Expensive things that make the list

Sometime ago my wife and I were having a conversation about how we live, what we spend, save, etc. Essentially, what makes the list. If you don’t have “a list” then you need to get right one it…better to know where your money is going and why.

Because we live simply, we had to think about those absolute necessity items we pay for and distinguish them from the pleasures we enjoy but don’t need at our core. A good example is the power bill vs. cell phone. We most certainly need power at our home – but if we had to we could go without our cell phones.

I realize cell phones might be controversial and while they have become so entrenched in our daily lives we could, if we had to, forgo the very convenient cellular device.

Occasionally I review our bills and look for ways to really save more. I can write down the core bills we have on a piece of paper from memory; I know them intuitively and the only one I could really do anything about (trim and/or eliminate) is our cell phone bill. The rest of our recurring bills are necessary ones.

I’m not trying to pick on my cell phone bill or even look to get rid of it. I have had the same cell phone number for probably 15 years (I remember when carriers fought to keep customers from leaving them by holding their number hostage – thankfully they lost that battle) and it is my main point of contact.

No, I’m trying to illustrate exactly what the title of this post says: Expensive things that make the list. I thought it was pertinent to provide a little backstory so the things listed below make more sense.

So what are some of these things we feel are worth the additional expense? 

Let me lay some ground rules which will guide the selection process and their inclusion. First, and I would think very obvious, is it cannot be a necessary bill. I’ve seen some include their house because they could downsize they just choose not to. I can assure you that isn’t us. We need all the space we have and then some.

Second, I realize things are relative concerning expenses but let’s face facts: a cost such as a random beverage isn’t on par with, oh, let’s say a vacation. Cost, while subjective, matters.

With these qualifiers, we can proceed to a list that fluctuates as we get older but also changes with every person. We all place value on things/experiences; and while they differ amongst us all the commonality is they have value to us personally. These are things for my wife and I.

The List

Below you will find a compiled list of some things my wife and I deem important for us – enough that we fork over some hard earned deniro for them. They are in no particular order regarding importance either; for the most part this list is structured by cost. 

Cell phone

After 4 years it’s time for a new one

Our cell phones do so much these days. They are virtually mini computers in our hands and it is a luxury to us and we pay per month for it.

If we had to cut something, something that would make a difference in our monthly bills, then this would be it. It’s the highest recurring cost we have akin to luxury and as such it ranks number one.

I have no intention of cutting this luxury out, however, and in some ways it almost is a necessity. In this technological age you almost have to have some form of communication and internet is needed for so many things. It’s almost unfathomable to think someone our age doesn’t have a cell phone – it’s just that prevalent. 

Sure, there are things I could do to lower our monthly expenses but the pro con lists don’t add up in favor of ditching cell phones so they stay. I honestly have really loved my little mini computer. I can’t remember or recall what it was like before I had this convenience; it’s that enjoyable. 

As such, it definitely makes the list.

Vacation time

One of our vacations

I work a lot; it’s a true story. Not in a workaholic sorta way but in an it’s all on me kinda way; the bills, savings, retirement, etc. Add in school (teaching and being a student), home projects, and the family my time is full. Truly there isn’t enough time in the day.

That being said, we still take a vacation. Well, to be more accurate, I get one vacation; my family gets more. But this post isn’t just about the things I don’t live without, is it?

Typically we drive halfway across the country to visit my in laws and usually we are gone for a week or two. We don’t do staycations; they may save money but I don’t think they’re as enjoyable nor would you be able to disconnect from your grind with distractions from being home.

Even better is the anticipation of the vacation. With all the stress coming from work it is nice to extend your vacation in the front end by looking forward to it.

To be frank, vacations cost money – even the ones where you stay with family. There is the cost of fuel, food, time away from work (if you don’t have vacation time), site seeing, things to do wherever you end up, souvenirs, etc. Vacations, even well planned ones, cost money. In fact, vacations are usually one of the first things people advise to cut when you’re trying to save money. If we owed someone, had debt, or were desperately saving for something I would consider forgoing a vacation. As it is, none of the above apply to us and we happily enjoy our time away from home – so it stays on our list.

As a matter of fact, we are currently planning a vacation for next year – which will be at least 3 weeks. We feel we can do this because we are not in debt, have saved a sum for the trip, and recognize time does not sit still. It is getting faster as we get older. We want to see things and not have time pass us by. It is true many of our trips take us to familiar places – which cost us less – but overall we spend the money to go.

Season passes to Busch Gardens

I love this place

At $180 a piece and a total of $540 (and set to increase to $720 soon), this is definitely a luxury item. We didn’t get the highest costing passes but we made sure parking was included. At $25 a trip, it adds up quickly (and my wallet rejoices).

