7 Things I won’t give up to save more money

While I admitted that I’m more about earning more money than saving more money, I’m still pretty cheap by nature. I don’t enjoy spending money on shopping sprees, I get my hair cut at Great Clips about once a year, I can’t remember the last time I got a pedicure or manicure, I don’t go on lavish vacations (though I wouldn’t mind that one) and I don’t spoil my kids rotten (even though I may want to).

That being said, there are definitely still quite a few things I’m just not willing to give up in order to save more money.

Specialty coffee beans

First thing that comes to mind is my beloved coffee. I’ll admit, I used to go to Starbucks every single day. So did my husband. And sometimes we would go again when he got home from work. Did I just admit to that? Yikes. Well, now that we live in North Carolina, our Starbucks trips have drastically reduced. In fact, I can probably count on one hand how many times we’ve been there in the two months of living here. But – it’s not because we were trying to save money, it’s because they aren’t as convenient as they were in AZ. In AZ, almost every Starbucks had a drive-thru (and with a toddler and a baby that’s a must) and there was one on every corner. Here, they’re in grocery stores, Target’s and a few shopping plazas, but they’re pretty spread out and I have yet to see a drive-thru. Now, we buy flavored beans from coffee shops and grocery stores and make our coffee at home. It’s better than Starbucks and we spend significantly less money. I know we could switch to Folgers, but I’m just not quite there yet. I love my good coffee too much!

Bath and Body Works candles

Pumpkin Apple, Sweater Weather, Pumpkin Pecan Waffles, Leaves and Winter Candy Apple to name a few. I love love love me some Bath and Body Works candles! At $22 a pop, they’re not cheap. I do wait to buy them until they go on sale (2 for $22) and browse for Bath & Body Works coupon codes at Coupon Sherpa, but $11 for a candle is still pretty pricey. Sorry, not sorry – these are sticking around (at least throughout winter!).

Driving around looking at neighborhoods

My husband and I love driving around exploring different neighborhoods in the area. Sure, we’re new to the city, but this is something we did even when we lived in Arizona. It’s fun to daydream about where we want to live, see everyone’s houses and porches decked out for the holidays and find hidden parks for our girls. We probably waste a lot of gas doing this, but the girls are usually happy in the car (usually, haha) so I’m willing to pay any amount of money to have some quiet time with the hubby.

Sweets

I’ve already confessed my love of sweet treats on the blog, so this goes without say. I seek out cookies from a specific bakery weekly, I am easily swayed to purchase a specialty pie at the grocery store and if we pass a bakery on the weekend, I stop and go in without even a slight hesitation. Sweets are my weakness and I enjoy them too much to give them up!

Holiday decorations

While I don’t really enjoy the “gifts” part of the holidays, I love the decorations and the food! Sadly, when we moved I had to donate all of my fall decorations and most of my Christmas decorations, but that means I get to buy new ones this year! I spent about $100 on fall, which isn’t too bad, but I’ll probably spend closer to $400 for Christmas (depending on whether or not we buy a fake tree or get a real one). That’s a lot of money – but those decorations will last us for many years to come. I love making my home warm and cozy for my family and for when friends and family come to visit!

Going out to eat on a whim

Another personal finance blogger fail, but I love going out to eat on a whim! Last night, for example, we had tons of food we could have made from home but both my husband and I had an incredibly long day. It sounded much nicer to walk to our local BBQ restaurant and enjoy dinner outside in the bustling downtown area. And so we did! All of our food will last for a while, so it’s not like anything went to waste. We didn’t ‘budget’ the dinner and we didn’t plan it ahead of time, but to me that’s part of the fun. You have to be spontaneous every now and then! (Also, kids ate free last night so our entire family of four ate for $10.90!)

Spending money on others

And finally, I am not going to give up spending money on my husband, daughters, family and friends. If a birthday rolls around, someone has a baby or gets married, or if someone is feeling down, sending a little gift is a great way to cheer them up. While I don’t spend lavishly by any means, it’s always nice to surprise the people you love with little things you know they’ll enjoy.

What are you not willing to give up to save money?!