7 Things You Should Actually Be Spending Your Money On

If you recall, I did a whole blog post on 10 unnecessary things I stopped spending my money on. It hopefully helped you think through things in your own life that you didn’t need to prioritize any longer so that you could focus on what you truly value.

You may have read that post and thought, “But Jessie, that’s so much to not spend your money on, so what is worth spending your money on then?” Well I’m glad you asked! If you’re wondering what to spend your money on that’s worth it, here are some ideas.

Keep in mind, these are things that align with my values. If you don’t yet know what those are for you, an easy (but a little grim) way to do this is to ask yourself, “If I were to die tomorrow, what would I most regret missing?” If you’d most regret never having the opportunity to see the world, now you know travel and discovery is a value. If it’s that you’d miss watching your children grow, then there you go.

So once you have your values in mind, these items are put into that context. How can your purchases support the life you ultimately value the most?

Healthy Food

This is my #1. What’s so fantastic is that healthy food doesn’t even have to be expensive.

Let me first define healthy food for you: unprocessed whole foods. So think anything that is in closest to its raw form. Any vegetable, fruit, flour, eggs, honey, 100% maple syrup, etc. Can you read the label of a box and pronounce every ingredient? Do you know what each ingredient is? This is the filter I use for every grocery I buy. If I don’t recognize an ingredient, it goes back on the shelf. Okay yes, not every whole food is considered “healthy”, but hopefully you get what I mean by this.

You may be wondering about organic. I’ll leave this one up to you. I’ve seen a lot of research on organic and I do believe there may be value there, but if you cannot afford organic, it is still way better to purchase normal whole foods than it is to just go back to ultra-processed foods. Our family is not buying organic at this time, but maybe in the future if we make more money we will. Do what is best for you, your family, and your financial situation.

A lot of our money each month goes to groceries, but this is fine by me! As long as I’m feeding my family whole foods, it’s worth it. (And like I said before, it doesn’t have to be expensive! I’ll do a future post on ways to save money at the grocery store!)

Air Purifiers and Filters

We were originally gifted air purifiers because of our dogs. We have two dogs in our home that get quite stinky and the air filters helped remove the smell from them. But since then, I’ve seen so much research and heard so many health experts talk about the importance of clean air in your home and the benefit of air purifiers. So I ended up buying an extra and now we have one in all the main areas of our home. I have this model for smaller rooms in the house (like our upstairs bonus room and master bedroom) and this model for our main living area/kitchen.

You do need to change out the filters in them about every 6 months, but this is a purchase that I am totally fine with. It does keep our home smelling good and I can rest easy knowing all the benefits that come with it.

Cleaner Makeup and Toiletries

Ever since reading Good Energy by Casey Means, I’ve been looking for simple swaps in my life for more non-toxic products that don’t contain unnecessary chemicals in them. We can’t completely detoxify every area of our lives, there are some spots where we do have some control. And one big spot for women is makeup, toiletries, haircare, skincare, etc.

If you’ve never heard of the EWG Skin Deep database, I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re wondering what in the world can I buy that is considered “non-toxic” when it seems like everything is toxic, take a look at this database. You can either search for a product specifically or just look for a category of product like shampoo. You’ll feel reassured that there are so many options out there and even if they aren’t “EWG Verified”, as long as they are in a green range, I feel better about the choice I’m making.

It may cost a couple extra dollars (or not depending on what you use in your bathroom today), but to me the extra couple of dollars is worth the cleaner ingredients.

Your Hobby

I want to explain this one because some people may get carried away with hobbies (I certainly have in the past). Hobbies do not necessarily give you the permission to go on an all-out shopping spree for every single thing you need to either start or maintain that hobby.

Let’s use an example. Let’s say you want to start journaling. Well, you may be so excited about diving into journaling that you buy stickers, special markers, tabs, and all sorts of other accessories to go along with that journal. But before you go buy all this, let’s start with the basics. Just start with a pen and a journal. Give yourself a goal. If you journal every day for 3 months, you can buy an accessory (one). If you journal for another month and use the previous accessory, you can buy the next one. And so on and so forth. By setting goals and starting with the basics, you make sure you enjoy the hobby and consistently do it before spending a ton of money on it.

Once you’ve found something that brings you joy and that gives you that extra something for yourself each day, then don’t feel guilt when you buy something that supports that joy. It’s so hard to lose yourself in motherhood and revolve everything around your kids, so find that something just for you and stick with it.

For me, it’s reading, blogging, and baking. So what is it for you?

Comfortable Underwear

I don’t feel like I need to explain this one. I’m just giving you full permission to stop wearing those undies and bras that leave you with red marks or wedgies the whole day. Seriously, go buy yourself comfortable undergarments that make you feel good.

Exercise and Whatever Supports It

Gym memberships, Pelotons, free weights at home, comfortable running shoes, seriously whatever it is that encourages you to exercise, spend money on it guilt-free. Just make sure you actually use the things! If you’re not using them, find something that works to support your exercise. Can’t get inspired to go to the gym on your own? Find a kickboxing studio near you. Can’t afford those yoga classes? Get a yoga mat and watch YouTube videos. Truly, whatever moves your body that you enjoy, buy that.

Vacations

I’m not sure if this one is controversial or not, but if it is, it’s only because I think people hear the word vacation and think big extravagant (and expensive) travels. When I say vacation, I mean time as a family away from your normal routine and prioritizing connection. I grew up with annual family vacations that are some of my most core memories that I look back on most fondly. And it wasn’t the ones where we stayed at the fanciest hotel or did the most extravagant activities. It was the ones where we just spent time together as a family.

So prioritize vacations and if they aren’t extravagant, all the better. Maybe it’s just a weekend away at a family member’s house. Or a two night stay in a cheap cabin nearby. Whatever it is, make it about connection and family time and it will be the best thing your kids can ask for.

I hope some of these have sparked in you some new ways of thinking about where to focus your money or reinforced the value in what you’re already doing! I’d love to hear what you feel is missing from this list and what other things you spend money on guilt-free that adds value to your family’s life.