10 Things That Are Worth the Money (even if you're EXTREMELY FRUGAL)

I'm an extremely frugal person, and some might even say too frugal. I cut my hair once a year, I only buy makeup and beauty products when my old ones run out and need to be replaced, and 90% of my wardrobe is either over 10 years old, comes from a second-hand store, or was passed down to me by my husband. And because frugal living is so fun and it's changed my life so much, I love sharing my best tips and ideas to help people be more frugal here on my channel. But recently I've been getting some complaints that my videos have gotten too negative, and comments from people asking what kinds of things I think are worth spending money on. So that's why in today's video, I want to share 10 things that I think are absolutely worth spending money on, even if you're extremely frugal. So let's dive in, starting with number one on this list, which is a water filtration system. Clean drinking water is one of those things that so many of us take for granted until you start researching what's actually in it. And did you know that a recent U.S. Geological Survey study estimated that at least 45% of tap water in the United States contains PFAs, aka forever chemicals? Because these chemicals are hard to filter out and don't break down easily in the environment or in our bodies. I'm not going to sit here and claim that I'm perfect at this, or that I go completely crazy about trying to keep toxins and chemicals out of our home. I do think that clean water is very, very important for the health of my entire family. And buying a water filtration system is one of those small changes that can make a huge impact on our health. The water drop filter that we have in our kitchen reduces up to 99% of chemicals and impurities in our drinking water. Everything from chlorine to heavy metals like lead, to those pesky PFAs that don't get removed by standard Brita filters. Now, is this something that we could survive without? Absolutely. But when you consider that you're drinking water every single day, multiple times a day, investing in cleaner water is one of those purchases that not only gives you peace of mind every single time you turn on the tap, we also believe that it's an investment in our health and future, which makes it 100% worth it to us. Next up on this list, we have health and fitness products and memberships that you actually use and enjoy. And I have to admit, this is something that I thought was a total scam back in my early days of extreme frugality. But the older I get, the more I realize that health is one of those things that feels free until it's not. After I injured my back last year, I became very aware that strength, mobility, and energy are not something I can afford to take for granted anymore. So yes, even though I'm extremely frugal, I will happily spend money on health and fitness memberships and products that help me stay healthy and take care of my body. Things like my gym membership, the personal coaching app I use for strength training, my yoga mat and resistance bands, as well as the walking pad I use almost every day in my home office. And speaking of which, number three on this list is my work from home office setup. Now, I know this is not something that everyone is going to need, but if you're like me and you're spending multiple hours at home working in the same space, I think it's 100% worth it to make that space somewhere you actually enjoy spending time and working. And over the years, I've very slowly and mindfully invested in things that make my workday healthier, more comfortable, and more productive. Some of the things are cheap, such as the small round rug that I use underneath my office chair so that the rolling wheels don't scratch up our hardwood floors. But some of them are a bit more pricey, but I have found it to be totally worth it. For example, the standing desk that I have is from a company called Uplift, and I absolutely love it because I can either work sitting down, I can work standing up, or quite often what I do nowadays is I raise the desk and then I pull out my walking pad so that I can walk on that while I'm working. I also have a small rascog cart that I got from IKEA that I use to store things like my microphone or my cameras or my tripods and notebooks and other stuff that's related to my work so that I have it right there next to me when I'm working and I don't have to go looking all over the house for those things. And I also have a big metal wall grid that I use as a vision board in front of me as I work at my desk, which helps me stay so motivated and inspired and remind me why I'm working so hard in the first place. I get a lot of questions about my home office setup, especially the walking pad, which a lot of people have seemed really interested in, especially since I shared this video about how I lost a bunch of weight after doing a 10,000 steps a day walking challenge. So I will be sure to link to all of the products that I'm talking about down in the description box below for you in case you're interested in checking them out. But as always, please be extremely mindful and intentional and look for proof of concept before you actually buy these things because I don't want these to turn into another impulse purchase for you. And even I took a lot of time researching and thinking about many of these things before I actually pulled the trigger on buying them. Like I got my standing desk when we moved into this home with the intention that I would eventually buy a walking pad, but I took two years to think about it and build a walking habit before I actually spent money buying that pad. None of these things are going to make you successful or productive overnight, but what I found is that when put together, they've helped me create an environment where I genuinely enjoy showing up to work every day. And when you consider how many hundreds or thousands of hours you spend working every year, and the fact that many of these things are things that are high quality that I have bought for life and will own forever, and the fact that they've already paid for themselves and then some in how much more productive and efficient they've made me, I consider that money well spent. Number four is something I never fully appreciated until I got older and that is comfortable