For those that don’t know me personally, you wouldn’t know that I started my first job ever during my freshman year of college. This shocks a lot of people! During high school, I was so incredibly busy and was involved in just about everything that I had no time for a job. If I wanted to keep my grades, I had to focus more on school rather than working. I’m very fortunate to have the parents I do that allowed me to be able to focus on what was more important to me! When I first starting working, I really figured out how fast money comes and goes and how hard you have to work for it. I figured out really fast what were my best and worst purchases.
Here’s what made the list for my best purchases and how much I paid for them!
AirPods ($159)
As I’ve previously mentioned in past blog posts, I’m almost constantly listening to music. Most of it would not be possible without my AirPods (and something else we’ll get to later). I decided to splurge on a pair of AirPods for myself for a “going-back-to-school” and an early birthday gift for myself. Getting them over tax free weekend made them a little less expensive and I don’t regret a thing! I almost constantly have my AirPods in and it makes the commute to school on the shuttle much more enjoyable. It’s really to just put in my headphones and tune everyone else out if I’m downtown studying (or in this case, working on a blog post).
Hydroflask with a Straw Lid ($55)
I don’t know about you all, but I am absolutely terrible about drinking enough water. It seems like all my body seems to want is Coke, sweet tea, or coffee. It’s honestly kind of ridiculous (and I’m a little ashamed for it). Over the summer, I caught on to the fact that I was drinking more water if I found a way to keep it extremely cold and if I was drinking it through a straw. At work, I started bringing my Ozark Trail (dupe for the Yeti cups from Walmart) with a reusable straw with me. I found that I was drinking double, sometimes triple, the amount of water. The only problem: these cups don’t fit in the side pocket of my backpack. I started hearing great things about the Hydroflask water bottles and decided
Fabletics leggings ($48)
If you haven’t jumped on the Fabletics bandwagon, you’re severely missing out. I’ve always wanted to try out Lululemon leggings, but I really didn’t like the price tag. While I had tried some on, I just couldn’t get myself to pull the trigger on a pair because of the price tag. That’s when I stumbled on Fabletics! I had been seeing ads for them everywhere, so I finally decided to see what all the fuss is about. This could’ve been one of my best and worst decisions. It was one of the best because I had finally found leggings that fit me right and weren’t see through, but it’s going to be so bad for my bank account one of these days!
While they run a lot of great deals, it’s going to eventually add up because of how great this brand is. When you sign up for a VIP membership with Fabletics, you receive a 2/$24 coupon and it works on all of their pants in any combination! I’ve done this so many times with their leggings and I truly think I’m addicted. I’ve now branched out to more than just their pants. All of their clothing is truly amazing, and it’s so worth the price!
Long Columbia coat ($40)
All you Midwesterners know… winter can be brutal here. You check the temperatures and it doesn’t seem like it’s that bad. When you step outside, it feels like you’re being stabbed because the cold can be that intense. I quickly realized that the coat I had bought just wasn’t going to cut it. Originally, I was wearing an Under Armour coat that went to my hip that got the job done, but I found myself wearing multiple layers in order to make a 5-10 minute walk to class bearable.
I ended up getting a long Columbia coat during a sale and it was one of the best decisions I ever made. While this coat is significantly thinner, it keeps me much warmer. Because I often wear leggings (or something of the sort) to class, it has helped make sure even my legs are staying warm! I don’t have to wear so many layers and it makes the walk to class easier, warmer, and more comfortable!
Concert tickets ($177)
For anyone that knows me at all knows that I’m a sucker for a good concert. I’ve been to so many that it’s really hard to keep track. However, throughout 2019, I bought some tickets for some crazy good concerts! In April, I bought tickets to two different concerts. I paid $35 to see Morgan Wallen at a local bar in town, and it was incredible. I also paid $55 to see Florida Georgia Line, Dan & Shay, Morgan Wallen and Hardy in St. Louis (and ended up getting Canaan Smith as a surprise too)! This concert was more than incredible and I made a ton of great memories with my friends.
In September, I paid $87 to see Riley Green, Morgan Wallen and Jason Aldean in Springfield (where I go to school). It made my third time seeing Morgan within a year and the concert was amazing! I will never EVER regret spending money on these concerts. To me, spending my money on experiences is much better than spending it on material items that I may never use. Money well spent in my opinion!
Morgan Wallen VIP passes ($140)
This may seem a little stupid to some of you, but like I just said, I would rather spend money on experiences than material items. This is also a gift that I bought for one of my friends that was going to the concert with me. When I had found the website for the VIP passes, it was around the same time as her birthday. This ended up being such an awesome experience!
We were five feet (or less) from Morgan as he sat on a stool and played acoustic versions of his top songs. This is easily one of the most expensive things I had bought this year, but it was well worth it! As a smaller artist who eventually will be nearly impossible to be that close to, this was really a once in a lifetime opportunity. It was absolutely incredible, and I hope I get to do it again one of these days!
