Things You Value that you'll pay for*

[arebelspy]

[OP Edit: What's an Affiliate link?]

A link where you make money for referring them.  Your amazon link had a bunch of crud after it that I removed. They usually include stuff such as "ref=".  You may have not even realized you were doing it, but if someone clicked on your link and bought something from Amazon, someone was getting paid/getting a cut of it.

[impaire]

A link where you make money for referring them.  Your amazon link had a bunch of crud after it that I removed. They usually include stuff such as "ref=".  You may have not even realized you were doing it, but if someone clicked on your link and bought something from Amazon, someone was getting paid/getting a cut of it.

Hot damn, if the OP managed to sell one of these to readers on this board, I sure hope he was getting a cut, because that would be a triumph for the ages.

[arebelspy]

lol, it wasn't removed because I thought it would or wouldn't happen, just general policy.

But thanks for the laugh.  :D

[frpeebles]

Not to drag this out but I was unaware that there was any referrals involved given I copied the link straight out of the browser. I'll have to look out for the ref= content next time.

[arebelspy]

Not to drag this out but I was unaware that there was any referrals involved given I copied the link straight out of the browser. I'll have to look out for the ref= content next time.

No worries, a lot of times Amazon throws them in, they get stuck on there based on where you found the item, or they're a referral you used earlier without knowing it, or whatever.  :)

[JessieImproved]

Locally produced food, pastured meats.  I do a meat CSA to cut down on this cost, but I will admit it bloats our grocery bill. 

[oldtoyota]

Walking shoes. I get deals when I can, but I am willing to pay full price for my child's shoes since she has developing feet.

I walk a lot, so I also spend higher prices on shoes than I once did. I used to buy cheap shoes and learned the hard way that that causes other sorts of "expenses."

[cbgg]

In general, I think that the definition of being a conscious consumer is that you value the things you buy.  In general I fit this bill pretty well.  I'm nowhere near as frugal as most of the people who hang out here, and I don't want to be.  I make a good amount of money, save a lot of it, and spend what I do on things that I truly enjoy (with a few exceptions that I work to improve). 

One that I often think of as a luxury that I am SO SO thrilled to have the opportunity & ability to pay for is my smart phone.  I don't care to have the latest phone (my iPhone 4 is more than 3 years old and still works perfectly, knock on wood) but I do want to have (essentially) unlimited data.  To me it is a MIRACLE of the modern world to have the internet in my pocket.  $65/month is an absolute bargain to access it and I pay happily.

Back when smart phones first came out I earned significantly less money (and plans were significantly more costly) so I held off on getting one for as long as I could. I knew that as soon as I got one there would be no turning back.  I was right.  There are some things worth paying for.  For me, this is one of them.

[Elaine]

1. Living in a big city. Although I think I still come out ahead based on income/not having a car. But I will have to downsize to a cheaper city for full FIRE.

2. Contacts instead of glasses most of the time. I just feel like I lose a lot of vision with glasses, it's harder to play pool in them and I don't like the feeling of having something on my face.

3. Not being stingy going out. I'm not very social most nights, I go out maybe once every six weeks or so, so if I do go out and my group wants to spend a bit of money each I'm fine with that.

[chasesfish]

Travel

Good coffee

Good beer

Sometimes all three at once

[Weedy Acres]

Pedicures ($25/2 months)

Hair highlighting ($80/2 months)

Shiseido foundation ($30/6 months)

Sorry Mrs. MM. :-)

[StPaulCityGirl]

It is interesting to note how many MMers value travel and experiences over "stuff" in so many of these posts. I think that is perhaps why many of us seek to retire early, so we can spend our time experiencing things. I, too, would much rather spend the money I'm not saving on travel with my son. I could pay off my house earlier and retire earlier if I socked that money away, but taking him to new places gives him such a thrill and is so educational and FUN, I figure his fond memories of childhood are priceless to me. Life is short, even if you live to be 100.

[southern granny]

buying things to make my children and grandchildren happy.  I spent $600 on a video game for my son at Christmas.  I would never buy something like that for myself.  The smiles are their faces are priceless.

Expenses for my dog.  He doesn't hunt, but he watches over the house, and he makes me laugh.  So It is worth it.

Weekend trips and vacations with my husband.  I have never regretted any money that I spent on travel.  I always shop for the good deals and we generally rent a condo with a full kitchen and only eat out one meal a day.

[MrsPete]

I can't relate to many of these things.  I don't drink coffee, eat out rarely, don't want to live in the city.

