Frugality is great and all – I love cutting expenses and making use of what I already have as much as the next 18 year old kid with a personal finance blog. But there are certain things I pay extra for, even though I know I could get a similar product for less or even do without. I’d rather spend large amounts of money on things that are important to me than just keep all of it locked up in a bank account somewhere like a miser.
There’s one area of my spending that I don’t skimp on:
iPhone, iPods, MacBook – I love ‘em all. I know I could have bought a Dell laptop with similar (or better) specs for probably $400 less. But I’m OK with that. A Mac is worth it, in my opinion. I don’t need my iPhone, but it lets me find out anything anywhere. Plus, they throw in free stickers with your purchase. Where else you gonna get that?
Even if I bought a Dell, I still wouldn’t go for the budget model. I want speed and features that make the whole computing experience better, like a backlit keyboard. It’s not necessary, but it’s a a nice extra.
Of course, this means that I’m OK with slashing costs in other areas. I don’t spend much money on clothes, usually only shopping when I need something and there’s a sale going on, for example.
But technology is my thing, as all my relatives and friends will tell you.
What’s yours?
You might be a subscription junkie: Netflix, every magazine in existence, Xbox Live, Hulu, etc. Or maybe you’re into expensive clothes. Whatever. Doesn’t matter.
Leave a note in the comments!
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I see no problem with you “splurging” in certain areas as long as you have set financial priorities and you aren’t living beyond your means!
I recently bought a Sony Vaio for more than the combined price of my two desktops! But I love that backlit keyboard as well!
Netflix! It’s not really a splurge at $8.99 a month, but I’m a movie/tv junkie and I feel better about watching stuff legally so that writers actors etc. get compensation for their hard work.
But I save on clothes. I raid Marshalls/TJ Maxx and those wonderful 50% of clearance sales for awesome deals. (I got a $400 pair of jeans for $10 the other day. Boo ya!)
Nice! When I move out in a million years, I’ll probably going to just get NetFlix and not worry about cable. I’ll also use ahem…other methods…to get the stuff that NetFlix doesn’t have. It’s amazing how much video is online now. All the the major networks stream entire episodes on their websites now, plus all the funny 2 minute clips on YouTube.
Exactly! It’s all about what’s important to you.
Vaios look nice! Real sleek and probably the best looking computers on the market besides Apple. I didn’t think the backlit keyboard would be that big of a deal, but it’s a great feature.