shoes. Back when I was younger, I would buy shoes based on how they looked or how cheap they were without much consideration into whether or not they were going to tear my feet to shreds. And what I realized over the years was that I actually have really sensitive feet that tend to get rubbed raw, especially around the toes and the ankles. And if you think about it, something that's supporting your body for thousands of steps every single day is probably worth investing in. Before I became a minimalist, I used to have dozens of shoes, some of which I barely even wore because they were so uncomfortable. But nowadays, I only own four pairs of shoes, all of which I wear often and serve a specific function. I have a pair of Ugg boots that's over 15 years old that were given to me by my husband that I wear in the intense Chicago winters. I have a pair of walking shoes that I got specifically when I'm going to the gym or I'm walking outside trying to get in my 10,000 steps. And then I have two pairs of shoes from a company called Babaya that makes shoes out of water bottles, one of which is a casual set of sneakers that is extremely comfortable and especially in the heel area, does not rub my feet raw. And then the last one is a pair of sandals that most people probably would wear to the beach or to the pool, but that I honestly will probably even wear in the winter with a pair of socks because that's just how I roll. One thing I've learned after 10 years of minimalism and 15 years of frugal living is that sometimes the most frugal choice isn't the cheapest one. It's the one that you can comfortably use for years. And in fact, there's an old idea called the boots theory, which basically says someone who can afford one good pair of boots that lasts for years will often end up spending less in the long run compared to someone who keeps buying and replacing cheap pairs over and over again, which is true for many things in life, not just shoes. Number five is digital printables and online courses. And I think that this one might be a little bit controversial because I hear people say all the time that printables are dumb and you can just make that yourself and that online courses are a total scam. But as for me, some of the best money I've ever spent and the highest return on interest purchases I've ever made have been digital printables and online courses. Back when my kids were younger, I bought things like chore charts and printable worksheets for them. And I myself am kind of an online course junkie. Not only have I taken Skillshare courses, but I've also bought courses from some of my favorite YouTube creators, including Ali Abdaal. In fact, I genuinely believe that investing in my education is one of the biggest reasons I was able to grow this YouTube channel from zero to over 100,000 subscribers in just one year. And now just a few years later, almost half a million people have decided to subscribe to my channel and show up each week for videos on topics such as decluttering, minimalism, and saving money. So if that sounds like something you're interested in, be sure and hit the subscribe button and turn on all notifications so that you don't miss out on the videos that I share here each week. But anyway, going back to printables and online courses, the funny thing is that people will think absolutely nothing of dropping $30 on door dashing a Chipotle burrito or blowing $250 on a shopping spree at Target. But meanwhile, they'll hesitate to spend the same amount of money learning a skill that could save them time, make them money, or completely change the trajectory of their life. That's one of the reasons I decided to create my own digital printables and online courses about decluttering. And I absolutely love reading the comments that I get from my students who have had their lives changed through decluttering and minimalism by taking the course that I created. And speaking of which, if you'd like more help or support in decluttering your own home or life, I wanted to give you a heads up that my five-star rated decluttering course, Clutter GPS, is on sale right now. And I'm calling this the summer freedom sale because to me, decluttering isn't just about getting rid of stuff. It's also about giving yourself more time, space, freedom, and energy for the things that actually matter. So if that sounds good to you, be sure to check the description box and pinned comment below for that special coupon discount code so that you can save $250 off the Clutter GPS course right now. Number six on this list is good food. And this is one of the first upgrades I made after frugal living gave us more financial freedom and flexibility. Because while there's a time and a place for buying bologna and cheap canned goods, once we had paid off our $250,000 worth of house, car, and consumer debt and built up an emergency fund, I started looking at healthy groceries the same way I look at preventative maintenance on my car or my teeth. And my philosophy towards this is you can either invest a little bit more money into eating healthy food now or risk paying a whole lot more in terms of poor health later in life. Hey there, y'all. This reminds me of a conversation I had the other day when I was visiting my family in my hometown because while my cousin and his wife were giving me some eggs from their chickens, he was telling me about how he used to work at the Kraft factory a while back. And while he was there, he swore that he would never eat Kraft singles again because they're basically so close to plastic that the company isn't even legally allowed to call them cheese, which is something that I didn't know and completely blew my mind, but definitely explained a lot. I've witnessed firsthand in my own family how poor food choices have led to things like diabetes and obesity and just overall poor health and longevity outcomes. So that's why I'll happily spend money buying organic meat and organic dairy and cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables, and the kinds of foods that help my family stay healthy and feel our best. Next up, number seven on this list is high quality kitchen essentials. And one of the reasons we've been able to save so much money over the years is because I cook 97% of our meals and snacks at home. And when you cook that often, you quickly realize that good kitchen