Necessary Luxuries

Necessary luxuries. We all have them.

No matter how frugal you are (by choice or by necessity or both!), there are just certain things in our lives that we have to splurge on. Given proper money management (and a steady enough cash flow), this is absolutely workable. However, you have to be careful to keep this list relatively short. Most young professionals aren’t bankrolling a high enough salary to be able to afford unnecessary luxuries; hell many older professionals aren’t either! And you have to make sure that these luxuries are not coming at the expense of an actual necessity, like food, utility bills or student loan payments.

My necessary luxuries have grown with me, changing with my taste and needs. In college, these extras included bagels from the Emerson Cafe (thanks Mom for the steady supply of EC Cash!), an ever expanding DVD collection courtesy of Amazon, and Cape Codders from Sweetwater. When I was unemployed, it was the internet (I was so broke that I couldn’t even afford bus fare to get downtown for free events).

Do a Google image search of "Necessary Luxuries." It gives you an idea of the variety of what is considered "necessary."

Now that I’m older, wiser and make enough to be a bit more comfortable, I’ve been able to expand these luxuries. While I tend to think and re-think about every unnecessary purchase I make, I give myself these allowances:

1. Organic milk

I have always loved milk. When I was younger, I drank it at least twice a day. My mother would buy two gallons a week and I could usually polish it off easily. Now I’m drinking it much less, and have found myself having to pour out sour milk from half gallons more often than I’m comfortable with. So I go organic. Not only is it healthier, but it’s super pasteurized so it takes about a month longer to go foul. Buying that extra fresh time in the fridge is easily worth the extra $1.50-$2 it costs.

2. Personal training

I have an on-again-off-again relationship with fitness. I swim through waves of high energy and motivation for exercise and wade through troughs of sheer laziness. Unfortunately, I tend to fall into the latter more often that the former. Even starting a nutrition and weight loss plan with a trainer in October did not lead me to totally slack off during that month from over work and over stress.

But the money I shell out each month (believe me, it was an excellent deal) is so worth the external motivation. If I know that I have someone to answer to at the end of the day, someone who makes me understand the movements of my workouts and my food choices, then I’m going to push harder and stay committed. My sessions with Josh are fruitful because he’s there to motivate me, and push me through to the 20th rep of a squat when my body just wants to give up. He’s there to keep me on my toes (well, heels – you really should push from your heels) and to keep me on track. Plus, since my gym membership is paid for the year – it’s totally worth it.

3. A smartphone

I really don’t like to think of how long it took me to get one. I’ve only had my Droid for five months, but I don’t know what I’d do without it.

The trick with necessary luxuries is trying to find a way to get them cheaper. My employer has a deal with Verizon (despite my last post, it’s still a good deal), so I save 19% on service and am only spending an extra $20 or so more a month for a data plan. Win win win.

4. Semi-regular haircuts

This is new to my list. Since I stopped coloring my hair my freshman year of college, I have stopped needing haircuts every five-six weeks. In college, I wanted a Newbury Street salon haircut but at the price of my hairdresser at home. I tended to let it grow until it was too long, curly and unruly and I would chop off four to five inches at a time. Since the advent of Groupon, CoupMe and Living Social, I have managed to score appointments at top salons for half price, but even then, going only once or twice a year.

Until Sonia.

I went in to the Amaci Salon last month (with a CoupMe coupon) for a haircut before my trip to Kentucky. She grew up down the street from where I now live in East Cambridge, and was so easy to talk to. She gave me such a fantastic haircut that I’m actually convinced that I’ve found a new stylist in Boston (finally!). She suggested that I get a haircut every four months or so, and I have to agree. After that, I lose my lovely layers, and my beautiful curls get bogged down in their own weight. Amaci is a great salon, Sonia is a genius with curls, and again, it’s a cost that’s worth it.

Necessary luxuries can be important to us: just a touch of that extra something. Procured in a smart and savvy way, these little boosters can also help improve our quality of life (even if it is in a superficial way). With a higher income, my list is likely to grow, and me along with it.

How about you? What are the necessary luxuries that give your week an extra bit of oomph?

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