Spotify Premium ($60)
Lastly, this is one of my best purchases of the entire year. Like I said when I mentioned my AirPods, I almost always am listening to music in some capacity. Whether it’s listening through my headphones or blaring it through a bluetooth speaker, I’m constantly playing music. Because I have a wide range of what I like to listen to, buying music can get really expensive.
I was able to try out Spotify Premium for 30 days for free! I loved it so much that I signed up for the student membership. As a student, you can cut the price of your membership in half. Plus, it can also include other memberships like Hulu and HBO! As a student who’s trying to keep costs relatively low, this surprised me so much. I can’t believe how much I love it, and I’ll probably always have a Spotify membership!
The thing about having your first job and making your own money means that you start spending money unnecessarily. I’ve gotten one hundred times better at this! I’ve realized how to section off my needs and wants accordingly and it has helped me become a little better with money. While I’m still not perfect with my money, there are still quite a few things I regret buying.
Here’s some of the things that made the list and how much I shelled out for them!
Unnecessary meals out
I feel like everyone has this on their list of things they regret buying. It’s so easy to get caught up in your emotions, especially if you’re hangry. I always find myself coming out of study sessions starving. If I’ve had a bad day, I might treat myself to something sweet (Andy’s, Insomnia Cookies, etc). Although it seems great in the moment, all of your meals out add up really quickly! It’s something that I’ve tried to do a little better at during 2020. So far, I’ve done a lot better! Although I still have a long ways to go, this is something that I really regret spending a lot of money on.
Photo presets ($4)
While these are incredibly important to some, they weren’t very important to me. I downloaded them in order to keep the aesthetic going for The Blonde Lifestyle’s Instagram. The directions were extremely hard to follow from the Etsy seller that I bought them from and only one of them ended up working correctly. Now seven months later, I still only have one working preset. Luckily, I was able to adapt it in order to create my own preset. But the fact that I spent $4 to have all of these presets that don’t even work is disheartening. I can’t get my money back and I hardly even use them since I’ve found my own way to make my own presets.
Extra tennis shoes ($130)
I am a sucker for tennis shoes. Most of the time, you’ll see me out and about in my tennis shoes, Vans, or slip ons. I’ve tried to branch out, but I’m always gravitating towards what’s most comfortable. Typically this is tennis shoes! I have a really low arch so shoe shopping can get pretty difficult. I have to find something that has a high enough arch to keep my arch from falling, but something that is still going to be continuously comfortable and cute. For me, Adidas has worked the best.
Once I figured this out, I went crazy trying to find any Adidas shoes that were cute, not too expensive, and in a range of colors. I knew from the get go that this was going to be a terrible idea. I found one pair of Adidas that I really love (the Adidas Swift Runs) and have stuck to them. So now I have a few extra pairs that I don’t even wear and it was definitely money wasted.
Sorel snow boots ($140)
The Midwest can be really tricky when it comes to weather! If you see that the forecast is saying one thing, always prepare for the opposite. There have been plenty of days where it was supposed to be 70 and sunny and it ended up being 50 and rainy. In Missouri, you really can get all four seasons in one day! This is especially true when it comes to the winter months. Going through winter during my first year, it was really snowy and icy almost constantly. Because of this, I found a cheap pair of winter boots on Amazon that could keep my feet warm and dry. These actually ended up really screwing up my feet and I would have to wear at least two pairs of thick socks for them to be comfortable.
Going into my second year, I decided to invest in some Sorel snow boots. They were nearly identical to the ones I had the year before. The thing was, they were much nicer and came with a much higher price tag. Right after buying them and even going through this past winter, it has barely snowed enough for me to be able to wear them. They are over a year old and the tags have never been taken off. In my mind, it’s been a lot of money wasted! I know eventually that I’ll have the opportunity to wear them, but that $140 spent could have been spent on things I needed more.
Excessive Cardinals gear ($120)
If you know me well, you know what my closet looks like. I worked at Hammons Field in the store/gift shop for the Springfield Cardinals for two years. The Springfield Cardinals are just two steps down (double A) for the St. Louis Cardinals organization. I am a die hard Cardinals fan and have been literally since birth! As you could expect, this job was incredible for me, but not my bank account. I got first dibs on anything that got brought into our store from the store at Busch Stadium in St. Louis and I even got 20 percent off!
I’ve accumulated so many shirts, sweatshirts, hats… you name it. After adding up how much of my paycheck has gone to my place of work, it’s ridiculous. I might as well not even have a job! While I love my Cardinals and love wearing all kinds of things to support them, the amount I have is completely unnecessary. I’ve spent so much money on a lot of things that I don’t even wear that often. My only bright side here: I have endless game day outfit options to where I don’t have to wear the same things over and over. All jokes aside, I wish I would’ve practiced a little more self control and I may have more room in my closet.
What all did you buy last year that you wish you would’ve bought sooner? What all did you buy that you wish you would’ve left on the shelf? Let me know in a comment below!
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