The best investment I've ever made has been investing in the lives of my friends - giving them my time, support, help and a shoulder to lean on. I've gotten way more back from them than I ever imagined - help in a crisis, a sounding board for decision-making, stress relief when I'm feeling stretched, and laughter to keep me sane. They help keep my priorities in order and keep me accountable to myself for who I am and what I do.
Certainly my laptop, which contains my life and enables me to connect, learn, and earn and save money. If I could only afford and Ipad and a smart phone, I'd be all set.
I'd have to say that thus far the best investment for our family is a Dyson. We bought it with a Target employee 40% discount about a month ago, and hope to use it for at least the next 10-15 years. It's also my first big, long-term purchase.
The best investment I've made has been in the relationship I have with my husband. Our relationship has had its ups and downs, but I've grown immensely during the seven years that we've been together and he has made me a better person. Thanks to him, I am a great mom to our three-year-old daughter, instead of repeating the cycle of poor decisions that my mother made.
My family got prepared when we had several tornadoes in the St Louis area last year (one on 12/31/10 was within a few blocks from our house and we were across the street at the grocery store when it hit). This turned our family into a major campaign to get our act in gear. We even took it upon ourselves (at the hands of my 8 yr old daughter) to write to various companies to see if they would help us make emergency kits for all of the kids in her school. Needless to say, no one would help us accomplish her goal. BUT, it did help us get in gear and get ourselves ready for another potentially bad year of storms (or earthquakes, or other potential emergencies). We hope with our changes we will be prepared.
The smartest investment I ever made was actually enrolling in a 401K with my first job directly out of college. Many of my peers didn't want to enroll because they felt they needed every bit of their paycheck and one could invest later on. Because I have been investing in my 401K for quite some time I've established a nice little nest egg for myself. I tell everyone, go ahead and invest the minimum amount that you need because it will pay off in the long run.
The best investment I EVER made was to stay at home with my oldest for the first two years. It gave me quality time with her, AND it helped me to learn to become frugal. Now that we have two incomes again, I still clip coupons and save any way we can, it is giving us the ability to save for retirement and not worry about expenses that may come up!
My MacBook Pro. I spent $2K, but it has lasted me over 5.5 years now and I've never had a problems with it. It isn't obsolete and can still handle the latest software. Every windows computer I had lasted two years if I was lucky and the OS had to be rebuilt at least once per year. My mac more than paid for itself years ago.
The smartest decision I ever made was hiring my divorce attorney. At the time it happened I didn't realize how bad the relationship was. Now that I am going through the process of the divorce it has made me realize how dependent on someone else I was. Now I have the power to do anything I want and can accomplish anything. Now, if I could win that $500 you could help pay for some of those bills from the attorney. :)
The smartest investment I ever made was into my education, including a review course that helped me pass the CPA exam. Becoming a CPA has allowed me to buy into an existing practice and secure my financial future as a self-employed professional.
The smartest investment my hubby and I made - was to work toward paying off our house early. We'll have it paid off before my son goes to High School (just a few years from now).
I think my wisest investment move was joining my organization's 457 plan. When I first started, I didn't really have retirement plans. I had a small amount of tax deferred money taken from each pay. As the years went on, I increased my contribution, even though I've felt strapped at times. I'm hoping to be financially stress free in retirement!
I own a small consulting company. My best investment was buying a company. It was kinda scary - going into debt during the Great Recession. But the investment more than paid for itself in the first year and continues to provide great returns.
My best investment so far is setting up a roth IRA through my work. I am a new graduate and this is my first 'real' job. I was told by my boss that if she had one piece of advice for me it would be to start a roth IRA as soon as possible. I'm so glad I did. It's taken out of my paycheck before I even see it, so it's not missed, but I am still saving for my future while my employer is also matching my amount. Can't get better than that.
The smartest investment I ever made was time. Taking time to sit down and make a budget. I'll be debt free by the end of the year thanks to really paying attention to my cash flow.
My best invenstment - a multipurpose tool (like a Leatherman) that has a wrench, screw drivers, and a bunch of other handy bells and whistles to accomplish any task. It's compact and extremely useful!
My smartest investment has been my iPad. It seemed like a novelty gadget at first, but I've found the right combination of services and apps to greatly speed up my workflow for freelance puzzle authoring work - not to mention the great variety of personal use cases like social media and reading.
