26. Don't try to be "better". Embrace who you are and manage your life so that your shortcomings work to your advantage (or to the advantage of others).
The smartest investment I have made lately is for my health. I have started walking to work daily and turned in my parking pass. I have saved money, lost weight and improved my health.
Paint - when in doubt, paint it. I have managed over the years to update kitchens and bath cabinets with elbow grease and good paint. I just redid our countertops with a countertop paint kit that made our 32 year old formica countertops look like we replaced them with granite look countertops for CHEAP!! Paint should be the first resort before replacing furniture, accessories.. i have painted picture frames, furniture, cabinet knobs, you name it! One of the best things about paint is that it is relatively cheap, if u dont like the color afterwards (or during the painting process) you can start over with another color. You dont have to be a artist or crafty to paint, just envision that ugly dresser from 1972 in a color that u like, perhaps the knobs too and see what u get!! The money i have saved from not buying everything new, or ripping out perfectly good cabinets that were just ugly, is probably thousands over the years!! now thats a investment with good returns.. cheap output and great rewards back, both financially and mentally!! go ahead, take a leap, PAINT IT!!
Is this contest based on the quality of the answer? if so then the best investment I ever made was my HP notebook and the HP printer that came with it. HP products rock!
Unfortunately, I haven't made any serious investments. But we "invested" $3 in a camper radio/flashlight/compass that turned out to be a very, very good buy considering the Hurricane this past weekend.
The wisest investment my husband made was working hard to be an awesome student in high school. His hard work and smarts paid off such that he got full scholarships for his BA, MA and PhD. He received a PhD without any debt and without every paying tuition. I call that a great investment!
I woke up for an interview in New York to discover that I had no belt. With only 40 mins until my interview time, so I ran to the nearest place, Thomas Pink. That's where I picked up a plain leather belt for a quick $165. It was so painful, because I probably could've gotten the same on half price online, or found an identical one for even less. Got the job though, which more than covered it.
The smartest investment I made is to stick with my current I.T. company. I could have left for better paying jobs but I.T. downsizing could have put me in unemployment. Here, I now have seniority.
The best investment I've ever made is investing my time in a sober-living facility that started out with nothing. In 7 years, we have grown from helping 3 people recover in an revamped old grade school to increasing our resident beds to over 60, purchasing our building, purchasing a house near us to use as a "honor house" and helping numerous people realize a better life free from addictions. The smiles and laughter from the residents are the best return on my investment ever!
The best investment I've ever made was investing in my education with tangible skills. Taking classes on building/farming/foraging and promoting my own self sufficiency. In an economy where nothing is certain, knowing you can fend for yourself is priceless.
The smartest investment I've ever made was in learning to make about anything I can. I learned to sew years ago, through purchased books, and the amount of savings that we've had from that ability is staggering. The most tangible are the cloth diapers I've made for my daughter that have saved us $100s on diapering costs.
I would say that the smartest investment I have made is in my six-month old Toyota Prius. I love this car because it is environmentally friendly and has saved me a ton of money on gas. I feel this has given me some freedom because I have gone on more road trips and seen more of the country guilt-free because I am saving on gas. I will have to make car payments for several years, but in the long run I feel it will pay off because I won't need to replace it for a loooong time. My experience with this vehicle so far is that it is well built and reliable and will not need much money thrown into it in the form of extra maintenance. For these reasons, the Toyota Prius is a great investment!
the best investment I have ever made was the investment in my health. I started seeing a chiropractor who helped relieve my chronic neck/back pain that I had for 3 years. I also started seeing my primary physician and dentist for annual checkups. This investment has made me a happier, healthier person who makes better decisions and enjoys life more :)
The best investment I ever made was in a $20 book. As a result of that book, I learned something about the tax code that has saved me between $5000 and $6000 in taxes every year for the past 9 years. Quite a return on investment if you ask me.
The smartest investment I have ever made cost me zero money. It is in myself. You can literally learn ANYTHING for FREE on the internet or in the library these days. Why waste 150k on an education. I do have my bachelor's and 25k in loans, but the realization that I need to invest in myself and can do so cheaply has paid off in spades!
Best ACTUAL investment: Starting a Roth IRA in my mid-twenties, and contributing to it regularly. If I can do this for my entire working life, I'll be well set for retirement.
Best non-investment investment: LASIK eye surgery. It really changed my life and I'm so glad every day that I don't have to deal with glasses and contacts like I used to. Quality of life FTW!
Best stupid investment: Once, I spent my emergency fund on a trip to Europe with my best friend and my sister. Totally stupid, and I had the best time of my life. I would not recommend this course of action, but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing.
