Have you bought anything recently that both brought you joy and saved you money?

Discussion
1

Recently I’ve noticed how spending money on things that bring me and my family joy sometimes saves money in the long run.

A recent example is the cold brew coffee maker my fiance recently purchased, over my strong objections.

It’s not that I don’t like cold brew coffee. Just the opposite. I go to bed dreaming of the coffee I’ll drink in the morning. But I had never found a way to make cold brew as consistently delicious as the coffee shop just down the street.

The cold brew maker was just $29, so it wasn’t expensive. But I didn’t want to feel guilty about wasting money and natural resources on yet another unused kitchen gadget. (Cough, pasta maker, cough.)

As it turned out, however, the cold brew maker is amazing. We always have coffee brewing in it. Any extra goes into a sealed mason jar (but not for long). The coffee is delicious.

In the past seven weeks since we purchased the coffee maker, I’ve spent $104 on coffee beans. So along with the coffee maker, I’ve spent $133 on my ice coffee habit this summer.

During the same period last year, my Tiller Money spreadsheet shows I spent $238.43 on coffee out.

So I’ve spent $105 less on something I’m enjoying much more.

Now, I do worry about my beloved local coffee shop. Like many businesses, it’s a shadow of its pre-pandemic self. But we’re still buying beans there, at least.

I can think of several recent purchases that have both brought me joy and ultimately saved money. (A subscription to Tiller Money could be one of those, hint hint.)

What about you? Have you made any purchases that both brought you joy and saved you money?

Share your thoughts below!

PS - The cold brew maker mentioned above is the “Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker with Airtight Seal & Silicone Handle, 2 Quart.” I don’t have any relationship with the company, just love the product.

yum

2 Likes
2

@Edward I would suggest that you sell that Pasta Maker you never use, on Facebook Martketplace or whatever. You’ll feel better afterwards and that could pay for the next batch of coffee beans.
We are huge fans of second-hand market for both buying and selling used goods. It’s very good for personal savings and good for the environment too!

5 Likes
3

I have bought a Hoover upright carpet cleaner that also has a small attachment for stairs and furniture. It is also great for cloth seats and carpet in cars. You control what type of cleaning solution and how much. If you have a spill or pet stain, you can clean it immediately. The suction can be used seperately to go over the cleaned area repeatedly to get more water out so carpets dry quickly. I have put a fan in the room and had dry carpets in an hour. We all hear how carpet shampoo attracts dirt. The tank allows you to rinse the carpet by putting in clear water after cleaning. It is almost as easy as just vacuuming. Cleaning just your high traffic areas more often is quick. It holds up well. I lend it to family and friends too.

4

That’s a great idea! I will sell it and report back.

5

That reminds me of the refurbished cordless stick Dyson vacuum my partner bought. Like the coffee maker, I didn’t want to get it. It’s not the best or most cost effective. But she loves using it and so do the kids, and they use it all the time. (I admit, I’ve only used it a few times.) So all in all it’s a win for the household.

6

@Edward,

I :heart: that spreadsheets let you nerd out so easily on these little ROI exercises to rationalize expenses that you expect make sense. It’s cool that we live in a world where you can pull last year’s coffee expenses during the same time period in just a few seconds.

I did the same when we bought an espresso machine, pricing out the cost of the milk and beans per cup. It was a pretty fancy machine so we didn’t come out a head by $100 in seven weeks. :wink:

Randy

2 Likes
7

That’s a good point, @redwing.axel. We have a Technology budget for computers, TVs and routers. It’s great when we sell something on eBay or Craigslist and we can see a line item bump those expense categories positive a little bit.

8

Just catching up on the latest in the Tiller Money Community, sipping on my cold brew coffee…

9

I got a Sodastream and have (almost) stopped buying soda or sparkling water. Once I find somewhere to get the diet mountain dew syrup (no, not the off brand, the real stuff) I’ll be set for life.

1 Like