Five things I want to buy more of in 2025
and a few things I want to buy less of
I’ve been spending a lot of time reflecting on my achievements from 2024 and goals for 2025, and with that comes a reflection on my spending. It’s so important to reflect on—and it can be done any time of year, but there’s something special about doing it in the new year. When looking back at my purchases over the past year, I thought through my favorite purchases and the ones I regret, and I started to think about what I want to spend less and more on in 2025.
What do I want to spend less on? In short, impulse purchases, things that don’t really bring me joy, and things I bought because I couldn’t find something better and was in a hurry.
But what do I want to spend more on? That’s more interesting.
The cliché answer is that I want to spend more money on experiences rather than things, which is true to an extent—I’ve enjoyed the experiences (sports games, concerts, comedy shows) that I’ve spent money on in 2024, but that’s not the full story. I spent $2,500 on hobbies and experiences this year, about 12% of my total variable spending. That’s a lot ($$$$!!) of money—money that I’m happy spending, but not sure if I want to increase.
There are a few things I want to spend more on (a lot less than $2,500) that will bring me a lot of joy.
5 things I want to buy more of in 2025:
Everyday comforts
By this, I mean the extra little things that are probably overpriced but just a few dollars here and there: guac at Chipotle, syrup in coffee, and a good smelling candle. I want to indulge in those tiny things that can turn a day around from okay to great.
Gift and treats for friends
I never regret these purchases, and I want to spend more money here. I mentioned this last week as my biggest money lesson of the year—I want to spend more money on the people I care about.
Healthier foods
I want to buy more healthy food this year, but also more food that I will use and not go to waste, so this might involve me getting better at cooking and trying out new recipes.
Sustainable and secondhand fashion
I want to make an effort in 2025 to stop buying as much fast fashion and shift my spending towards sustainable and secondhand fashion. In 2024 I struggled with this because while I enjoy thrifting, it’s hard and time consuming to find the exact item you’re looking for, and I haven’t found many sustainable fashion brands where I like the style and are affordable.
Crafts
I’ve enjoyed crafting this year—mostly knitting and journaling—and I want to spend more in this area. I find that these tasks are meditative to me and always leave me feeling more positive.
What’s on your list for intentional spending in 2025? What do you want to spend more or less on?
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I want to spend money on nothing!
I caught up on a bunch of things we needed here this year, thanks to the Medium gods granting me a viral story. And now I want to clamp down and buy nothing but groceries because the gods are fickle indeed and unlikely to grant another crazy payoff of $23K for a single story.
I really relate to this and being willing to spend more on experiences! I've spent a pretty substantial amount of money on horseback riding over the last three years but it brings me so much joy, it's money well spent. One area I cut back on this year was takeout and even eating out, unless it's a new restaurant that really feels worth it. By default, my grocery bill went up a bit and I'd like to find a way to bring that down this year if I can.
Great read!