Smartest investment ever - taking a two semester typing class in high school. This simple skill made it easier to get through college (writing papers as well as computer programs) and is put to use every day in my job as a software engineer.
My greatest investment decision I've made was using services like Mint.com to track my finances. With it's help I've been able to narrow my decision making into only spending when I need to spend and spend less on those items.
For many years I just watched my account balance, now I not only watch my account balance but also where that money is going, does it fit in my budget and how to manage my budget so I can afford within my means for each month.
It may have been a free service but it has changed the way I saw my finances.
Although it wasn't a big financial investment, taking a letterpress class (on a whim) was my best investment so far - I fell in love with the craft that lets me merge my graphic design background and my yearning to get away from the computer and make something tactile & creative with my hands. I've since started my own DBA small business and have been creating and selling letterpress goods in retail shops and online, and creating custom letterpress invites and other items for people. Not only did it shift my career path a bit, it's something that I just can't get enough of, and love the idea of continuing an old traditional printing method that feels so new in the age of all things digital. Next stop - I'm aiming to buy a letterpress machine of my own!
When I was nineteen years old I married someone who understood the value of frugal living. After forty-three years she has finally won me over to her way of thinking. We are debt free and building toward a survivable retirement.
For me, the investment of a couple hundred dollars and 20+ hours in a birth class for my husband and I was 100% worth it. We went to a Bradley Method class, and when I started having contractions Christmas day, we were both prepared rather than panicky. The birth went more smoothly than we could have planned or dreamed, and I credit the time investment we put into a good education, exercise and diet, gleaned from the Bradley class.
The smartest investment I've ever made would be the $2000 I spend on our wedding. Not was that money going towards a tremendous day but it will be compounding with interest until the end of our life when we breath our last. All the times together, memories, raising kids, being a family and serving God together will be priceless.
Dan Cain
(email removed. editor's note: you only have to put your email in the email field, not in the main text field.)
I think the smartest investment I've ever made is for my Macbook. Ever since I purchased my laptop I have never had any problems or issues with programs not working or even virus. It was pretty pricey when I got it, but I'm glad to have made the decision to get it.
26. Don't try to be "better". Embrace who you are and manage your life so that your shortcomings work to your advantage (or to the advantage of others).
The smartest investment I have made lately is for my health. I have started walking to work daily and turned in my parking pass. I have saved money, lost weight and improved my health.
Paint - when in doubt, paint it. I have managed over the years to update kitchens and bath cabinets with elbow grease and good paint. I just redid our countertops with a countertop paint kit that made our 32 year old formica countertops look like we replaced them with granite look countertops for CHEAP!! Paint should be the first resort before replacing furniture, accessories.. i have painted picture frames, furniture, cabinet knobs, you name it! One of the best things about paint is that it is relatively cheap, if u dont like the color afterwards (or during the painting process) you can start over with another color. You dont have to be a artist or crafty to paint, just envision that ugly dresser from 1972 in a color that u like, perhaps the knobs too and see what u get!! The money i have saved from not buying everything new, or ripping out perfectly good cabinets that were just ugly, is probably thousands over the years!! now thats a investment with good returns.. cheap output and great rewards back, both financially and mentally!! go ahead, take a leap, PAINT IT!!
Is this contest based on the quality of the answer? if so then the best investment I ever made was my HP notebook and the HP printer that came with it. HP products rock!
Unfortunately, I haven't made any serious investments. But we "invested" $3 in a camper radio/flashlight/compass that turned out to be a very, very good buy considering the Hurricane this past weekend.
The wisest investment my husband made was working hard to be an awesome student in high school. His hard work and smarts paid off such that he got full scholarships for his BA, MA and PhD. He received a PhD without any debt and without every paying tuition. I call that a great investment!
I woke up for an interview in New York to discover that I had no belt. With only 40 mins until my interview time, so I ran to the nearest place, Thomas Pink. That's where I picked up a plain leather belt for a quick $165. It was so painful, because I probably could've gotten the same on half price online, or found an identical one for even less. Got the job though, which more than covered it.
The smartest investment I made is to stick with my current I.T. company. I could have left for better paying jobs but I.T. downsizing could have put me in unemployment. Here, I now have seniority.
The best investment I've ever made is investing my time in a sober-living facility that started out with nothing. In 7 years, we have grown from helping 3 people recover in an revamped old grade school to increasing our resident beds to over 60, purchasing our building, purchasing a house near us to use as a "honor house" and helping numerous people realize a better life free from addictions. The smiles and laughter from the residents are the best return on my investment ever!