The smartest investment for me thus far has been my external harddrive. It has saved me from losing my files and photographs when my old computer died.
My favorite investment was the 2k I spent on my honeymoon. It was a magical way to start our life together even though technically I never saw financial returns.
The smartest investment I ever made was in a tempurpedic bed. My husband and I both had back issues and it has been the best thing we ever did to ensure that we both wake refreshed and feeling good every morning! When you don't sleep well and you hurt, you can't perform to the best of your abilities. We have owned the bed for 6 years and would gladly do it all over again!
My favorite investment was the 2k I spent on my honeymoon. It was a magical way to start our life together even though technically I never saw financial returns.
My best investment? I would have to say the money we spent on family vacations to Disney World. Yep, money spent. The memories we have there are worth so much more than the $2500 we spent to go each time and for us, it truly was the "happiest place on earth". So much so that we are saving up to go again. We saved for 2 years the first visit, 3 years for the second visit, and we're saving up for yet another visit. The kids are only young for a such a short time, we want to make sure that we all have great memories of this time with them. Besides, having a girl who loves the princesses (first visit she got to meet them all!) and a boy who loves Star Wars (and is now an official Paduwan thanks to Hollywood Studios), taking these trips have been some of the best days of their young lives, something they (and their parents) will treasure forever.
My best investment has definitely been pursuing Speech and Debate in college. Although it was time-consuming for me then, I got into graduate school and got my MA because of it and every job I have had since then I have received because of my Speech and Debate involvement. I am now a Director of the same Speech and Debate program I participated in as a college undergraduate and I hope that it pays the same dividends to my students!
The best investvent I ever made was purchasing my laptop computer 3 years ago. It just happens to be an HP. I don't know what I would do without it! It's been a real workhorse. I am finishing my degree online. I have also learned how to save money through reading couponing blogs and printing coupons. I wouldn't be saving as much money or learning as much without it!
My best investment was in a Weight Watchers subscription. In May of 2007, I was clinically obese at age 24 and had been overweight most of my life. Finally taking the initiative to lose weight for good and invest in my health not only led to a 90 pound weight-loss, but also encouraged me to organize my budget and pay down a tremendous amount of credit card debt. The extra weight's still gone and I will be debt-free next year!
The best investment I've ever made has been investing in the lives of my friends - giving them my time, support, help and a shoulder to lean on. I've gotten way more back from them than I ever imagined - help in a crisis, a sounding board for decision-making, stress relief when I'm feeling stretched, and laughter to keep me sane. They help keep my priorities in order and keep me accountable to myself for who I am and what I do.
Certainly my laptop, which contains my life and enables me to connect, learn, and earn and save money. If I could only afford and Ipad and a smart phone, I'd be all set.
I'd have to say that thus far the best investment for our family is a Dyson. We bought it with a Target employee 40% discount about a month ago, and hope to use it for at least the next 10-15 years. It's also my first big, long-term purchase.
The best investment I've made has been in the relationship I have with my husband. Our relationship has had its ups and downs, but I've grown immensely during the seven years that we've been together and he has made me a better person. Thanks to him, I am a great mom to our three-year-old daughter, instead of repeating the cycle of poor decisions that my mother made.
My family got prepared when we had several tornadoes in the St Louis area last year (one on 12/31/10 was within a few blocks from our house and we were across the street at the grocery store when it hit). This turned our family into a major campaign to get our act in gear. We even took it upon ourselves (at the hands of my 8 yr old daughter) to write to various companies to see if they would help us make emergency kits for all of the kids in her school. Needless to say, no one would help us accomplish her goal. BUT, it did help us get in gear and get ourselves ready for another potentially bad year of storms (or earthquakes, or other potential emergencies). We hope with our changes we will be prepared.
The smartest investment I ever made was actually enrolling in a 401K with my first job directly out of college. Many of my peers didn't want to enroll because they felt they needed every bit of their paycheck and one could invest later on. Because I have been investing in my 401K for quite some time I've established a nice little nest egg for myself. I tell everyone, go ahead and invest the minimum amount that you need because it will pay off in the long run.
The best investment I EVER made was to stay at home with my oldest for the first two years. It gave me quality time with her, AND it helped me to learn to become frugal. Now that we have two incomes again, I still clip coupons and save any way we can, it is giving us the ability to save for retirement and not worry about expenses that may come up!
