8 Things I've Stopped Feeling Guilty Spending Money On

Through weekly video essays, "Making It Work" showcases how *real* people have upgraded their personal or financial lives in some meaningful way. Making your life work for you doesn't mean getting rich just for the sake of it. It means making the most of what you have to build a life you love, both in your present and in your future. And while managing money is a crucial life skill for everyone, there's no one "right way" to go about it — you have to figure out what works best for *you,* full stop.

Video by Grace Lee

Video narration by Cathy B.

The Financial Diet site:

[d]

"Decide what's important to you and make room for it in your budget." Yes, that's the heart of it, I believe.

[NaamWynn]

1. Avocado Toast & Lattes
2. Going Out
3. Full Price Clothing
4. Anything for your health or well being
5. Vacations
6. Art Collecting
7. My Passions
8. Charitable Donations

[marktalksmoney]

Don't feel guilty buying fresh vegetables.

[WarangGid]

I feel guilty when i eat cheap food that doesn't taste good. I feel guilty when I buy things that's easily broken. Also when I'm not happy with my purchase.

[tanya]

I paid back my student loan by giving up my daily kidney use. It really works

[kristen]

I love this! I love to buy gourmet olive oils (I get them from a specialty store) and gourmet cheeses. I cook with them all the time, and it make a huge difference in taste. My family pokes fun and thinks it’s a waste of money, but I don’t normally like cheap foods, and I never regret buying high quality ingredients. :)

[CLBOO]

I don’t mind spending money on a good quality piece of clothing.

[meaghanwood]

Oh gosh 1&2 was a direct attack to Graham Stephan

[jyot]

Great video! After trying to be as frugal as possible led me to a miserable existence, I got frustrated and vowed to spend some money to make my life a bit more comfortable.
1. I now get my veggie and dough prep done by the house help (I live in India where everybody has a cleaning lady coming in daily.) It saves me 40-90 mins I used to spend standing in kitchen everyday. I still cook myself but the food prep used to make me miserable. And our house help got a raise!
2. Dinner dates with husband. We live in a city with expensive food scene. We tried limiting our spending on it but it left us with zero romantic time. We both love trying new food. The act of dressing up, holding hands and sharing food over good music has been constant in our marriage. Now we have a weekly budget for it so that we don't overspend.
3. Good quality clothes. Recently I purchased some cheaper cotton clothes for summer. But when a fancy dinner invite came I had nothing to wear. Next year I will plan my entire wardrobe and shop before the sales, because you never get what you want during sales. 3 good quality clothes are better than 6 cheap ones.
4. Investing in things you use almost daily, like buying a tablet after delaying it for 2 years (I've already read more books this year than combined past 4 years!), a good vacuum cleaner, practical home appliances and storage.
5. Decorating my home. I am affected by my surroundings easily. It took me few years to bring my husband around to decorating our rented home, but we are doing it now by adding plants and diy stuff. Its looking so put together that I feel like an adult now!

[humidpixels]

I definitely agree that you shouldn't feel shame on spending money on yourself, particularly when you spend a lot of your time focused on working or caring for others. Why are you even working, after all? But it would be a good idea to remind people that this advice is not applicable to everyone and really does depend on your income level and savings goals.

The "Latte" expenditure of yesteryear is notable because it is often considered a regular expense of convenience, one made at the beginning of each work day. And for someone making only $100 a day for example, a coffee convenience charge of 3-4% against your paycheck is indeed stiff and can introduce friction with savings goals, particularly when you consider how wide the profit margins of starbucks really are versus the cost savings of preparing your own. If your daily pay after expenditure is down to say $30 (not including latte overhead) and you plan to save the rest, that latte is vaporising 13.3% of your daily savings. For someone making $200 a day, this concern is exactly half as stiff. It really depends on the individual.

Definitely plan out your budget and make room for important things. Just remember to build it around your own circumstances and keep your eyes on the long-term prize!

