Anti-Mustachian Haves and Have-NOTS

[MrsCoolCat]

Talk about double negatives! Dropping the anti and we have these examples:
Please share yours for fun, but don't feel bad concerning the Have-NOTS!

[must] Haves:

AC during June, July, August and parts of September. I live in SoFLa and god knows I've tried but I just cannot sit under a ceiling fan doing no physical activity and still perspire!

Yearly vacations, granted mine aren't lavish but life is too short to just not get away!

Good dish soap. I bought Palmolive and never again! I recently tried Ajax guaranteed degreaser and it's def better than Palmolive, where I felt like I was using double AND it wasn't degreasing anything!

Good toilet paper. Why am I going to use 500 sheets of the thin stuff; that is insane!

Internet at home. I tried thinking about cutting back expenses and this one is just NOT happening for so many reasons.

A car in SoFla. It's too hot, spaced out, too many retard Floridiots, etc. to ride a bike or otherwise. Plus my living situation would make it very difficult to find better just because we can save 15 to 30min. etc. on the road. Oh but a dream!

Shiseido sunblock. I wear sunblock everyday and it's one that doesn't make my face greasier than it already is. I usually try to stockpile these for $20 at TJ Maxx whenever they randomly stock them! Otherwise, it's $40s at Macy's or Dilliard's. I admit that in my earlier 20s I would buy and barely use any of my random 100 face care products. I have since not bought more and am trying to use up what I already have. I will also try to stick to somewhat effective items because one day I may find something worthwhile and expensive, and will just have to chuck the money just because I don't want to look like a prune. Vice versa maybe my miracle will be cheap! Who knows.

Have-NOTS:

$200 eyelash extensions. Sigh, I wake up in the morning and don't have to do anything besides maybe brush them once! I miss them, but decided that that $1,200 annually can be better spent... say on a vacation?! Mascara it is, which is a Have since I'm trading this in for that.

Studio membership to something specialized like pole, yoga or Cross Fit. My Planet Fitness member is $10 and I have stuff at home including an elliptical and spinning bike... I still prefer someone to tell me what to do and spot me. I know I can train myself through countless Instagram posts, online, etc. but I just prefer to be trained by a person because it's easier... I have yet to get a studio membership because it is literally at a minimum $10/class and I work out 4-5x a week! Not gonna happen but like Mr. MMM's wife it would be so delightful!

Shoes and bags. This was my downfall in my 20s. I was never thin so clothes didn't matter to me, but shoes and designer purses forget it. I have an excess even if they were all on sale, discounted, from Ebay, etc. I just have too many and I don't see myself using them even bi-yearly. Sad, but I really spent more in my 20s than I did in my latter 20s once I owned a house and realized that I didn't make a lot but it was enough to get by and save. And that I preferred vacations.

More clothes, or in my case dresses. I love them. I can get the less formal ones for under $20 but do I need them... probably not. Life is too short to not look beautiful in your prime BUT unless I have a legit reason that I need to wear one I shouldn't buy more.

Sticky Fingers Bakeries pumpkin spice fruit butter! LOL I love food. Found this for $2 at TJ Maxx. Went online, it retails for $5.99 for an 8.2oz can. I will have to pass even if it was better than Trader Joe's which was cheaper. This applies to a lot of specialty food items like kale chips, apple chips, etc. Some things taste so good but for the cost I'd have to make my own or just eat an apple!

[SaintM]

If you like to vacation, get a camper and take your "hotel room" with you. $20-$30 a night plus lower gas mileage beats $150+ a night plus airfare and rental car. Camping is a lot more fun than spending any amount of time in a hotel room.

[MrsCoolCat]

If you like to vacation, get a camper and take your "hotel room" with you. $20-$30 a night plus lower gas mileage beats $150+ a night plus airfare and rental car. Camping is a lot more fun than spending any amount of time in a hotel room.

