Best Spends

When it comes to life, let’s be realistic – you are going to spend money. Spending money is necessary to survive in today’s society. From your mortgage or rent to car payments and groceries, money flowing out the door is all too common. Some spends are better than others though. In this post and in the series of posts related to best spends, I will provide a closer look at some of the spends I felt the best about.

A Thought

I’m not going to take you through the laundry list of my spends on a regular basis. Between my debit card and my credit card (which I always get to zero balance every single month), you’d have to scroll on and on to see all the activity. In this post and similar best spend posts to follow, I typically take a look at the top two to five best spends. Ok, with that thought out of the way, let’s take a closer look at my latest best spends.

Family Visit

Just over a decade ago, my dad moved from Illinois out to Arizona. Admittedly, we haven’t visited him as much as we should have over the years. His birthday is coming up in a few months and he is closing on a new house in the Phoenix area. My wife and I decided that it was time to pay him a visit.

So, just recently, I plopped down just over $1,600 for the plane tickets from Chicago to Phoenix. $1,600 is a lot of money however, me, my wife, and our two daughters will get some quality time together with my dad. We’ll need to be careful though. Phoenix in June screams sunburn! That, and I’m keeping a close eye on whether we need to change the flights due to the virus…

Happy Tax Man

The more you read my posts, the more you’ll see that I really don’t know how to sit still. I run a successful small business with just over twenty employees, build and maintain a few websites, and regularly pursue continuing education opportunities. Many of these activities have some sort of tax implications. Once upon a time, I thought I’d complete my taxes all by myself. That thought was short lived!

With constant changes to tax laws and with multiple income streams, having someone do my taxes was the better choice. This year’s personal tax bill sent from the accounting company was $300. Yes, that is more than H&R Block or trying to figure it out on my own but I know it was all done right. And with over 50 pages that made up my return, I’m happy to fork over the $300 for peace of mind.

Good Gut

Financial stability doesn’t mean all that much if you don’t have your health. You will likely find me writing more about the balance of health and wealth. Over the last 30 days, I spent $30 on my probiotics. Historically, I wasn’t a user and/or believer in these little balls of joy. Over the past four months, I’ve changed my mind. Now I take a probiotic on a daily basis. I’ve noticed a few positive impacts which include less frequent and less severe colds/illnesses. That’s why when my bottle was running low, I didn’t mind putting up the cash to get more probiotics sent my way.

If I can stay healthy and productive, these little guys are definitely going to be a regular on my best spends list. Not that I’m advocating for specific brands health wise here but I would encourage you to be sure that health and wealth are part of your overall equation!

Looking Forward

I will keep an eye on the cash heading out of the accounts. I will keep you posted on my best spends on a regular basis. Until next time, what do you think your best spends were in the last 30 days?

Check out another one of my previous best spend posts here!