There are plenty of purchases that we make in life, some necessary and most, well, unnecessary.  When making any purchase, especially with the ease of price comparison these days with online shopping, it’s important to find the best deal.  Back even a decade and longer ago, when retail shopping in person was more the norm, you’d have to drive all over town to try and save a few bucks, and by the end, after you have spent all of your time, not to mention gas driving, made you wonder if it was really worth it.  Now you can jump from website to website in the matter of seconds and compare dozens within minutes.  There are certain necessary purchases that should be made that you can save money in the long run in buying.

Gym Membership

Now I will preface this with, as long as you use the gym membership it can have long term positive impacts on your energy and health, but if you don’t use it, then all is out the window and it’s a waste of money.  Around Christmas time, gyms are selling memberships, and for good reason, as it’s time for resolutions to lose weight to come pouring in, but soon after a couple of months of going, you continue to pay and not go.  If you can go a few times a week, staying active is worth the cost.

A Programmable Coffee Maker

Sit down and think about how much you spend on coffee in a month.  Say you only go every morning on the way to work, averaging $3 each, as long as you’re not buying breakfast as well, that’s $15 a week, about $60 a month.  Throw in an afternoon or ride home run, not to mention buying a breakfast sandwich or bagel each morning, you could be spending over a hundred dollars a month for something that you can set the timer before you go to bed, to have fresh coffee in the morning waiting for you to pour into a travel mug, for a $25 investment for the coffee maker, as well as buying your favorite coffee in bulk.

Quality Furniture & Mattress

There are some items that you spend the most time in a day on, one being your phone, but from there, your bed?  Couch?  Home office chair?  Since we are spending probably a better part of the day on those few items, it makes sense to not get cheap quality.  By spending on a quality item, you will not have to replace for years, but on top of that you can save yourself a lot of back problems by not sleeping on uncomfortable, cheap mattress while watching TV on a couch that kills your back.

Up to Date Laptop

It’s amazing how fast technology advances, and how cheap you can find an up to date, fast and efficient laptop with plenty of storage, of decent quality, for around $700.  This will boot up in seconds, be able to run multi applications at once, so that you can hopefully earn extra money working from home, in addition to your day job.  The battery life can how even last an entire day, making it completely portable if you wanted to sneak away and take your work on the road.

Nice Formal Wear

A nice suit can go a long way, and even land you a high paying job by looking good on a job interview.  I used to own what you would call a “suit”, which was cheaply made, baggy fitting, probably waiting a decade too late to buy a new one that actually is tailored to fit, and was not even as expensive as I thought.  At least by buying new formal wear, unless you drastically change sizes, you probably don’t have to buy another one for a long, long time.

Reward Your Hard Work with Life Experiences

We can save all of the money you want, but in my opinion, if you don’t enjoy life, you are missing out.  I probably enjoyed life too much in my 20’s and 30’s to the point where I spend too much, but still with a saving program I may not be as bad as I used to, but rewarding yourself is important.  With airline prices and lodging coming down towards the end of the summer, now may be a great time to book a trip to either a warm destination or a place to cross off from the bucket list, without breaking the bank.