I’m sure you have your guard up. It is April 1st after all. While I can guarantee that some of these truths will seem to be the makings of an April Fools’ joke, especially coming from a personal finance blogger, I promise they’re 100% true.
I pay for a cleaning service.
It’s true. I burn between $45-$90 a month having someone clean our home. It’s not that I don’t also clean constantly–I do. It’s just that she can deep clean my home in three hours, and I swear it takes me at least three times as long. As a trade-off of sorts, I can cover the cost of a cleaning with only one hour of tutoring. For a long time, I thought I could and should cancel the service. It would be the financially prudent thing to do. Then, she went to visit family in Europe for two months, and I realized what a very, very good thing we have going. Absence definitely made this heart grow fonder.
I still have a candy bar in the freezer from two years ago.
My penny-finding gem of a grandma passed away with a freezer full of chocolates, and I still have a Kit-Kat bar. I decluttered our entire first floor and am in the midst of a closet overhaul, but I still can’t part with or eat this dang chocolate. It’s entirely illogical. But it makes me smile every time I open the freezer door.
I’m paying for Mr. P’s graduate degree with a zero-percent credit card.
I paid for all of my graduate work the same way. There’s no benefit to paying in cash (read: discount), and I sure as heck am not about to sign up for more debt. We have the savings to cover the degree and actually could cover the individual class payments with our current income. Still, this credit card game has been a terrific way to boost Mr. P’s credit score, and we’re enjoying reaping the benefits of different credit card rewards. Obviously, this isn’t advisable for someone who couldn’t cover the expenses*, but it’s been a pretty fun game for us to play.
All and all, I toe the line pretty well when it comes personal finance. Conventional wisdom holds for a reason. Still, there’s something a little contrarian in all of us. Whether it’s not apologizing for designer shoes or paying for a cleaning service, idiosyncrasies keep life interesting. And there seems no better day to celebrate that truth than today.
So Tell Me…Up to any good April Fool’s pranks today? Have any surprising truths to share?
*Seriously. Don’t put ANYTHING on a credit card that you can’t pay in full when the bill comes. Not $5, not $5,000.
Fun idea for a post 🙂
Thank you! I’m going to try to keep track of a few quirks this year to length the list next time.
If my partner goes back to school, we are definitely doing the credit card thing. Something with an amazing rewards system haha. Fun post!
If we had more flexible schedules, we’d totally use this as an opportunity to travel hack. In the meantime, we’re having fun scooping up deals like $200 back on a $1500 purchase. That’s one way to get higher education at a discount!
That’s really smart! and a different way to look at it. My family is across the country though and Canadian flights are $$$$. So I only see any opportunity to get to them cheaper hahahaah 🙂
I also have a cleaning person, and it makes my life so much better. While I try to live (somewhat) frugally, there are expenses that are definitely worth the money.
It’s so funny to me how this can get under people’s skin. My in-laws LOVE to bring up the fact that we have a cleaning service. I keep telling them not to knock it until they’ve tried it!
The cleaning is something I think about getting done all the time. Just once a month, I just don’t like doing it but really like a clean house. Seems like a decent trade off!
The woman who cleans for us is wonderful. She’s actually a family friend who cleans for my mom. So when she asked if she could do our house, I was really hesitant. Now I can’t imagine doing it any other way. I can definitely get by without her, but it frees up our time for other things…like side hustling!
April Fools truth: sometimes I shop at Whole Foods. It’s exactly on my way home, whereas the cheap supermarket requires a separate, lengthy trip in the opposite direction. What can I say? Sometimes I’m tired.
Also, I know Whole Foods gets a bad rap in the pf community, but honestly *some things* are CHEAPER there than anywhere else (particularly in the bulk section).
Yes! Thanks for chiming in, Sarah! The Whole Foods nearest me is a whole town over by a very congested shopping mall. But they issue coupons and have decent sales. I won’t go out of my way for any grocery store, but I do think it’s an easy store to knock (and sometimes unfairly so).
That zero percent credit card trick is a fan-freaking-tastic idea. I may have to steal it someday.
Nice blog.
I think for a deep clean that is a good rate. This world isn’t about money, it’s about convenience and keeping your mind right too.
My one finance quirk is, I am a date addict and I never regret a penny of it!