6 Things You Should Never Skimp On In Life
When you’re younger, money is precious, and you must carefully ration it between life’s essentials, like paying rent, and life’s other necessities, like socializing. And then a strange thing happens when you get your first secure paying job as an adult—suddenly, there is money to spare. If you still have your frugal attitude towards money, you’ll likely keep making the same spending mistakes well into adulthood. This will lead to an apartment filled with broken Ikea furniture and a wardrobe entirely of fast fashion. Here are five things you should never skimp on in life if you want to make smarter choices as an adult…
#1) Shoes
Cheap shoes hurt your feet and don’t last for long. You can also spot cheap shoes from a distance so they won’t project the right message in a professional environment. Invest in a few good pairs of shoes when you can afford to, as one couple will be much better than buying three cheap teams. When expensive shoes wear out, you can often get them repaired or re-soled rather than purchasing a brand-new unit.
#2) Cookware
When living with housemates, what goes on in the kitchen is often limited to pouring hot water on noodles and reheating pizza. When you finally move into your home, it’s nice to settle in by investing in high-quality cookware.
You’d be surprised by the difference in results when your pans aren’t from the bargain aisle. You’ll also be doing your health a favor, as you won’t be inadvertently ingesting trace amounts of peeling Teflon. You can even change the taste of food by using sharp knives instead of hacking away at your food with blunt, rust-speckled knives.
#3) Umbrellas
Stay with me on this one…How often have you bought a cheap umbrella, left it on the train, or watched it disintegrate at the slightest hint of a breeze? Just take the plunge and buy yourself a decent umbrella, and you will notice the difference. This isn’t only an investment in your ability to arrive at the office not looking like a drowned rat, but you will also be far less likely to leave it on a train.
#4) Clothing
One of the best Pinterest trends to circulate in recent years is the capsule wardrobe idea. The basic principle is that you invest in several key pieces of clothing that comprise your wardrobe’s core. These should be high-quality pieces that last slightly longer than your fast-fashion favorites. You then pad out this selection with basics and seasonal trends.
Why? You’ll spend less on clothing because you won’t be going out and buying a new wardrobe at the start of every season. If you don’t have the budget to purchase high-quality, designer items, try looking in charity shops and vintage stores in the more affluent areas of your town, as these will often be filled with designer gems. You can also take your search online and scour sites like eBay for some designer bargains.
#5) Health Care
As you get older, you realize that good health is a blessing. If you find yourself regularly falling ill, you’ll soon see how difficult this can be if you also work full-time. While it may have been a welcome break from lectures during your student years, when it comes to being in the working world, it will soon get to the point where taking a sick day is no longer fun.
Taking care of your health by investing in a health care plan and signing up with a private dentist will pay for itself in the long run. Good health doesn’t just start and end with seeing a doctor or a dentist; you can try plenty of holistic practices to ensure you are healthy.
Meditating, getting good sleep, and keeping your stress levels in check are all excellent ways to stay healthy in adulthood. Don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on the fancy gym membership if the yoga classes and steam room help you de-stress.
#6) Food
Now that you’ve got a kitchen full of fancy cookware, it’s time to throw some quality ingredients into the mix. Upgrading your ingredients will be immediately apparent in the taste, and you’ll likely develop a new appreciation for food. Shopping local and heading to farmers’ markets are often cheaper than supermarkets. If you shop seasonally, you can probably get your produce much more affordable, while organic and free-range meat might cost you a little more.
As the saying goes, you can’t afford to be cheap. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to go shopping! And don’t worry, you don’t have to go and blow your entire budget at once, but the next time you’re out shopping and find yourself reaching for the cheapest option, maybe think about upgrading.
