What do you wish you would spend more on?

[diamondyes]

For me, it is travel. And maybe clothing.

But all I concentrate on is bling! I think some cool trips and great outfits would really add to my life.

How about you?

 

[kenny]

Home maintenance.
Hence our house is in really sad condition.
It's the opposite of realtors would call 'turn key'.

I just hate dealing with contractors.
Their quotes are chock full of lies so they can get the contract.

They have to lie.
Why do they have to lie?
Because all their competitors lie to get the contract.

I hate being ripped off.
From what I have heard, 95% say contractors finish very late and way over budget.

The contractors that would have finished on time and on budget don't get the jobs because owners want LOW prices and unrealistically short time periods.

Customers are shooting themselves in the foot.
All customers care about is the lowest price, so we end up with what I'd call the Walmart syndrome.
Quality-wise it's a race to the bottom.

 

[diamondyes]

Home maintenance.
Hence our house is in really sad condition.
It's the opposite of realtors would call 'turn key'.

I just hate dealing with contractors.
Their quotes are chock full of lies so they can get the contract.

They have to lie.
Why do they have to lie?
Because all their competitors lie to get the contract.

I hate being ripped off.
From what I have heard, 95% say contractors finish very late and way over budget.

The contractors that would have finished on time and on budget don't get the jobs because owners want LOW prices and unrealistically short time periods.

Customers are shooting themselves in the foot.
All customers care about is the lowest price, so we end up with what I'd call the Walmart syndrome.
Quality-wise it's a race to the bottom.

Sucky!

What would you renovate first

 

[kenny]

Sucky!

What would you renovate first

Nothing, because of the reason above, which will never change.
Besides, everything functions adequately.
That's all I really care about.

Money is for other things I do care about.

When I die the house will be someone else's problem.
Or, since the sale price will be lower because of deferred maintenance, the buyer may be just like me and make due as is.
They'll get a a fantastic Roaring 20s house in a fantastic So. Cal beach neighborhood at a low price.

 

[dk168]

Home maintenance.

DK

 

[missy]

I know my dh's answer to this question...cleaning crew for the house.

Since Covid I haven't had our cleaning crew come to clean because well you know. I actually never liked having people here cleaning anyway tbh. I always felt stressed about the kitties being stressed (and man are they stressed when strangers or actually anyone but us come to the house). I was always worried the cats would run out of the house because the cleaning people are not as careful as we are going in and out of the house. I never liked being home when they were here so had to make sure we were out of the house while they cleaned. And while I loved having a sparkling clean home when they were finished I hated the whole process leading up to it. Not to mention I always had to organize and clean before they got there so they wouldn't have to clean around my clutter and things. That was exhausting. Organizing is not my forte. Wish it was.

So when the pandemic happened and we stopped having them come it was a relief for me and the kitties. So that's the long explanation. My DH loved having them come and now is wanting them back and for now I am resisting. LOL.

 

[missy]

There is nothing personally I wish I would spend more on...rather there are things I wish I could spend less on. Especially health/medical care and medications. But that is not the question so I digress sorry.

Actually wait, there is one thing. I have wanted to renovate the main bedroom's bathroom (my bathroom) since we moved here lol. It is beige and I HATE beige with a passion. I want to redo the entire bathroom. It is otherwise objectively gorgeous (beautiful materials and layout) but I absolutely hate the color beige and it is so beige. The only thing I love in my bathroom is the claw foot tub. Everything else needs to go and be redone in white and pale blue.

