Weekend Engagement - Some Things Are More Important Than Money

Name three aspects of your life (or things) you personally spend money on but could eliminate or cut back on to save some money. List them and tell us why you chose those things, why you could cut back or go without them and why you haven't already cut or reduced them to save money.

When I was thinking hard about the three aspects, I realise spending/expenses can be quite a personal thing. Apart from the common necessities like food and shelter, the rest of the items can be deemed basic for some, but luxury for others.

I used to be quite thrifty when I was younger, but as my income grew after years of working, I also started to "pamper" myself a little more. So it wasn't too difficult to find these three aspects. Haha!

Food Delivery

I started using food deliveries during the Covid pandemic because I was mostly indoors (we were told to minimise going outdoors). This was one of the (more expensive) meals that I ordered, from Shake Shack, a popular restaurant that serves angus beef burgers.

I have grown to like food deliveries, even till now, because of both the convenience and the variety of options. It saves me time, which is sometimes more valuable than paying the few extra dollars in fees.

Of course, I think this is something that I could go without or cut back if I need to save more money, because this is actually not a basic necessity, i.e. I could drop by the neighbourhood to get takeaway or prepare some meals at home. For now, I think the incremental expenses is something that is still manageable so that's fine.

Desserts

Doesn't the ice cream look nice? But what if I tell you that this costs more than 6 USD, would you still buy it? :P

I have a sweet tooth and I am a fan of cakes and desserts. It's likely a fair bit of my expenses go to cafes and dessert kiosks and this is just one of the many instances. (By the way, the ice cream is from Birds Of Paradise which is actually recommended by a Michelin guide! And queues can be long during peak hours!)

Not just for my wallet, but for the sake of my health and my sugar intake, it probably makes sense to cut back these sweet stuff. But I think these treats give me happiness (though it can be short term), and happiness is not something can be measured in dollars and cents. Hehe!

Infrared Sauna Sessions

This is an infrared sauna and it is different from the traditional sauna. While traditional saunas rely on heating the air to warm the body, infrared saunas use infrared light (which is invisible to the naked eye) to heat the body directly.

This is something that I have recently started exploring - because I have chanced upon it on my social media and I have been reading about the health benefits that it brings. Some of the benefits listed include better skin, flushing out toxins in the body and relaxation. The sessions can be quite expensive and so far, I have been going for trial sessions at different outlets before deciding if I plan to continue these sessions, and which outlets offer the most cost effective package.

As I grow older, I started to appreciate the saying "health is wealth" and I think it's reasonable to spend on stuff if they are beneficial for my health. So far, I have found the sessions very therapeutic and relaxing, and given the cost, one way to cut back on the expenses would be to scale down on the frequency. A simple change from weekly to fortnightly would reduce the expenses by 50%! In conclusion, I think it's fine if we are spending within our means. While saving money is important, I think there needs to be some balance as well, and in my examples above, my spending is centered on what matters more to me, convenience (in the case of food deliveries), happiness (desserts!) and health* (infrared sauna sessions).

So that's all for my sharing this week! Hope you enjoyed reading and let me know if you have any comments! Have a pleasant weekend ahead!