Practicing What We Preach: Splurging

Almost everything I bought or borrowed to keep our truck running properly.

I recently wrote about when it's reasonable to splurge on something. The conclusion of that post was there aren't that many things worth splurging on, however, there are a few. This post is about putting our money where our mouths (keyboards?) are. Read on to learn about our recent splurging.

If you read our January spending report, you know about a lot of this, but it bears repeating. Last month, we splurged on several things that I previously said were worth splurging on, and because I believe in leading by example, I want to tell you about them.

Maintenance
In January we spent about $1,000 on maintenance for our truck. That's a lot of money, and definitely feels like a splurge, but I know it's money well spent. Our truck has over 230,000 miles on the odometer, and it was starting to show. By replacing some parts now, I'm avoiding a catastrophic failure somewhere down the road at an inopportune time, in an inconvenient location. The money we spent buys peace of mind, which you can't put a price on. We also saved a lot of money by doing the work ourselves. That wouldn't be possible if we broke down far from home. Most importantly, the steering on our truck is hugely improved, and that makes it much safer to drive.

If you're curious, here's everything we did:

• Replaced water pump, thermostat, thermostat housing, radiator hoses, and flushed the cooling system
• Replaced power steering (and power brake) pump, high pressure line, and flushed the system
• Replaced the steering gear and the pitman arm (tie rods and drag link were replaced late last year)
• Replaced the serpentine belt

Dental care
January was also the month we paid off the remaining balance (don't worry, it was interest free) from our orthodontic treatment. It cost quite a bit, but straight teeth are another thing you can't really put a price on. You look better, feel more confident, and can avoid some nasty long-term dental problems.

In addition to our braces, we bit the bullet and bought some fancy (and expensive) mouthwash to help with Chrissy's sensitive gums. It pained me a little to spend the money, but I literally thought of my words about not skimping on dental care, and ordered this stuff. It's hard to say for sure, but it seems to be working.

Socks
After getting dangerously low on hole-free socks, I finally pulled the trigger on some new ones. My previous favorites were 71% wool, and I paid $25 for four pairs. I planned to buy more of them, but the price had increased to $30 (they are back down to $25 now) which bugged me. As I procrastinated on the purchase, I stumbled upon another option from the same company. They are only 42% wool, but I'm liking them so far. I like that they are a little thinner than the others, but still keep my feet warm in a chilly house. I like that they're black, and I like that they're made in America. Best of all, they are significantly cheaper than the other socks at $20 for six pairs. It's not as much of a splurge, but it's still more expensive than a pack of cotton socks, so I'm giving myself credit.

Those are our recent splurges. They hurt our budget in January, but we have lots of time to recover. The good thing is, they stuck to my splurging rules, so I'm not really upset about them, and I don't feel like a hypocrite.

Have you splurged on anything recently? Let us know in the comments.


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