tools and appliances are a luxury that's worth spending money on. And don't get me wrong, this isn't something that I immediately went out and splurged a ton of money on, but rather over the years, I slowly upgraded to pieces that are built to last, such as my all clad stainless steel pan that I've had for years, my large Le Creuset Dutch oven that I use to prepare everything from pot roast to homemade bread, and most recently a premium 12 inch cast iron skillet that I got on sale last year because I got so sick and tired of constantly having to replace my nonstick skillets every one to two years. So I had had my eye on that skillet for a while and when I saw it go on sale, I jumped on it. And I've talked about this cast iron skillet before and I've gotten comments about how it's not worth it because it's much more expensive than other brands like Lodge, but while this cast iron skillet might cost more than traditional ones, it's also almost two pounds lighter for the exact same size, which makes a huge difference when you're lifting, washing, and cooking with it almost every single day. And not only that, but it also has a smoother bottom that is much more nonstick than the other pans that I've tried in the past like Lodge. So for me, the higher price tag was absolutely worth it. Again, I think that this is really similar to that Boots Theory that we talked about earlier and this whole concept of buy it for life because these aren't purchases I'll have to make over and over again anymore. They're the kind of kitchen tools I'll be able to use for decades and maybe one day even be able to pass on to my kids, which is the kind of purchase that will never go out of style. Number eight is a nice home in a nice neighborhood. And this is one of the biggest myths about minimalism that drives me absolutely bonkers, which is that you need to live in a 200 square foot tiny home or perhaps even that you shouldn't own a home at all and should instead live in a cardboard box or on the street. But as a longtime minimalist, I can assure you that minimalism is less about what you own and more about why you own it. When I was younger, I lived in some pretty shady neighborhoods such as back when our family of four lived in a 900 square foot Chicago condo and I always used to have to check the park on our block for and before I let my kids play there because of the flop house that was right next door. So yeah, I have zero regrets about buying a nice house in a safe and quiet neighborhood with a fantastic school district. And nowadays I enjoy quiet moments of almost transcendental peace, sitting on my sun porch, sipping tea, and my kids can bike to school and the park with their friends without me having to worry about them, which just goes to show you frugal living and minimalism are a means to an end. And all of those years of simplifying, saving money and living below our means weren't the goal in and of itself. They were simply the path that led us home. The ninth thing that's worth the money on this list is outsourcing to professionals when appropriate. Now, as a frugal and relatively handy family, we do DIY a lot of stuff on our own. For example, my husband did a bunch of fixes to the roof himself. We do all of our own gardening and we've also never hired a nanny or someone to clean our house. And don't get me wrong, I'm absolutely not against that if that's something that you think is worth it. But as for us, those are things that we prefer to do ourselves. But some home-related tasks that we recently have decided to outsource to other professionals have included getting grass put into our backyard, which is a project I mentioned I was saving up for in last year's No Buy Challenge. And for us, that was so, so worth it. And then another thing that we're hiring out right now is a painter to power wash and paint the exterior of our home. Because I don't know if you've noticed this about our home, but in certain places, the ceiling is actually quite high, which means the walls outside are quite high as well. So for us, it's 100% worth it to pay for someone else to do those things because we, first of all, don't have the knowledge or skills required to do them, nor do we have the tools. And so not only are we saving ourselves time, but we're also ensuring that it's done right the first time. And finally, number 10 on this list is subscriptions that you actually use and enjoy. And because subscription cutting is something that I talk about in a lot of my Frugal Living videos, I think that people get this impression that I'm completely anti-subscription. But the truth is, I'm not anti-subscription. I'm actually just anti-waste and pro-intentionality. And I think that the problem isn't actually the subscriptions themselves, it's the habit of mindlessly signing up for them, forgetting about them, and paying months or even years for a thing that you're not even using. That's the real problem. So that's why I always make sure to write down and track the subscriptions that we have active in my monthly budget. And then on a month-to-month basis, I will review our subscriptions and decide on a case-by-case basis if we're actually getting enough value out of them to justify keeping them. And for example, last year, I canceled our subscription to Netflix as part of our no-buy challenge because we found that we weren't really watching the shows there enough to justify keeping it. And I even stuck to my guns, despite how exciting it was to see K-pop Demon Hunters go viral and see Stranger Things Season 5 return to Netflix. But I recently did decide to renew our Netflix subscription because my kids have been studying Chinese and we found that we wanted to be able to watch some shows and movies in Chinese and get a little bit more practice beyond just speaking it together here and there. And seriously, anything that makes learning more fun for the kids is totally worth it. Most of us don't need access to every subscription all the time. So I believe in using subscriptions intentionally, paying for what adds value to your life and what you use, and canceling the things that don't. I actually talked about this habit in more detail in my video with 30 tips on how to be extremely frugal. So be sure and go check that out over here if you're interested, or I'll see you next week. Until then, take care. Bye-bye.