And while we are at it I want to expand my walk in closet. The bedroom is way too big and my walk in closet is not big enough. So yes that is another project I would not mind spending money doing. The only issue for me is I cannot live here while renovations are happening and I do not foresee anytime in the near future heading to our Brooklyn home while we do renovations here. Maybe one day but not anytime soon

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

right now with inflation
everything
i wish i could say home maintanance but that is so far down the list
we have had to cut right back simply to survive
for me that is zero descretionary spend which makes life a hard slog
we have not had inflation like this since i first went to work in the early 90s and still lived at home with mum and dad

i guess first off id buy nicer cat food for Borris and Fluffa Duffa
i need a new washing machine and a new oven so bad

anyway this too shell past
we just have to hang on till the waters smooth over and the ride becomes less rough

 

[Piper70]

Home repairs and maintenance. Mostly because my husband is so handy that he can do most things well and doesn’t want to spend the money. He is also a workaholic who has no time to do anything so nothing gets done. Our house is getting a little shabby looking which he doesn’t want to admit. Our son and his family moved in for a year while they build a house so nothing would be done until they leave. So here I am in the chaos.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Like Kenny, we have put off home maintenance and renovations because of the very real pain of dealing with contractors.

Before the pandemic we took down our huge deck in the back because it was old and rotting, we hired someone to put a fence in around the perimeter of the old deck for the dogs, but now there were no stairs out the back door. We made a ramp out of wooden deck slats so we could get the dogs in and out, it was meant to be a temporary fix. Then the pandemic hit and of course you couldn’t get anyone to come out, not that we wanted them to anyways. Then lumber went through the roof so the cost to put in stairs went through the roof. Since then we have gotten ridiculous quotes so we are finally buying materials to do them ourselves.

Now if only we could replace our own roof!

 

[tyty333]

Definitely traveling and making more memories! I do wish I had spent more on bling instead of making small upgrades (which
seem less painful) but in the long run, I'm pretty sure if I had just spent the same amount of money all at once I would have been
happier.

 

[diamondyes]

Definitely traveling and making more memories! I do wish I had spent more on bling instead of making small upgrades (which
seem less painful) but in the long run, I'm pretty sure if I had just spent the same amount of money all at once I would have been
happier.

If you magically sold everything today for what you had paid… what would you buy?

 

[Lookinagain]

Interior home improvements (mainly a new kitchen). The pain of living through that stops me, not the expense.
Other than that, I really don't have anything I want to spend more on. I travelled extensively pre-covid and am going to start doing that again. I have more clothes than I will ever need, and now that I work remotely, I will get rid of a lot of them. Too many shoes and handbags too. So really, it's just home improvements because of the disruption. I can't stand thinking about it and may just have to move out (with the dog) during construction if I ever get it going.

 

[Mooshi]

Outdoorsy stuff. Canoe, kayak, bikes, electric bikes, skiing/snowboarding equipment/clothing. I feel like I am an outdoorsy person, but not having outdoor toys means I don't really find out if I enjoy it.. but it's all so expensive.

Also a pottery kiln. Would absolutely love one but sheesh are they expensive on a "I think I'd like this" purchase idea.

 

[AprilBaby]

Home refurbishment.

 

[pearlsngems]

We are plodding along, repairing things in our 60 year old house, as we have been doing gradually for the past 8 or so years.
Bling has taken a back seat and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

 

[yssie]

I love this question actually.

Occasionally, on another forum I read, the topic of whether your luxury indulgences “match” the rest of your lifestyle will come up. Some people on that other forum have homes furnished with Hermes home goods, luxury cars, they take frequent luxurious vacations - their lifestyles match their purses and bling!

Mine totally, completely don’t. Not even close. My bling doesn’t reflect the rest of my lifestyle in any capacity!! And I’m *mostly* fine with that… For me, the one thing I wish I could spend more on is home decor.

But with as many animals as we’ve got - cleanup is an eternal problem and things regularly become too soiled to stay usable. Even ignoring the fur, we’ve got furbabies with cancer, diabetics, gastrointestinal complications, most of them are seniors now - mess is a way of life in this house. From flooring to furniture to linens to decorations, I’m never buying anything that isn’t super easy to clean and that I’m not comfortable throwing away.

