I used to make boiled eggs all the time. At least once a week, I would haul out my pot and boil some water on the stove and set a timer and then when they were done, I’d dump them into cold water to make them easier to peel.
But Boyfriend has an automatic boiled egg maker thing that I’m just in love with. You pour water on the bottom of the contraption, poke a little hole in the top of the egg with the fun tool they give you, put the eggs in, and forget about them until it beeps very loudly. It’s so convenient and so magical. The eggs are perfect every time.
Boyfriend also has an outlet expander in the bathroom that I would have never thought to get. I would just keep unplugging stuff. It was under ten dollars and makes life immensely easier and better. So simple.
I have so many presents people gave me that I love, but never would have bought for myself. Perfect socks (Bombas). Expensive perfume. Am I missing out on such joys by automatically thinking buying something is stupid?
I don’t know. Just a thought I had recently.
Boyfriend has no trouble spending if he thinks it’s something to make life easier. I scrutinize every purchase. It’s been nice coming to a happy medium.
What’s something you have that you love that I should buy? But, more importantly, how do I identify these simple items that are worth it? I have no idea. I used to love how I shop, but I think it’s getting to be a little too strict because I almost inevitably end up not buying the thing I’m contemplating.
I went through a similar dilemma and basically just ended up buying a lot more stuff. Was it worth it? Absolutely
LMAO. I rather like that idea too. A shopping spree! Now I just have to figure out what to want. 🙂
I think that if I continue to want something for more than a few weeks it’s probably worth buying. Or if it’s something that I definitely use.
For instance I just replaced a crappy electric kettle which leaked with a good electric kettle (nz$70) which does not leak. Love it.
I’ve been thinking of getting new alpine touring skis for 6 years and finally got them this year. Probably worth it. Though I think I will not bring them on the trip I’m going on this weekend, I’ll bring my older telemark skis instead, because of the terrain I’ll be on.
I think that’s a good way to go about it. Put something in your virtual shopping cart for a while before you buy it. If you still want it after some time, it’s probably a good purchase.
My boyfriend bought me an air fryer (which I would have NEVER bought for myself as I already had an oven and stove which worked perfectly well, thank you). However, the air fryer is now used pretty much everyday! I talk about it all the time to my friends. The food is so tasty and cooks so quickly! I have joined the cult 🙂
I’m sorry but I don’t know how to identify in advance which simple items are worth buying. Perhaps a wiser soul will let us know in the comments. Or perhaps just buy everything we mention in the comments that we possess and love hahaha
We have an air fryer and an insta pot as well. Boyfriend uses them both all the time though. He loves the gadgets.
Notorious slow-buyer here, in my late 50s. Practical decisions: Thick knee pad (garden/floor mtnc), 99 cents/mo Apple icloud storage (peace of mind), air fryer (much quicker and more economical than heating up oven), disposable makeup wipes, a little wallet (I used to use a rubber band to contain cards/cash), a waist pack and a lanyard to carry phone hands-free, cheap makeup, and more. (Regrets: an Instant Pot–it’s just a pressure cooker/crock pot, bread machine.) Larger cash purchases, no regrets: a Miele vacuum, a MacBook Air, an E-bike, a Tesla, our home in a beautiful location (condo)! (Regrets: a brand new Infiniti, an old camper, an old Jaguar.) Bullets I dodged: a second home, a boat.) Love this topic, Thrifty Girl. Thank you.
Second vote for an air fryer. Love it! I am also going to look into a Miele vacuum. It’s so hard to find a good vacuum.
We’re also thinking of getting a camper. What don’t you like about yours?
I don’t like camping. I thought maybe I *could* like camping since my husband wanted the camper. We used the camper when we moved across the country, and then it sat in our backyard, collected mold, and started collapsing. It was one more “thing” we didn’t use. We were both working hard, and camping seemed like additional work. Now I know *I don’t camp.* Be true to yourself. If you don’t like camping now, getting a camper, in my opinion, won’t change that.
In 2018 I spent $100 on an electric razor so that I can shave on the way to work rather than in the bathroom using shaving cream. It has saved me about 150 hours of time since I made the purchase.
$100 on a razor! I wonder if they make electric razors for women…
Thanks for the comment!