I enjoy the park for a number of reasons. I’ve done a lot of work there over the years, I enjoy some of the rides, my family enjoys it (especially water country – a water park close by connected to the passes) and I enjoy the architecture and landscaping. Truth be told, the park has something for everyone at every age. It has been voted world’s most beautiful theme park for 28 straight years (as of May 2018) and that’s not by accident. They spend a ton of money on landscaping making the park into what it is today. People enjoy the park so much they have a themed event, “Christmastown,” where you can walk around and see an impressive display of lights, trees, shows, and festivities. Truth be told, it’s my favorite time of the year and my favorite season there also. Christmastown is awesome.

It’s also a one time cost for us. Oh, they have monthly plans but I have no intention of financing it. Yes, it makes it an easier pill to swallow but you get a much better perspective on how much it cost you when you buy them out right. This is a principle applicable across the board for all purchases. What we would see if we all applied it to our every purchase.

In any case, it’s an expense worth it for us and as such we have purchased it with regularity. It’s a perennial on our list.

*With COVID-19 shutting things down Busch Gardens was no exception. They extended our passes but we will likely forgo purchasing for 2021 and purchase for the 2022 season. Still, normally it’s worth the purchase so I’ve listed it.*

Amazon Prime

I don’t pay much attention to this particular purchase until I want something ordered and then I tell my wife to order it for me. She is the driving force behind this. Well, her and her family. I think her mom and sister go in on it too, I’m not sure. We have ordered enough for me to know that it really is handy to have.

It used to cost around $100 but when I checked for accuracy for this article I saw the price had increased to $119 for a year (2020). It’s all in what you want, honestly, and there are a lot of benefits to having an Amazon Prime membership. From car parts (which I just had her order) to pen refills, gifts and just about everything else, Amazon Prime has firmly planted itself as a valuable resource on our list.

Just for grins and giggles, I looked up the cost comparing a one time purchase vs monthly installments and lo and behold the monthly installments were more. How much more? $12.99 a month is $155.88 for a year, or $36.88 extra to pay monthly. That’s a 31% increase!

It’s cheaper to pay yearly for things and to pay cash whenever possible. Cash talks.

Good quality boots

There is 0% chance I’m wearing cheap boots. Seriously, I spend so many hours of my day on my feet and in my boots I’m not willing to sacrifice quality. Initially, I organized this list by cost, but if I were to reorder it by what’s valued more, this line item moves to the top of the list. No questions asked.

In many ways I can’t control how long I’m on my feet. Sometimes it’s all day and other times very little. There are many days I put my boots on around 5 AM and don’t take them off until after 9 PM. I wear them A LOT.

What I do have a choice over, though, is what I wear. I used to wear Red wings and now I wear Thorogoods, which I get from the union boot pro. I honestly don’t care if they run me $150 – $250 or more; I’m going to be in them for a major part of my day and they last long too. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to overspend – I just am willing to spend good money for quality. You could try to save money and buy a cheapie pair but in the end how comfortable are they? That’s the benchmark: do I feel like I’ve been walking on clouds or walking on rocks when I take them off after a grueling day? Have my ankles been supported? How do my knees and by extension back feel?

For many of us, the trades are rough on the body; I don’t think it prudent to exacerbate it by wearing crap boots.

(On a totally unrelated note, this issue is one reason I enjoy seeing the trades getting better pay for the hard work they do. Some view that hard work in a negative light but there is much more than most are talking about. I discuss this more in depth in my post “The pros and cons of the skilled trades.”

I have found good boots are worth their weight in gold. I know I’m not scrimping on this cost and I’d encourage ANYONE willing to listen to not penny pinch, either. This item remains on the list with perpetuity.

Dunkin Donuts Coffee

Yea, I went there. I love coffee. More specifically, I love Dunkin Donuts coffee. It’s just what I’ve grown accustomed to and yes, there is a difference between what’s routinely called gourmet coffee and the burned bean water some drink daily (many thanks to a woman I heard say “burned bean water” a while back; it was a GREAT line). It’s difficult to disguise a lot of coffee with excess creamer and/or sugar and as I’ve grown older I have cut back on both – to the point I don’t use sugar and so little creamer it’s barely distinguishable. You taste the coffee more that way, anyhow. And when you taste the coffee you really put emphasis on it’s quality.

Gimme all the coffee

I could go without coffee but God forbid. I LOVE my morning coffee, it’s almost a ritual. I DO NOT want to go without coffee and more specifically Dunkin Donuts coffee. Major spoiler here: there is a correlation between growing older and getting set in your ways and I’ve become more comfortable with what I want. Sure, I could save some money on cheaper coffee but I’ve seen guys drink sludge at work at it makes me cringe. It may cost extra but I’m going to stick to what I like.