That’s our choice. To house as many pets as we do. And I would never choose differently, and I don’t regret it. But I do frequently inform them that they’re the reasons I can’t have nice things and I don’t appreciate it

 

[Betty Baguette]

Wish we would've spent the money to refinish our floors before we moved into our home. Now it seems like way too much of a hassle and we also really don't want to smell the new varnish.

Our floors will remain "shabby chic".

 

[Betty Baguette]

I love this question actually.

Occasionally, on another forum I read, the topic of whether your luxury indulgences “match” the rest of your lifestyle will come up. Some people on that other forum have homes furnished with Hermes home goods, luxury cars, they take frequent luxurious vacations - their lifestyles match their purses and bling!

Mine totally, completely don’t. Not even close. My bling doesn’t reflect the rest of my lifestyle in any capacity!! And I’m *mostly* fine with that… For me, the one thing I wish I could spend more on is home decor.

But with as many animals as we’ve got - cleanup is an eternal problem and things regularly become too soiled to stay usable. Even ignoring the fur, we’ve got furbabies with cancer, diabetics, gastrointestinal complications, most of them are seniors now - mess is a way of life in this house. From flooring to furniture to linens to decorations, I’m never buying anything that isn’t super easy to clean and that I’m not comfortable throwing away.

That’s our choice. To house as many pets as we do. And I would never choose differently, and I don’t regret it. But I do frequently inform them that they’re the reasons I can’t have nice things and I don’t appreciate it

Pets are far more important than home decor.
Bless you for taking care of all of them!

 

[Austina]

Honestly can’t think of a single thing. We have a newly built home, so nothing needs doing to that, we’ve travelled everywhere we want to go to, don’t need or want anything.

 

[tyty333]

If you magically sold everything today for what you had paid… what would you buy?

Well, I wouldnt want to sell everything but I would get the biggest OEC in my budget! I'm afraid I'm too deep
in to head that direction though unless I was willing to lose a chunk of money.

 

[diamondyes]

I love this question actually.

Occasionally, on another forum I read, the topic of whether your luxury indulgences “match” the rest of your lifestyle will come up. Some people on that other forum have homes furnished with Hermes home goods, luxury cars, they take frequent luxurious vacations - their lifestyles match their purses and bling!

Mine totally, completely don’t. Not even close. My bling doesn’t reflect the rest of my lifestyle in any capacity!! And I’m *mostly* fine with that… For me, the one thing I wish I could spend more on is home decor.

But with as many animals as we’ve got - cleanup is an eternal problem and things regularly become too soiled to stay usable. Even ignoring the fur, we’ve got furbabies with cancer, diabetics, gastrointestinal complications, most of them are seniors now - mess is a way of life in this house. From flooring to furniture to linens to decorations, I’m never buying anything that isn’t super easy to clean and that I’m not comfortable throwing away.

That’s our choice. To house as many pets as we do. And I would never choose differently, and I don’t regret it. But I do frequently inform them that they’re the reasons I can’t have nice things and I don’t appreciate it

How you feel about your home decor is how I feel about my clothes- it’ll just get wrecked so no point in buying anything too precious

 

[qubitasaurus]

I think the answer to this might be I wish I was more comfortable spending money on myself.

We renovated last year -- had no problems throwing a formidable amount of money at that. And spend a lot on lifestyle things like eating out every night as it actually is better for the kids whoes limited diet includes steamed dumplings (no way I have time to cook that daily). Rest of our lifestyle is strangely at odds with this, as my husband and I regularly forget to buy anything for ourselves -- other than the copious amount of coffee I consume . We could use some more clothes -- if we had any time to buy them! And (obviously) I could always use some more bling

 

[nala]

I think I’m pretty good at balancing my wants with my needs to the extent that I don’t have an answer to this. I don’t live a lavish lifestyle, but neither do I deprive myself of my priorities in life for the mere sake of amassing more wealth in my bank account. You can’t take it with you when you go, and there will come a time when even petty indulgences no longer put a smile on your face bc of health or major life changes. In short, what’s the point of having money if you are too worried about spending it?

