Worth & Not Worth The Moolah: What’s Worth the Money?
What’s Worth the Money and What Isn’t Worth the Money?
Welcome back folks to another installment (2nd) of my worth and not worth the moolah blog. This is where I unintentionally offend many of you (like last time you fire pit owners got really mad at me), as I attempt to declare things that are worth the money and not worth the money. I’ll preface with value is in the eye of the beholder, as I feel by saying that it absolves me of all my sins. Enough chatter let’s get to it, shall we?
10 Things Worth the Money
Dogs-
Oh, how a global lockdown and an adorable King Charles Cavalier named Matzah Ball can change a man’s heart. I was once on the complete opposite side of this spectrum as I certainly wasn’t a dog guy. That said this little furball softened my old heart. Yes, dogs are expensive. Yes, dogs are a labor of love. But at the end of the day, the joy and happiness they bring our household I’d say they are worth the money.
Selfie Light-
Huh? What? Are you serious dude? These are all the thoughts going through your brain, as you are thinking, “Hey buddy I’m no social influencer.” I know, but let me tell you something. We now live in an age of Zoom meetings. The difference that little circle light makes on your video vs. natural lighting is unreal. If conducting business on video chat I’d recommend making a small investment.
My Trashcan Cleaners-
This one is coming out of left field, but I’m a convert. Perhaps, this is an extremely selfish one, as my wife won’t take the trash out if there are maggots or nasty stuff going on with our trash cans. About a year ago, I discovered this fantastic service. For like $10-$15/mo this big truck comes once a month and takes my trash and recycling cans to the curb. For the next $20 they clean the living you know what out of these cans. So much so that you could literally take a bath in them once they are done. They come out clean and smell fantastic.
Service Providers-
Yes, financial planners and CPAs fall into this category. So do landscapers and hairdressers. I’m a big proponent of outsourcing services as much as I can. Here is the gist, they almost all charge commensurate with their value. On top of that, they give you your most valuable resource in the world back, time. In addition, they can do a better job on almost anything you’d attempt yourself. So why not?
High-Speed Internet-
Are you paying for the fastest internet you can? My guess is many of you are not. Now this one is a bit subjective, but in my house, there are probably 400 devices connected to the internet. Once I did an upgrade it made a huge difference. Oh, and a quick tip, make sure you have the newest and best modem. The internet providers usually upgrade for free and paying for fast internet without a modem that can handle it is worthless.
Fast Modem-
Bet you didn’t see this coming. Now, dirty secret the Comcasts of the world won’t tell you. You can go out and buy your own modem or you can pay them to rent theirs monthly. The reality is you’ll always have to pay a monthly charge to rent theirs, whereas buying one is a one-time cost.
Good Water Bottle-
I have like 1,000 water bottles floating around our house. I’m also on a big sustainability kick these days too, because well I care about the earth and my children. That said a good water bottle is totally worth the money. Makes you drink more water, a good thing. Makes you not buy throw-away bottles, good thing. And makes your water stay nice and cold, a good thing.
Coffee Machine-
I don’t touch the stuff and never had. That said my wife does as does 99% of America. Simply put I like paying cents for her coffee over $8 at Starbucks. Case closed!
Smart Thermostat-
I personally use Google Nest. This little sucker is absolutely fantastic! I mean like if you don’t know you got to know about these things. They are relatively easy to set up (said my HVAC guy ha). From there your life will be forever changed. It can learn your habits, save you tons of money, and talk about convenience holy moly. Picture this, you get off the plane from your winter vacation and immediately you set your thermostat to your desired temp. Now you come home to a toasty warm house all while having it turned down to save energy while you are away.
Vitamix-
I just asked my wife what is that fantastic blender you use? Before I could finish my sentence, she said, “Vitamix!” We blend a lot of stuff in this household, and I mean a lot. We’ve gone through what feels like 10,000 different blenders. The Vitamix, well it takes the proverbial cake.
Now you got my top 10 things right now worth the moolah, lets’s turn our attention to what isn’t worth the Moolah.
10 Things Not Worth the Money
Expensive Laptop-
At our company, we buy a lot of laptops. We’ve bought expensive ones and less expensive ones. IMO (in my opinion) they all kinda stink. I really enjoy the ease of a laptop, but let me tell you our tech support team is currently a speed dial number on my phone (and I have one of the expensive ones). Guess good thing I believe in service providers.
Hard Seltzers-
This might be this year’s firepit as I can feel the hate mail coming in as I write this. I’m going to lump into this category all canned premade drinks as now they have canned margaritas and mai tais as well. Here is my rub, just make the drink yourself. They are watered down, make you go to the bathroom every 10 minutes, and what a waste. I’d much rather make myself a portable stiff one than this junk. Oh, and if you have a good water bottle you can keep your drink cold for hours.
Bad Water Bottles-
Remember a few minutes ago I mentioned good water bottles and how they are worth the money? I also mentioned that I have like a billion water bottles at home. Well, let me tell you many of them are complete junk. They perspire, don’t keep anything cold, and make my water taste funny. Spring for a good one, as a bad water bottle is just that, bad.
Fancy Espresso Machine-
I’ve been to a lot of nice houses where they have these awesome-looking espresso machines by high-end brands like Mele. Not a person I know with one is like “man, we love it and use it all the time”. Looks cool, check. Worth the money, uncheck.
New iPhone-
Hypocrite warning. I like getting the newest tech when it comes out. That said I am always disappointed. Maybe the tech is so advanced these days that it is hard to have massive improvements. Couple that with the fact they literally give away one-year-old phones. In my experience, unless you are a programmer or hacker, I challenge you to tell the difference.
Outdoor TVs-
Outdoor TVs are super duper cool. It’s fun to put on the game and sit outside enjoying a nice cold (non-premade cocktail). However, again when I ask anyone who has one the answer is always the same, we use it occasionally. Instead, bring your laptop outside, or get a projector and screen you can move around. Same utility, little extra work, a fraction of the price.
Expensive Grill-
I’ve had the top-of-the-line grill with all the bells and whistles, and the base model grill that I have to lug around those heavy propane tanks. Do you know what I’ve found? They both do the same thing, cook my burger and dogs. Again, I feel all you dudes typing up a hate mail or about to send me a picture of your slow-roasted chicken you took hours to grill. Unless you are a professional chef, or this is your labor of love, spring for a good enough grill and you’ll never know the difference.
Stuffed Animals-
We have 5 billion of them at our house, as they have been given to us through the years. I’ve also given my fair share of cute stuffed animals to friends (yes I’m the weird guy who gives stuffed animals to his 40-year-old friend j/k it’s for their kids silly). At the end of the day, any kid basically has one or two they play with and the rest only take up space.
Expensive Camera-
Now I’m not talking about the James Webb telescope, which my best friend worked on, as that thing is freaking amazing. I’m referring to those cool-looking long lens ones you see people lug around. Unless it is a major hobby of yours, or you are truly a professional don’t bother. Your one-year-old iPhone takes fantastic pictures and you’ll never know the difference.
Streaming Services-
Did I mention I’m a huge hypocrite? I feel like I have every streaming service under the sun. Now, before I chastise myself half of them I share with a family member and don’t pay for myself. I also guarantee I find a way to watch more tv than literally anyone who is reading this right now. Even with all that I find it ebbs and flows which ones I use at any given time. I suggest having your one or two go-to services like Netflix, and then simply sign up for a month at a time when you want to binge a show on another network. FYI I just got done binging Terminal List on Amazon Prime, it’s a solid 7/10.
Alrighty, let the great debate begin. What do you think of my list? What am I missing? Love to hear from you all as I am already compiling my list for next year!
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