While spending your hard-earned money on nice cars can be flashy and luxurious, living beyond your means is not the best move, especially if it means that you mortgage payment or car least takes up most of your take-home pay.  In order to free up extra money every month, sacrifices have to be made, whether that is avoiding going out to eat on a regular basis and opting for going grocery shopping and preparing your meals at home, or even finally deciding that you can actually cut the cable cord and opt for a streaming service and HD antenna for the local channels, can instantly start seeing additional money stay in your bank account.  While sure, there are certain expenses that you can avoid, there are those that are necessary, even making sure you do the best of the best and ensure the best quality.

Insurance

You never know what life is going to throw at you, so whether that is auto, home, health, dental, vision, and life insurance, you want to make sure that you are best prepared for coverage no matter what occurs, so that you are able to take care of yourself and your family when you need it.  I understand the deductibles will come into play when it comes to selecting the right plan for your coverage, as we can do what we can afford, but insurance should be a priority, especially if you want your family to be taken care of in the event of your death.

Car Repairs

While the last segment maybe was a little depressing, it can be frustrating to have to have your car serviced, especially if you took it in for an oil change and find out you need new brakes, shocks, or tires.  While, sure, places will get you to add plenty of services to your car, but it’s important to take care of what is necessary, especially if it comes with the check-engine light coming on.  I’ve often known people who can drive without a worry of the light being on, but I always am paranoid and will get it looked at right away.

Home Repairs

Think about the upkeep to your car, well that could be a $30,000 vehicle, but when it comes to your $200,000 house, you need to take it a little more serious and when something pops up, you need to take care of it right away, not to mention regular maintenance throughout the year.  Take your furnace/air conditioner for instance.  If you do not change the filter every three months so that it can run in top condition, you could put the working parts in jeopardy of a larger cost than what a $20 filter costs to change.

Paint

I have learned my lesson over the years and I now buy the best paint money can buy.  Up until, well, basically now, I used to buy a couple gallons of paint when it came to redoing a room, putting two coats on, keeping the windows open to air out the strong fumes.  For around $50 may seem steep, but if you buy a premium gallon of paint you can make the entire gallon last only having to do one coat, and it applies nicely, with minimal odor.  Just think, you would have spent around the same price buying two gallons of less-quality paint, and spent more time making sure it had adequate coverage with two coats.

Mattress

I am in the process of redoing our master bedroom so I spoke about paint, and now I can mention the new mattress we purchased after having slept on the same one the last decade or so.  Well the price tag for a premium mattress maybe a couple thousand dollars, if you think that you spend roughly a third of your life sleeping in that very bed, it should make the decision a little easier when you want to make sure you have the best of the best when it comes to getting the best sleep, at which you can be relaxed and perform at your best in all aspects of life.  You can opt for a cheaper mattress for half the price, but believe me, you will regret it, especially after you try sleeping on a better mattress like I have these past few nights.

Paper Towel/Toilet Paper

Much like anything, you get what you pay for.  If you’re using cheap paper towels you will use more of them, and same goes for toilet paper, but at the same time, for obvious reasons, you want to spend more money and get something that isn’t cheap sandpaper.