Money can be such a touchy subject. Y’all ever notice that? It’s one of those topics that we not only hold an opinion on for our OWN lives, we also are very informed as to how OTHER people should be spending their money. Funny little thing.

Oh my gosh, did you see her get her nails done? Wonder how much that cost.

Organic food? Seems a bit extravagant.

You spent money on personal training? I can think of a million things to put my money into before that.

Here’s the thing: we invest in what we consider priority. I’ve heard the saying many times, “show me a person’s bank account, and I will show you what they value most.”

This goes for time as well as money. In fact, almost every single thing we spend money on is our investment into convenience. We spend money to save time, and our time is arguably the most valuable thing we have. 

You can get a nice do-it-at-home nail kit and figure out how to give yourself the manicure you want for a fraction of the cost.

You can grow your own vegetables and raise your own meat.

You can learn how to exercise on your own and find tutorial videos on the internet and even get your own training certification.

But those things take a lot of time, and often what we choose to pay for is the value of convenience. Rather than spending our time doing the research on our own, we pay to receive it directly, so that our mental load and free time is spent doing other endeavors. 

I hate to break it to you, but most of us who went to college probably could have received most of our education, if not all of it, for free via the internet and the local library. Certainly, there are fields that require guidance and experience to make sure we are meeting a specific standard before entering the workforce (I don’t really want a surgeon whose resume says “self-taught,” know what I’m sayin’?) 

That being said, it is technically possible to find, collect, and study all the information we receive in a classroom or from a coach on our own. But just because that is true and someone knows it’s true, isn’t necessarily enough of a motivation to get them to do it. That’s why we pay for help or for someone else to do it for us, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, in many scenarios it’s absolutely necessary.  

Here’s the real kicker: we all value different things. We put things in different orders of priority, and this means that we will choose to invest our money in different things.

No matter what you value, it’s best not to spend above your means – that’s budgeting 101.  

Whatever you choose to spend your money on though, make it intentional. Whenever possible, make the investment in something you acknowledge is important to you. This can even include something as simple as eating out with a friend, because you’re prioritizing time spent socializing outside of the home. 

Own your investments, friends. Whatever they look like.