A number of people have said good shoes.  I agree with that, but I'm starting to have some foot problems, and if I don't buy good shoes, I have foot and leg pain by the end of the day, so I don't think paying extra for good shoes is actually an option for me any more -- it's moved into the necessity category. 

However, I can name other things that aren't strictly necessary but for which I'm willing to pay:

- College education for my children
- Custom-built house for our retirement years
- Travel; I'm so glad we did a couple big trips during our kids' teen years
- Name-brand Diet Coke

[aetherie]

Ballroom dancing: lessons, social dances, and traveling to competitions. It's such a source of joy in my life that I can't imagine cutting it out just to save money.

Local and/or organic food, especially meat. Not all my food and not all the time, but I am willing to pay more when I know I'm supporting farms that treat their animals well.

Name brand deodorant that smells good and doesn't leave white marks everywhere.

[SweetLife]

Super cushy-soft toilet paper.

Good choice!

I second (or third) this one ... along with super cushy kleenex when I am sick (which is usually for a week at a time ...) I hate looking like Rudolph :(

[Shor]

Internet and youtube combine to make the most amazing do-it-yourself reference guide for all things everywhere.
That being said, I pay a little bit extra for a slightly better internet so that I'm not waiting for video to buffer every 5 seconds, worth every sane moment.

I also value spending money at Costco. Yes, I aim to keep expenses cheap and on a per-need basis, but if I need something, I will get it at Costco first. I enjoy spending money (oof!) at businesses I'd like to support. This applies to Costco, the local bike shop, and.... wait where else do I buy stuff?? Uhh... Southwest Airlines?

[MountainMan]

1) Automobile - My family is in another state and I want the means to visit and travel when I wish.
2) Occasional great meal out - I love good food and while it doesn't have to be expensive to be good, I won't cut it out entirely.
3) Great beer - Same as #2
4) Things that can provide a return.  Books that I can learn something from (if I cannot find the title in the library), tools, etc.
5) I'll pay more for quality if I believe that it will be used for many years.

[Blindsquirrel]

 Things I gladly value more than money.
Cats. One is a great mouser and they keep me warm at night. Love the   little buggers to no end. They are great sleep aids as they purr you to sleep  and toe warmers.
A boat.- Not an expensive boat but one that can fish just about anywhere I wish. A boat provides a huge amount of freedom to fish.
Fishing- time, gas, licenses, equipment. It keeps me somewhat sane.
Living where I do. When real estate prices slagged 4 years ago, we upgraded to a huge rural house that we love for cheap. Longer commute 35 minutes or so but I come home to paradise every night. No neighbors,no stress, lots of wildlife. It is like a vacation every weekend.

[CarDude]

A lead-free house!

[socaso]

We enjoy going out to dinner and since we usually try new places I consider it worth the money. If we went to the same 3 places or chain restaurants I would not think it was worthwhile.

Hair services. I don't pay for this because my DH is a hairstylist but after having such high quality services at my disposal I don't think I could go back. I might give up the salon color and do it myself at home but nothing beats a really good haircut and a pro who really gets your hair. That being said if I had to pay for it again I would shop around. There are talented people to be found at all price points.

[Cassie]

One thing I love is to read about all the things that people value. It is different for everyone which is awesome. If we all loved the same things-how boring.  I really think that the way of Mr. MM is to identify what you value & get rid of that which you don't.  It is truly different for everyone & all of us (including myself) should never judge what is important to others as long as people are living within their means & saving $. If that is not happening then judge away!!

[Luck better Skill]

  Long hot showers or baths.  Not real expensive habit just wasteful on water.

[TheRedHead]

Super high-quality food and beverages. Organic produce, grass fed beef and milk, pastured pork, etc.

Plants for our garden. I buy our plants from a local nursery that can use every penny that comes in. It might be cheaper to go to a HD or Lowes but I'd rather support my local place. Plus the quality  and availability of heirloom varieties is MUCH higher at the nursery.

Orchids. I love flowers in the home and orchids provide a lot of bang for your buck. I can usually get them to last over a month and we buy them from the farmers market so they're a bit less expensive than Trader Joes.

Making our home and garden a lovely and welcoming place to live. I'd rather be surrounded by comfort and beauty than settle for something that isn't just right.

[Bookworm]

I value living near my [adult] children enough to stay in a relatively expensive area that I otherwise don't particularly like.  I tried moving to a stunningly beautiful place with a low cost of living, but I felt like I was light years away from all the people who mattered to me, so I came back.  FI is farther away here, but that's just the way it has to be.