[kitty]

Hmm I think the problem is the AMOUNT you spent on "indulgences" rather than the actual indulgence itself. So no one or nobody really guilts you if you buy avocado toast but as other commenters have pointed out if those "indulgences" eat up more than 60-70% of your income they no longer can be called "indulgences" they are called "habits" and over time as with the poor saving habits of Americans or younger generations they SHOULD feel that, and they SHOULD feel guilty for doing so. Because they are robbing themselves from a better future. I've begun to feel overwhelmingly guilty for spending money on nice salads or even nice clothes because I realise per year I'm spending thousands and thousands of dollars to habits and not an indulgences. The question really is do you NEED those things and how much of your monthly income is going to WANTS over NEEDS. That's when this becomes a problem. If you spend more money on wants then you definitely feel guilty for spending and that guilt should stop you from spending and not enable you to continue spending for that dopamine hit.

[MrSubsound]

Scolding someone for purchases, except for rare circumstances, never produces good results.

My funniest experience was a coworker that kept trying to go out for lunch with my department but we'd cancel when one person stated they couldn't afford it today. Finally he tried to scold her that maybe she could afford it if she didnt get coffee at the store next door. She shut him down with "Oh, I have money. I just don't like you because youre an ass."

[scemat]

I don't know how I feel about the intro to this video. "No one should feel ashamed for spending a few bucks on themselves from time to time" - couldn't agree more. Those articles mentioned at the beginning, however, refer to a good amount of people who don't even have a retirement account, yet they spend over 1/3-2/3 of the annual contributions of a Roth IRA to near daily coffee and takeout, not the people who enjoy a treat now and then. So yeah, it might be a good idea for some people to rethink their coffee or Avocado toast habits if they end up spending money they can't afford or these habits hinder long term financial goals.

PS I actually know quite a few people that go to coffee shops and get a latte to go almost daily, not for office space or a meeting.

[nimravus]

I'm not ashamed to buy a few craft beers. Some of my friends poke ay me a bit about how expensive they sre compared to a cheaper Bud or Coors. However, I enjoy the taste of a craft brew and I do not enjoy the taste of Bud etc. Also, I'm content to just order one or two, unlike my friends who are ordering several more. Ultimately, the total cost between us are pretty even. I judt got "less" beer than they did. I'm ok with that.

[zucchinigreen]

I don't regret buying back my time.

I'd rather pay for a taxi than wait an hour for public transportation.

Also I don't buy lattes daily, but I do buy dark chocolate every week, I'm not giving that up

[AverageJoeInvestor]

The missing part of this video is adherence to a budget. I know that for me, buying new clothing OR avocado toast would NEVER make my list, BUT the things that make my list do so because I have a budget and my budget ALWAYS WINS. If your budget is balanced, and you are saving money each month, who cares what you spend money on?! 👍🏻😎

[BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I bought some artisan soap and a shampoo bar from Royalty Soaps here on YouTube a few weeks ago. Did I need it? No. But I wanted to support their team instead of watching from the shadows as I have been for the last year. I've not gotten the chance to use the products since I'm still using what I already have but the shampoo bar now has me interested in also getting a conditioner bar and I've found a company online that seems to make a great shampoo and conditioner bar that all in one that I'm eager to buy. And their product isn't expensive. So, a two-in one product made from natural ingredients that can take up much less space and won't break the bank? Yeah...it was worth it going down that rabbit hole.

[willardSpirit]

When old people think your avocado toast is a $2k a week spending habit and complain young as incompetent. Meanwhile talks about the good old days of water skiing every weekend, buying convertibles, a 2nd house, a new tv...

[TheHannah]

It's reasonable to feel guilty about buying first-hand clothing! The clothing industry is one of the first sources of pollution and environmental damage.

[Micahlee_]

Food in general is what I've chosen to splurge on. It's time with other people, and it's new experiences.