5 Things We Splurge On

 

I always think it is fun getting a peek into how other people live, so this week I thought I would give you an idea of things we splurge on. Although I try my best to find ways to save in our everyday life there are some areas that we purposely choose to spend more money on.

This hasn't always been the case and we wouldn't be able to splurge in these areas if it weren't for our saving and budgeting. By using the envelope system and our bank account system we have been able to live comfortably on my husband's income and have a little left over to do some things we like to do.

I am perfectly happy making my own cleaners, keeping my grocery bill to $50, and going a little out of the way to save money so we can do these things.

Swimming

I have a swim taxi license plate cover and I do feel like I am a swim taxi most days. My son usually puts in around 15-20 hours a week at swim practice. He has swum for over 9 years with his team and loves it. We have spent $1000's of dollars over the years for his lessons, team fees, suits, and travel. There are a lot of financial and time sacrifices we make so he can swim but I completely think it is worth it.

Vacations

The first couple of years we were married we didn't go on any vacations. Our budget was just way too tight. Then, we started using the envelope system and budgeted a small amount every week for our vacation fund. We have increased it over the years so we have the money to do a vacation every year. We have been able to do Disney eight times and we have been to Jamaica three. I don't mind sacrificing on the small day to day stuff so we can save $20 a week for vacations.

My Dogs

After years of having only one dog we splurged and adopted a second dog a couple of years ago. If you have pets you know that vet visits and dog boarding fees really add up. Add in food, some toys, and the equipment the dogs need and things can really add up. Having two dogs really is twice the price, you don't save much money. However, I love my dogs and are willing to save in other areas so we can splurge and have two dogs.

Dining Out

Growing up we went out for pizza every Friday night. I thought that was what everybody did. Once we got married it didn't take me long to figure out that eating out wasn't in our budget. Since I have lowered my grocery bill we now have a little wiggle room to go out to eat. I love having one evening a week that I don't have to cook. We still try to keep it cheap when we eat out. I have found plenty of places that we can eat for around $15.

Paper Products

I love microfiber cloths for some cleaning, but besides that I happily use disposable paper products. We use paper towels for cleaning some things, paper napkins at dinner, kleenex, and toilet paper. I know I could save money by using cloth napkins, handkerchiefs, and towels instead of paper towels but I like the ease of using disposable paper products. I would rather pay a little more and be able to use these products.

If you don't have the extra wiggle room in your budget right now for the extras you can check out my tips on lowering your grocery bill. I have lowered my grocery bill by almost $100 a week. Doing so has allowed us to do a lot of these splurges that I named off.

What things does your family splurge on?