I still don’t want to buy stuff – because I am nomadic. Shopping well is a skill too. My mom is like your boyfriend. She has gadgets and toys that make life easier and more enjoyable. I don’t feel like I am missing out on life. People prioritize different things and we make each other’s life better, hopefully.
Excellent point. I didn’t use to think I was missing out on anything, but that egg maker really messed with my head. LOL.
The only item I could think of that I’m really happy I ended up with is my Apple laptop, as others have said. But to arrive at that point, I tried both Dell and HP laptops first and they both had issues and were extremely hard to return. Besides that, most of my favorite purchases are thrifted clothes, though some of those I regret too. My strategy is to research the item before purchasing, read reviews, and favor items I can return if they don’t work out. My favorite source for product info is Reddit, but I also rely on America’s Test Kitchen for kitchen gadgets. I also still think that sometimes the more manual way is still the better way for some things, just to reduce clutter in my (tiny) apartment. I’m not sure we will ever really know something is worth it before buying. I read a passage by a financial guru who said that your spending will always have some amount of waste. With that in mind, I like to allow myself to “try” things, especially products I will use up like hair care. Maybe the solution is setting a budget aside each month for “trying new things that might improve my life.”
Great comment. I felt a sense of relief wash over me when I read “I’m not sure we will ever really know something is worth it before buying.” I also like Reddit for product recommendations.
And I love the idea of having a trying new things budget!
I totally missed out on stuff by being frugal. I was all about harcore FI, saving over 70% of my income even after we had kids. And that required cutting every little thing along with the big things. But despite the current narrative to the contrary, I think it was totally worth it. These days some FI peeps are all about preaching less saving, more spending, enjoying the journey…all that. I think that’s ok advice, but what if you can save a crap ton, spend very little, AND enjoy the journey? I think I was lucky in that I actually enjoyed a large part of my career, and while working like mad to save so much money I had fun along the way. It helped to have an all encompassing job that was occasionally exciting and dependably meaningful. Given, the adjustment to early retirement was a bit rough, but now that it’s been over a year I’m glad I took the path I did.
But I do have one regret, purchase wise.
After years of handwashing dishes, I finally bought a functioning dishwasher last year. I was under the incorrect assumption that you had to pre-wash dishes before using this appliance, and therefore they didn’t save any time. I was wrong! You chuck the dishes in there dirty, and they come out clean! I wasted so much time while working handwashing dishes for our 4 person household. Like probably 20-30 minutes a day, because multiple meals and all that. So yeah, should have bought that thing years ago.
You and I are kindred souls. I was just having a conversation with boyfriend this morning about stuff. He wants a new gaming console and he asked what I wanted. I couldn’t think of anything!
I’m with you on the dishwasher. As a kid, ours was periodically broken and it made me appreciate it that much more when we had it again. And today’s dishwashers are amazing! Boyfriend just throws stuff in the dishwasher and it comes out clean. I’ve started to follow his lead, but it was a struggle getting there. Haha.
You are always amusing. My cat is Errol; he used to be “kitty”. Now he knows his name and comes when called. It seems so impersonal to call your partner “boyfriend”. I am most curious about your general financial picture as things change. Are you working again? How are your investments performed? Are you making sector adjustments? Do you rely on fund management? Obviously cooking is not your thing if you don’t just boil an egg yourself. I am amused as always.
You’re right. Maybe I should start calling him Partner instead of Boyfriend. 🙂 I like boyfriend better than Mark because it defines the relationship as well as labels the person.
Thanks for being amused.
As for your questions:
Are you working again? No.
How are your investments performed? Great! Still retired and growing.
Are you making sector adjustments? No.
Do you rely on fund management? God no.
Sometimes I do wonder if I’m missing out. What tends to work for me is waiting until the thing comes up again and again. If it does, I’ll usually buy it. Also, I know myself and I don’t like having a lot of stuff. We have enough space in our home, but I prefer simplicity – the thing has to be functional or beautiful. (I have been following Dawn from Minimal Mom for a while – I find her so inspiring.)
Having said all that, I do weirdly admire people who don’t appear to put as much mental effort into the things they buy, within reason of course! 🙂
Trying to think of any purchases I’ve made that I would recommend…electric toothbrush (everyone is using one now, though right), Dohm sleep machine (for those who like white noise), hmmm..have to think about it.
I agree with everything you said. I have an electric toothbrush that cost more than $150. Totally worth every penny.
