Every day we have to make lame decisions in the interest of being responsible. We get the generic brand, we drive our cars longer than we want to, we scale back on travel. While watching out for the bottom line is admirable, there are some things in life that you just can't pass on, even if it's for no practical reason. Pass the side of guac (even if it’s extra) and enjoy this list of things I will always invest my time and money in:

I have life insurance. Often, when that money comes out of my account, I think about all the things I could have spent it on, or how nice it would be to put it in savings. The same is true for my personal property insurance and health insurance (don’t get me started on needing separate coverage for my eyes and teeth). When you need to budget carefully, it’s so tempting to forego “unnecessary” coverage and hope for the best. Not to be all adulty, but there are a lot of really solid reasons to stick with it and keep that insurance up to date.

When your small business runs short on resources, marketing is often one of the first things to go. For so many, it feels like a chore, so not much of an excuse is needed to just put it to the side. But the customer journey starts with a single click, so it’s important to keep your socials up and humming. Specifically, here are some social media corners you shouldn’t cut:

One of my favorite activities is hitting thrift shops, estate sales & FB marketplace for treasures. Recently, I had a BIG load of things to donate. While I was there, I made the mistake of going inside just to check things out. Long story short, I discovered a cabinet that I couldn’t live without and I had to rent a trailer to get back home. I’ll probably (definitely) do it again. Anyway, as much as I love a bargain, there are some frugal habits that just aren’t worth it:

If there is anything that I learned from Elle Woods, it’s this: learning the law is a lot of work. With a little bit of patience and a LOT of YouTube, you can DIY a lot of things in life, but no matter how handy or smart you are, you really should outsource the legal stuff (learned that lesson the hard way).

We are all tightening our belts these days and I am sometimes very guilty of cutting costs a little too radically in the name of saving a dollar. However, there are some things that just make your overall life SO MUCH better that you should never sacrifice on them. Everyone is going to have different ideas about what things are really important to their everyday comfort and convenience, but here are a few things that, in my world, are worth the extra money.