The smartest investment I ever made was in people. In not just networking connections, but truly getting to know connections.
The best investment I've ever made is to take care of my physical health. I hope to stave off future high dollar costs of medical payments.
The best investment I've ever made was investing in my education with tangible skills. Taking classes on building/farming/foraging and promoting my own self sufficiency. In an economy where nothing is certain, knowing you can fend for yourself is priceless.
The smartest investment I've ever made was in learning to make about anything I can. I learned to sew years ago, through purchased books, and the amount of savings that we've had from that ability is staggering. The most tangible are the cloth diapers I've made for my daughter that have saved us $100s on diapering costs.
I would say that the smartest investment I have made is in my six-month old Toyota Prius. I love this car because it is environmentally friendly and has saved me a ton of money on gas. I feel this has given me some freedom because I have gone on more road trips and seen more of the country guilt-free because I am saving on gas. I will have to make car payments for several years, but in the long run I feel it will pay off because I won't need to replace it for a loooong time. My experience with this vehicle so far is that it is well built and reliable and will not need much money thrown into it in the form of extra maintenance. For these reasons, the Toyota Prius is a great investment!
the best investment I have ever made was the investment in my health. I started seeing a chiropractor who helped relieve my chronic neck/back pain that I had for 3 years. I also started seeing my primary physician and dentist for annual checkups. This investment has made me a happier, healthier person who makes better decisions and enjoys life more :)
The best investment I ever made was in a $20 book. As a result of that book, I learned something about the tax code that has saved me between $5000 and $6000 in taxes every year for the past 9 years. Quite a return on investment if you ask me.
The smartest investment I have ever made cost me zero money. It is in myself. You can literally learn ANYTHING for FREE on the internet or in the library these days. Why waste 150k on an education. I do have my bachelor's and 25k in loans, but the realization that I need to invest in myself and can do so cheaply has paid off in spades!
Best ACTUAL investment: Starting a Roth IRA in my mid-twenties, and contributing to it regularly. If I can do this for my entire working life, I'll be well set for retirement.
Best non-investment investment: LASIK eye surgery. It really changed my life and I'm so glad every day that I don't have to deal with glasses and contacts like I used to. Quality of life FTW!
Best stupid investment: Once, I spent my emergency fund on a trip to Europe with my best friend and my sister. Totally stupid, and I had the best time of my life. I would not recommend this course of action, but if I could go back in time, I wouldn't change a thing.
Smartest investment ever - taking a two semester typing class in high school. This simple skill made it easier to get through college (writing papers as well as computer programs) and is put to use every day in my job as a software engineer.
My greatest investment decision I've made was using services like Mint.com to track my finances. With it's help I've been able to narrow my decision making into only spending when I need to spend and spend less on those items.
For many years I just watched my account balance, now I not only watch my account balance but also where that money is going, does it fit in my budget and how to manage my budget so I can afford within my means for each month.
It may have been a free service but it has changed the way I saw my finances.
Although it wasn't a big financial investment, taking a letterpress class (on a whim) was my best investment so far - I fell in love with the craft that lets me merge my graphic design background and my yearning to get away from the computer and make something tactile & creative with my hands. I've since started my own DBA small business and have been creating and selling letterpress goods in retail shops and online, and creating custom letterpress invites and other items for people. Not only did it shift my career path a bit, it's something that I just can't get enough of, and love the idea of continuing an old traditional printing method that feels so new in the age of all things digital. Next stop - I'm aiming to buy a letterpress machine of my own!
When I was nineteen years old I married someone who understood the value of frugal living. After forty-three years she has finally won me over to her way of thinking. We are debt free and building toward a survivable retirement.
For me, the investment of a couple hundred dollars and 20+ hours in a birth class for my husband and I was 100% worth it. We went to a Bradley Method class, and when I started having contractions Christmas day, we were both prepared rather than panicky. The birth went more smoothly than we could have planned or dreamed, and I credit the time investment we put into a good education, exercise and diet, gleaned from the Bradley class.
The smartest investment I've ever made would be the $2000 I spend on our wedding. Not was that money going towards a tremendous day but it will be compounding with interest until the end of our life when we breath our last. All the times together, memories, raising kids, being a family and serving God together will be priceless.
Dan Cain
(email removed. editor's note: you only have to put your email in the email field, not in the main text field.)
I think the smartest investment I've ever made is for my Macbook. Ever since I purchased my laptop I have never had any problems or issues with programs not working or even virus. It was pretty pricey when I got it, but I'm glad to have made the decision to get it.