Here’s How I Spent $1,000 to Boost My Quality of Life – What Would You Choose?

In any financial scenario where you work and earn money, the hope is that you can make enough to have “fun money” from time to time. This isn’t to say that you should be able to go on shopping sprees whenever and wherever, but a little bit of disposable income is nice to have. 

Knowing the importance of being able to go out and spend every once in a while to remind themselves of why they work so hard, one Redditor posting in r/MiddleClassFinance is wondering what others spend their disposable or discretionary income on. 

Feel Free to Spend

There is no reason to look at this any other way. If you work hard, take care of your bills and expenses, save, and still find yourself with some extra monthly money, go ahead and splurge! In the original poster’s case, they are looking at routine massages, which sounds great if you consider overall stress levels and how this can help you relax. 

Alternatively, the Redditor also wonders if you spent extra money on something, knowing it would last a long time. They went with leather boots that have lasted over 10 seasons and are still going strong. This idea isn’t something I haven’t considered myself, which is why I’m an Apple computer person, as I know they will last for 5 or 6 years, on average, which makes me feel better about the upfront cost. 

What Reddit Says

Unsurprisingly, the comment section on this post covers a wide range of expenditures, and one can only imagine that everyone reading this has their ideas for how to spend disposable income. 

It won’t come as a shock to anyone that vacations are often at the top of the list, as many people love to do this with families to create memories. When you think about how expensive vacations have become, especially to happy memory places like Disney World, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime vacation for the family, so they want to enjoy every penny spent.  

Alternatively, some individuals in this post love purchasing a really good espresso machine. This relates to my idea about the MacBook or the original poster’s thoughts on more expensive boots. Purchasing an excellent espresso machine might require a larger upfront cost, but the money saved by skipping Starbucks daily will quickly pay off the espresso machine many times over. 

Another suggestion is to buy a costly mattress, like a Tempur-Pedic. This is undoubtedly a splurge, but you can’t put a price on a good night’s sleep. The same can be said for shoes or tires on a car, as the things that “separate you from the ground,” as one commenter in this thread suggests, are money well spent. 

The whole idea of quality-of-life purchases is to make your day easier or more comfortable. This is why purchasing a mattress or a robotic vacuum that cleans your floor is worthwhile. There are only so many hours in the day, so maximizing your sleep and chores feels like a great way to spend $1,000 or more (sometimes less) if you want something that will make you happy. 

You Only Live Once

While the term “Yolo” is often used as a meme on social media, its message is important. For millions of middle-class people, retiring early isn’t a realistic scenario, as they plan to work into their 60s, if not longer. For this reason, spending on “fun” things occasionally becomes so important as a reminder of why you work so hard. 

On the other hand, there is a reality for millions of Americans who live paycheck to paycheck and save up all year just to put something under the tree for their children. If you have the means and work hard, there is no reason you shouldn’t allow yourself to splurge on something nice every once in a while, especially something that helps you get through the days more easily. 

The question is, what would you choose?