My MacBook Pro. I spent $2K, but it has lasted me over 5.5 years now and I've never had a problems with it. It isn't obsolete and can still handle the latest software. Every windows computer I had lasted two years if I was lucky and the OS had to be rebuilt at least once per year. My mac more than paid for itself years ago.
The smartest decision I ever made was hiring my divorce attorney. At the time it happened I didn't realize how bad the relationship was. Now that I am going through the process of the divorce it has made me realize how dependent on someone else I was. Now I have the power to do anything I want and can accomplish anything. Now, if I could win that $500 you could help pay for some of those bills from the attorney. :)
The smartest investment I ever made was into my education, including a review course that helped me pass the CPA exam. Becoming a CPA has allowed me to buy into an existing practice and secure my financial future as a self-employed professional.
The smartest investment my hubby and I made - was to work toward paying off our house early. We'll have it paid off before my son goes to High School (just a few years from now).
I think my wisest investment move was joining my organization's 457 plan. When I first started, I didn't really have retirement plans. I had a small amount of tax deferred money taken from each pay. As the years went on, I increased my contribution, even though I've felt strapped at times. I'm hoping to be financially stress free in retirement!
I own a small consulting company. My best investment was buying a company. It was kinda scary - going into debt during the Great Recession. But the investment more than paid for itself in the first year and continues to provide great returns.
My best investment so far is setting up a roth IRA through my work. I am a new graduate and this is my first 'real' job. I was told by my boss that if she had one piece of advice for me it would be to start a roth IRA as soon as possible. I'm so glad I did. It's taken out of my paycheck before I even see it, so it's not missed, but I am still saving for my future while my employer is also matching my amount. Can't get better than that.
The smartest investment I ever made was time. Taking time to sit down and make a budget. I'll be debt free by the end of the year thanks to really paying attention to my cash flow.
My best invenstment - a multipurpose tool (like a Leatherman) that has a wrench, screw drivers, and a bunch of other handy bells and whistles to accomplish any task. It's compact and extremely useful!
My smartest investment has been my iPad. It seemed like a novelty gadget at first, but I've found the right combination of services and apps to greatly speed up my workflow for freelance puzzle authoring work - not to mention the great variety of personal use cases like social media and reading.
The smartest investment for me thus far has been my external harddrive. It has saved me from losing my files and photographs when my old computer died.
My favorite investment was the 2k I spent on my honeymoon. It was a magical way to start our life together even though technically I never saw financial returns.
The smartest investment I ever made was in a tempurpedic bed. My husband and I both had back issues and it has been the best thing we ever did to ensure that we both wake refreshed and feeling good every morning! When you don't sleep well and you hurt, you can't perform to the best of your abilities. We have owned the bed for 6 years and would gladly do it all over again!
My favorite investment was the 2k I spent on my honeymoon. It was a magical way to start our life together even though technically I never saw financial returns.
My best investment? I would have to say the money we spent on family vacations to Disney World. Yep, money spent. The memories we have there are worth so much more than the $2500 we spent to go each time and for us, it truly was the "happiest place on earth". So much so that we are saving up to go again. We saved for 2 years the first visit, 3 years for the second visit, and we're saving up for yet another visit. The kids are only young for a such a short time, we want to make sure that we all have great memories of this time with them. Besides, having a girl who loves the princesses (first visit she got to meet them all!) and a boy who loves Star Wars (and is now an official Paduwan thanks to Hollywood Studios), taking these trips have been some of the best days of their young lives, something they (and their parents) will treasure forever.
My best investment has definitely been pursuing Speech and Debate in college. Although it was time-consuming for me then, I got into graduate school and got my MA because of it and every job I have had since then I have received because of my Speech and Debate involvement. I am now a Director of the same Speech and Debate program I participated in as a college undergraduate and I hope that it pays the same dividends to my students!
The best investvent I ever made was purchasing my laptop computer 3 years ago. It just happens to be an HP. I don't know what I would do without it! It's been a real workhorse. I am finishing my degree online. I have also learned how to save money through reading couponing blogs and printing coupons. I wouldn't be saving as much money or learning as much without it!
My best investment was in a Weight Watchers subscription. In May of 2007, I was clinically obese at age 24 and had been overweight most of my life. Finally taking the initiative to lose weight for good and invest in my health not only led to a 90 pound weight-loss, but also encouraged me to organize my budget and pay down a tremendous amount of credit card debt. The extra weight's still gone and I will be debt-free next year!