Thanks for the suggestion on the new blog to follow!
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy it
Sock organizers for your dresser drawer. I bypassed the cheap hexagonal ones and went for the nicer cubed ones. 20 bucks and I couldn’t be happier.
I’m going to look into this Thank you! This sounds exactly like what I’m looking for.
I am big on a cooling off period for any potential purchases. I put an item in my cart or take a photo on my phone for anything I’m considering. Inevitably, 90% of the time I totally forget about it. And that’s a good thing – it means it was just a passing flirtation, not something I wanted or needed. But if I’m still thinking about the thing a month later, then that’s an indication that maybe I should actually get it. (I admit I have made a few unfortunate purchases, but when that happens, I take it to the Humane Society thrift store and think of it as a donation to homeless cats.)
My most recent purchase I would recommend is a robot vacuum. I didn’t get a Roomba, I got the Eufy Max and it works great. I actually have a Miele vacuum which I used and liked for a long time. But Miele hasn’t been out of the hall closet once since Eufy moved in 6 months ago.
Great ideas and another vote for a fun vacuum. I’m putting it on the list of things to buy. Thank you!
I got a 5 pack of 6 oulets each for 17.63 from GE. Thank you so much. It has been looking messy in my office space, bathroom and kitchen counter for a good long while. I saw your post and said let’s do it. Also yes bring frugal is a balancing act.
Yay!
Oooh I purchased a 10 in 1 ninja Foodie Air Fryer Flip which I got at the end of May then due to price match, I got back $40 in June and it ended up being $139.99. It saves time and when get over 90 degrees, I can still cook as if it came from the oven but without heating up the house. That and my Vitamix have been the best non-frugal purchases since 2020!
How do you do the price match? Did they do it automatically or were you looking at it to see if the price changed?
So if you got it in-store and the deal is online for Costco it won’t work. In this case I purchased the 10 in 1 on May 26. It went on sale in the store in June. I called support, but you can also go to returns with your physical receipt and the newsletter from Costco stating the deal
As long as it is within 30 days, you can get the difference. Yes they put the money back on the debit card I used for the initial purchase. It was very simple.
I had a splurging period and then it stopped I just realised I don’t enjoy shopping and I don’t really need most of the stuff people buy.
What I don’t regret buying are things that improve my quality of life or save me time. For instance, I bought an expensive robot vacuum that also mops the floors i also bought the station so it empties itself – love it!! Best money spent ever.
Also, dish washer. Yes, I hate cleaning lol. I didn’t quit my job to spend my time cleaning.
I’m with you and cleaning. Hate it!
And another vote for the robot vacuum! Thanks for the insight.
Firstly: Yay, Thriftygal’s blogging again. Yay.
Secondly: Avoid impulse purchases by putting things on a mental back burner. If you still want it after a while then go ahead. Avoiding “bad” purchases isn’t just good for your bank balance, it’s good for the planet and it keeps your home uncluttered.
Yay! I’m back! I’m excited and happy to be writing again too! Yay writing!
You and I are speaking the same language. 🙂 I always think about where I”m going to put stuff in my house.
I use my smartphone as my steps tracker so ododos (from amazon) biker shorts with pockets are definitely a good buy. I also have gotten really nice running gloves (head brand, I think) and a light (smartwool) and heavy rain jacket (backcountry house brand). All fitness gear that I use a LOT when weather appropriate. Icebreaker wool running vest and socks. Also I got some earrings from an etsy vendor that are shaped like safety pins and they are so comfortable I can leave them in all the time for months on end; they come in real silver and gold. I finally got a good milk frother and I love it, one of those $10 whisk things. And yoga paws. somehow they are just so much easier than rolling out the yoga mat. I do so much more yoga. Weleda skin food I buy over and over again. Really nice soap (there is a Colorado store, Salus, that does some nice face soap). Also a really nice 5 quart dutch oven I cook stews all the time. A humidifier. I allow myself a cooling off period before purchases too but sometimes I just buy stuff to test it out, like a given brand or whatever. Stila stay all day liquid lipstick. It’s not moisturizing but boy does it really stay. Food, masks, whatever, it stays.
I second the biker shorts with pockets. Anything with pockets is worth it in my opinion! I’ve never heard of yoga paws. Appreciate all the great suggestions!!