Coach! In the past few years I think I have only bought one purse that was not Coach and low and behold it’s pretty much completely fallen apart – point proven people J Unfortunately I think I’m in the diaper bag stage for a good 3+ more years so not sure I will be investing in any additional purses lately. Good thing Coach makes diaper bags!
A Treadmill
When we moved into our current house this summer we invested in some home gym equipment – a treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike and punching bag. We have extra space in our basement and are able to have it set up with good visibility to the TV, ipod dock, etc. It works perfect. People often say to me “I have to go to a gym to stay dedicated, I won’t do it unless I actually have to leave and plan on it.” For me I think it’s just the opposite, especially for the phase of life I’m in right now with a young baby. It’s so convenient to have the equipment right in our home – making it possible for me to squeeze my workout in early in the morning before baby wakes up, during a lunch break while our nanny is here, or during nap times. It works really really well for us and I’m so glad we invested the money in the equipment. I wasn’t too vocal about brands, features, etc on anything except the treadmill as I knew that’d be what I’d use most. I don’t need lots of fancy stuff but a few basics were a must and we were able to find them within our budget – score!
Hansen’s Milk
Now this one is a bit different than the others I’ve mentioned but it’s important to us – especially since our little one will be transitioning to cow’s milk in a few months. I had always heard about Hansen’s milk and dairy products but never really bought into any of the hype until I randomly purchased a gallon of milk and a few other things while on that side of town this summer, and now it’s all we buy (with a few exceptions). You truly can taste the difference in the milk and I love knowing that it comes from a local source. They offer a frequent customer discount program too that works like a debit card – you put money into an “account” whenever you want and then every time you buy dairy products with that card you get 10% off. We love it and plan on using that as our #1 source of dairy for Lily in a few months as well.
So that’s pretty much it – at least the top 5 in my book of what I am willing to spend money on. Some may agree, others will not but isn’t that what’s so funny about different people – the different things that we find value in?
This was a fun post to read!! When it gets nice again, let's be sure to schedule a walk!!
ReplyDelete