 

[telephone89]

I'm quite cheap in my overall life, everywhere except travel! That is probably the #1 thing I spend money on. What I wish I would spend more on, and this is a so/so answer, but I think clothing. I'm too cheap to buy nice clothing, getting it tailored so it looks really sharp. I really hate fast fashion, but I also hate shopping. I've thought about those personal shopping services but have never fully committed.

Also yes to a cleaning service! I should propose this to my husband. I hate cleaning!

 

[yssie]

If you magically sold everything today for what you had paid… what would you buy?

I think I’d buy back what I just sold

I'm quite cheap in my overall life, everywhere except travel! That is probably the #1 thing I spend money on. What I wish I would spend more on, and this is a so/so answer, but I think clothing. I'm too cheap to buy nice clothing, getting it tailored so it looks really sharp. I really hate fast fashion, but I also hate shopping. I've thought about those personal shopping services but have never fully committed.

Also yes to a cleaning service! I should propose this to my husband. I hate cleaning!

Cleaning help is a sanity saver!! Cannot recommend highly enough. We do our best to keep things baseline reasonable, but knowing that even if we’re swamped and do absolutely nothing - the floors will be mopped, everything will be dusted and vacuumed, bathrooms and kitchen will be scrubbed on Friday… Knowing that the mess won’t compound is so much peace of mind!!

I also hate clothes shopping. I was every boyfriend’s dream - “I need a shirt” meant a fifteen minute stop at the first reasonable place we passed… But it also meant I wasn’t ever going to win any best dressed competitions I still hate clothes shopping and I’m still not going to ever win anyone over with my style but the internet has made the actual purchasing experience vastly less unbearable, and once I find something that works for me I buy five more as spares. Boring, but effective enough.

 

[Brookzo]

right now with inflation
everything
i wish i could say home maintanance but that is so far down the list
we have had to cut right back simply to survive
for me that is zero descretionary spend which makes life a hard slog
we have not had inflation like this since i first went to work in the early 90s and still lived at home with mum and dad

i guess first off id buy nicer cat food for Borris and Fluffa Duffa
i need a new washing machine and a new oven so bad

anyway this too shell past
we just have to hang on till the waters smooth over and the ride becomes less rough

Yssie said:
I also hate clothes shopping. I was every boyfriend’s dream - “I need a shirt” meant a fifteen minute stop at the first reasonable place we passed… But it also meant I wasn’t ever going to win any best dressed competitions I still hate clothes shopping and I’m still not going to ever win anyone over with my style but the internet has made the actual purchasing experience vastly less unbearable, and once I find something that works for me I buy five more as spares. Boring, but effective enough.
Same, I have like 2-3 stores and 3-4 clothing brands I'm buying usually(recently discovered Hoka shoes and those are absolutely amazing)

Yep, following up the thread in additional to Daisys and Diamonds post: Gas. Like it's insane how my gas spending tripled compared to the same months last year... Had to cut down on driving a lot, and 2nd car(not new or anything) pretty much hadn't been used for the last 2-3 weeks... Might end up selling it 'cause it's better than just leaving it hanging in garage... Not like prices are gonna get better anytime soon

 

[hardwear]

1-Travel-I want to experience, explore even more than I (we) have. I want to do it while still healthy and youngish I want to do it with the comfort of money to spend a longer time in a place and to linger and really get to know the country, the people, etc..
2- Home renovation. With smaller projects done, one huge, big , major renovation left- Kitchen, floors, windows, roof.... I dream of transforming my dining room/formal room into a more usable space. Those 2 rooms are such a wasted space!

AND of course more bling wouldn't hurt -

 

[GliderPoss]

Travel would be fabulous but more realistically my own health - I'd LOVE to be able to afford to go the the physiotherapist regularly for my neck & shoulder but my insurance barely covers it and it's just not feasible to do.

 

[Begonia]

Travel, food, self care/therapy, bling, clothes, donations, and having a dog would be nice.