Thanks! I don't know about the camper because FL is quite long (and pretty much ocean locked), and regardless of how much I spend on a hotel I still barely stay in it. I like to explore. :-)

[innerscorecard]

I think the key thing is understanding the tradeoffs involved in any thing you choose. For example, I willingly pay up for Apple products, even knowing that I could accomplish the same thing with cheaper Android substitutes. But to me, the superior user experience and design is worth the tradeoff, even if it means drastically less money compounding for me over time. In this one area, paying up is worth it. In literally every area, I am more frugally than almost anyone and have almost no discretionary spending.

It's not the right decision for everyone. But for me, it is, because I know that I get a lot of happiness from Apple products. To me, it's a great value, and in fact cheap for the amount of enjoyment and lack of frustration I receive from my Apple products.

[Goldielocks]

MMM's last post (spending in 2014) has me re-evaluating the Must Have's in my life.

I would have previously said that gas/car to get my son and family to their various after school activities was a must have -- even if I was able to figure out exceptionally low cost activities, getting there costs something.  That and museum or zoo tickets...   now I am wondering if activties for the kids can be worked out a different way....


The other must have was the basic internet package -- but at $63/ month and they are starting to say there is a data cap on that... well, if it goes to double the price, even that may be in question.


Remaining Must haves: 
 Alcohol, (moderate quantities!),
Food treats (mmm ice cream, meat, etc.),
Medical aids for family, e.g., glasses and contact lenses, braces,
Mom's  birthday present or out for mother's day lunch,
Driving to visit DH's grandparents in the summer, etc. 
Kid's activities (not pricey ones, but definitely some!).   
New computer every 5 years.
Kid's school fees.
Heck.  Just having kids and the base costs (food, shelter, clothing) that come with  them.

I think my other must haves today are related to my continuing to work so many hours, which could go away -- even coffee -- if needed if I was not working.

[EllieStan]

I share innerscorecard's view of what brings value to your choice can be the level of happiness or satisfaction it gives you. To me, many superfluous things such as makeup products and various colors of nail polish are part of my ''must have'' list, because I enjoy wearing them, they're quality products, they make me feel pretty and powerful and they even add to my professional look. Could I live without all that stuff ? Sure, but I choose not to.

Other Must Haves that are definitely not ''must haves'':
Good food, even expensive meals on special occasions (3-4 times a year)

2 cars (until we move closer to our jobs, then 1 car)

TV/Apple TV (we're both TV series addict and both hate watching series or movies on a computer screen) Cable is often the first thing people suggest to cut off to save money, but to us it's totally worth the expense.

Pets. We have 4 cats and it can get expensive, but they're part of the family and we knew what we were getting ourselves into when we rescued them. I don't see myself living without pets in the future, unless my lifestyle or health condition doesn't allow me to take care of them anymore.

Have nots :
Vacation. I wish I had and we could probably make it work, but I feel it's not important enough compared to everything else we need to save money for (or pay off, such as student loans). No vacation for the third year in a row, but we still have time to travel and we will. One day.

Coffee. I used to buy a few coffees from Starbucks or Tim Horton's every week and whenever I had to drive a long distance : now, I bring my own in a travel mug.

Bank fees. I don't even want to calculate how much I've (stupidly) paid over the years. I thought it was normal to pay $14/month just to deposit my paychecks somewhere and be allowed 40 transactions a month.

Clothes and shoes. Right now being the exception because I'm building my professional wardrobe, I recently discovered the concept of ''capsule wardrobe'' and it was like a revelation : I stopped buying clothes compulsively. Yes, I was this woman who thought she could buy more and more clothes because 'hey, it's from the thrift store, it was cute and totally unexpensive !' Yet I struggled to get dressed every morning because nothing mixed and matched, plus I had many ''meh'' items that weren't worth wearing because they made me feel like a bag of potatoes. I started trimming down my wardrobe last year following a few guidelines to build a timeless capsule wardrobe. I got rid of countless bags of clothes and shoes and there's still room to improve. Now, I have a cohesive color palette and enough neutrals, so everything can be mixed and matched. In 3 minutes, I can be out the door looking fabulous.

Children. I never wanted to become a parent and it has nothing to do with money, but knowing how expensive it is to raise kids and contribute to their college fund, I would lie if I said it didn't somehow comfort my choice not to have any.