It would seem a small cost but over the course of the year it adds up. We even got a membership to BJs (like Costco) just to buy Dunkin Donuts coffee for less. It’s no wonder it makes the list. And, if that wasn’t enough, I have a confession to make: periodically I go to Dunkin and get coffee there. Yes, it costs more but sometimes I’m out and about and would like some coffee. Sometimes it’s more convenient and sometimes, it just is the atmosphere. I like coffee – enough said.

Good beer

Yum

The adjective good is necessary because there most definitely is bad beer and I won’t drink that. I’ll pass on it, thank you very much. Good beer has quality to it, ingredients which make it taste delightful to the palate. The smell adds to the taste and you savor every sip.

Bad beer, by comparison, is cheap and watered down urine. If you have to ask what the difference is, you likely drink low quality beer.

I don’t bring up the comparison to bemoan the poor quality of some beers; rather, I bring it up only to set the stage for my willingness to purchase good beer; I want to enjoy it. For me, beer isn’t merely a means to an end, it is the end.

I enjoy quality beer and am willing to spend the money for some and I’ll forgo when there is only sub par on the premises, simply put.

*I left it up here because for many years it was a viable option for us – well, me actually. However, the beginning of 2021 saw us embark on a Keto diet and I’ve known for years beer adds on the pounds. Lists change, things change, what we are willing to spend money on changes – overall, I left it up here so people could see a list like this isn’t static at all.*

Chickens

Yes, you read that right. We keep chickens in our backyard and while it can be cumbersome I do enjoy the hobby and have for many years now so it makes the list. 

I can certainly clear up an erroneous belief about keeping chickens, though. It costs me more to keep them vs just going to the store and buying eggs. I haven’t done a cost benefit analysis but I can assure you this is absolutely true. In fact, this is the reason I’m listing this up here. The cost isn’t exactly beneficial to my financial wallet but it’s something we have and live with.

I have a whole “chicken yard,” measuring about 12′ by 40′ where they mainly stay. I have a few trees in it along with a few gardenias and chicken houses. Oh, and there is a small pond for some ducks (think patio pond size).

The cost of the feed far outweighs the financial incentive to keep chickens for eggs. We all know, though, we do a lot of things without finances considered and our keeping chickens is one for us.

Even worse is the broads we have are getting up there in age and not laying as much – it’s time to get some more. Currently, we aren’t even getting eggs and we are still spending money on their feed. Time for some new chicken blood. I should put that on the list, too.

Real Maple Syrup

Real Maple Syrup

I was reminded of this the other day when we had breakfast. My wife mentioned how real maple syrup and not the imitation stuff people have was worth the extra cost – and it being on our list – and I concurred. Not that I don’t partake of the imitation stuff – I have to when we are not at home – but real maple syrup is a luxury we feel is worth the cost. Though I’m not comparing, we don’t spend much in the way of excess, overall. Much of what we have is by way of the frugal life and as such we don’t think real maple syrup is a stretch – only a cherry on top.

Keto snuffed another one on my list. Ho hum.

This website

This website is very valuable to me and not because it makes me money, either. Though I’m reluctant to admit it, this website costs me money. Yes, it’s a creative release and yes, I really enjoy it but in the end it costs me money. It cost me when I initially set it up for 3 years hosting and to yearly secure the domain name – both of which are set to renew this month: February 2021. Ouch.

What’s more, though, and off topic, is this site costs me time, which some say is money. I don’t believe that, but I do think it’s a great point to bring up because, among other things, I emphatically believe time is far more valuable than money. I wrote a whole article emphasizing this point:

 

Time isn’t money – it’s worth SO much more

Additionally, I have another post on time that’s just as important:

Time – THE most important asset

Naturally, since I believe time is more valuable the cost in time is greater than mere dollars – hence its place on this list. 

This website definitely makes the list.

Conclusion

All in all I realize my list of “expensive” items pales in comparison to many others – it’s all in how we live. We happen to live simply and our list looks different than many other families. But, it is imperative I state this: we don’t sacrifice on saving for retirement to enjoy those things. If we had to select one or the other we would choose retirement. Given I don’t personally know anyone who saves too much or even enough for retirement, so the bar is somewhat obscure, we have some benchmarks we desire to hit. Even so, if it looked like we were having difficulty, most of that which we enjoy would be put on the back burner. Well, most of it, anyway. I have no problem getting good quality boots – I need them to actually earn what’s saved for retirement. Oh, and I REALLY enjoy quality coffee.

So, what’s your list look like? What are the indispensable things you feel like you can’t live without – or don’t want to go through life not enjoying?