12 Things Worth Spending Your Money On
By: Emma Jackson
Tags: Health, Money Management, Money, Self Care, Resilience

We have so many decisions to make daily that life often feels a bit overwhelming. If you don’t have occasional-to-frequent money worries, I’d say you are probably in the minority. As with everything else, planning and making conscious decisions ahead of time can save you energy, stress — and make sure you make solid decisions. The alternative is being caught off guard and doing something that doesn’t serve you. Here are 12 things that are definitely worth spending your money on, in no particular order.

“Don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget, and I’ll tell you what you value.” ~ Joe Biden

Eating well

The human body CAN take a lot of abuse but it doesn’t have to! Make sure you eat a majority of fresh whole foods and sustainably produced meat and seafood to not only helps you feel good and look good now, but to also safeguarding your future health. If you think being young and a bit broke is tough, try being old and sick. It’s tricky to change this once you’re there and if you are under 35 reading this, you’re plausibly going to live to your 90’s. If you’re conscientious and thoughtful, you can eat well and not spend an insane amount of money by batch cooking and buying seasonal food.

Education

Pay for a course, pay for a coach, pay for therapy if you think something is holding you back — keep bettering yourself by investing time and money in your skills, growth and ability to adapt.

Pets

If you have a pet, then feed them the best food you can afford (the best food is not necessarily the most expensive but it’s never the cheapest), buy enrichment toys, and get them regular vet care. Also, please don’t feed them human food unless your pet is a literal scavenger (but how many people have a vulture or hyena as a pet?), it feels like you are ‘treating’ them but you are really not. (Yes, yes — see you in the comments section.)

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” ~ Winston Churchill

Charity

Many issues have become particularly heated this year (#BLM, #Metoo), and there are also long-standing ones that the pandemic has brought into sharp relief like domestic abuse and homelessness. If you can, give a little to those way less fortunate than you. It’s easy to say that homeless people are lazy and battered women should just leave — but the reality is so much more nuanced than that. Do a bit of research to make sure the charity you are giving money to is ethically run and that the bulk of your money goes to the cause. Giving to charity is also an excellent gift to give other people.

Buy local, buy indie

Buying from local independent businesses rather than Amazon or big chain stores helps support society and communities in really impactful ways and gives you a different experience. Without independent stores, all businesses would be standardised (boring!) and based primarily on making money rather than passion, purpose or innovation. Whilst I’m not telling you the big stores or companies don’t have any of those — I am saying that independents play an essential role in our economy and our enjoyment of life through community engagement.

“Your health is an investment, not an expense.” ~ Proverb

Dental care

Research shows that poor dental health is linked to heart disease and Alzheimer’s, amongst many other conditions. Regular check-ups and regular hygiene appointments are the best way to maintain this coupled with a (gentle!) electric toothbrush and flossing every day. If your gums bleed when you floss, it is a sign of micro infections, which means you can improve your dental health.

Optimum health/self-care

What does self-care mean to you? What are the activities that require investment to make them happen? Prioritise them above things that don’t end up making you happy. For example, if you can afford to drink a few times a week, then you can afford therapy, or to pay for professionals to guide your workout regime, or whatever it is that’s going to make you feel fantastic. You’re never too young or too old to start making good decisions.

“You only have one life to live. Make sure it’s yours.” ~ Eleanor Brown

Expressing your creativity

Supporting the arts, both as performances and buying artists’ work helps you live creatively. Expressing your own creativity by playing an instrument, drawing, making your living environment beautiful boosts your mental and emotional health. Buying a couple of plants is a better investment than buying fast fashion in terms of impact on your quality of life. Maybe tattoos are your thing, taking singing lessons or ikebana — find your artistic outlet and invest in it.

Experiences rather than things

How I dress is a significant part of how I express myself, but I decided a while ago to reduce my consumerism where I could because — the planet. Further, I realised a long time ago that spending time with loved ones and travel were the things that delivered the most significant value in terms of ‘happiness’. New experiences also teach you how to do new and challenging things — a valuable skill set that significantly impacts your future happiness and resilience.

“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” ~ Dave Ramsey

An accountant or financial advisor

If you work for yourself, tax can get quite complicated and if you don’t have the background to be extremely confident in what you are doing, then pay for the expertise to make sure you are getting it right. If you are UK-based and need an accountant, hit me up — I have an amazing one who is open to referrals. If your affairs are sufficiently complicated then you should refer to a financial advisor.

Time

Question whether you can you get more time back by outsourcing jobs you don’t need to do, and at the same time back local micro- and gig-economies (cleaners, handymen etc). Consider if there are ways that maximise your time, like going away for the weekend with friends to enjoy windy walks, rather than just going out drinking.

Legal advice

The only thing more expensive than legal advice is not getting legal advice. As you get a bit older and take on more responsibility, the more your life might be impacted by legal issues. The good news is there are ways of obtaining legal advice that doesn’t cost a fortune. For example, the Citizens Advice Bureau is free. Many banks and credit cards include some types of legal advice as a perk, so check what yours offer. Which — the online product review peeps — included in their £9 monthly subscription the ability to obtain legal advice over the phone (not all law is covered, but calls are uncapped).

Being diligent about where you spend your money can change your life — the quality of it, the enjoyment of it and the impact of it. Plan it and prioritise where your money goes — it’s one of the healthiest habits you can have.

This list is not in priority order so I would love to hear from you in the comments section as to which ones you think are the most important, and you can also find me on Twitter (I’m on other social platforms of course, but not really).