12 Ideas For Spending & Splurging Your Hard-Saved Money

That’s right. I said it. SPEND your money. Before you go getting all fru-guilty on me, hear me out.

We work so hard to save and spend our money wisely almost every day throughout the year – so don’t we deserve to treat ourselves really well, once in a while? Sometimes it’s time to celebrate our successes with being fiscally responsible and treating ourselves to a great emotional reward. I mean after all, this is life and you only get one shot, so how about a little spendy fun, at least once in a while?

Of course, this is only for the good girls and boys who have been saving hard and are already quite frugal. For people who are quickly paying their debt down or already have that illustrious excellent credit score rating. If you haven’t been frugal and been saving well, you can’t use this as an excuse to splurge and revel in your own financial gluttony.

Here’s a list of ideas for the angelic frugal-ers – for treating yourself for a day (or two, if you want to be really “bad”). I have to admit a bit of frugality slips in here and there on this list, it just couldn’t be helped. But be as frugal or as spendy as you want to be, you deserve it.

B&B Adventure – This one is obviously for couples, but don’t forget to keep the romance alive. A weekend bed & breakfast adventure might be all you need to refresh and re-inspire ourselves into everyday frugality. You could go by yourself if you’re single, but I just think that would be strange, unless you want to get romantic with yourself? Yikes.

Champagne Brunch – The classic way to celebrate any occassion with friends – mimosas, bellinis, bloody marys or just straight up champagne. If you don’t drink, then go for the non-alcoholic options, but I can’t claim to know those as well. Oh yeah don’t forget about tasty food, too. I love a nice eggs benedict for a fancy brunch. Choose a nice locally-owned place where you can remember the times and is more than just a franchise.

Latte Factor – This has been hammered on for years as a frugality-killer, but maybe for a few days in a row, you could treat yourself to some coffee binging for being a good frugal-er. Or even a week. Just don’t make it a habit again.

Fashionable Shopping Spree – OK, since we ARE frugal-ers – by spree I mean a pair of nice shoes, a pair of designer jeans or pants, or a fashionable shirt or you’ve been eyeing up. It’s ok to pay some good money for it, since you’re only buying one. I’m a Adidas Samba (shoes) freak so as a reward in the near future, I’ll be picking up some of those oh-so stylish sneakers.

Lounging Nights – Remember when you used to go out to a club or nice lounge with your sweetie or big crew of homies? Maybe you can’t remember, but if you did, a night with the party people could help you relive the party days a bit as a celebration. The next day you might be grateful those days are gone! This can obviously be combined with a fancy dinner, but if you want to frugal-it-up a notch, make a nice dinner at home. I just can’t help but to think frugally.

Surf or Turf? – Steak, seafood or both? A night out at a nice steakhouse or seafood restaurant. No – I’m not talking about Red Lobster or Outback Steakhouse. I’m mean a high end steakhouse or seafood restaurant. Reminding me of Peter Luger’s Steakhouse in New York City, yum. Go local!

Spa Day – Go for the all-out treatment if you can. Full body massages, facials, mani-pedis, Russian or Korean-style bathhouses, special shower treatments, hydrotherapy or whatever you fancy in a spa. Be adventurous and go for it. Oh yeah and this isn’t just for the ladies, guys can do it to nowadays. Heck, the Greeks did it long before we ever did, haven’t you seen “300” and how tough they look? Spas, fellas, spas.

Beer/Wine/Spirits Tasting – If you live in a state like Colorado as I do we have micro-breweries everywhere. So it’s a real treat to head down to a microbrewery and grab up a tour, or chill at the in-house pub or tap room, or go to several. I’ve got a friend in Brooklyn who recently went on a tour of a gin distillery, he loved it. If you live in or close enough to wine country, then it’s a no-brainer. Or plan a weekend trip to you favorite destination if you want to fly-in. If that’s too much, then get a party of friends together for a build your own tasting party at home.

Electronic Toy Time – Whether you want a new iPhone or Android Smart Phone, or perhaps a new MP3 Player, iPad or Tablet PC. Maybe that new flatscreen boob-tube is calling your name. Not limited to these devices, but whatever your geeky-side desires.

Outdoor Adventure – So much to do outdoors, so little time. By mountain, sea, land or sky? A simple camping trip can be a great getaway. If you’re the seafaring type then maybe deep sea fishing is your style, or a relaxing river or lake trip. Adventurous and thrill-seeking – why not fall from the sky for a couple minutes? With a parachute of course.

Concert/Sports Game – How long has it been since you’ve seen your favorite band or sports team? Whether you want to take family or friends, go cheer your favorite team or band on. I’m not a sports guy, but a musician and huge music fan, though I’m having a hard time justifying paying over $100 per ticket to see my favorite band Kings Of Leon this summer.

Dinner Party or BBQ – Make it Italian, Asian American or (insert ethnic food here) themed, or fuse them all together. You can turn this into a real shindig and go all-out, providing all the drink, food and fixings. OR…you can make it a potluck and provide some higher-end items. Frugality strikes again! Always combined with fun of course. I do love me some cole-slaw, cornbread and vinegar based BBQ dishes. Mmmm, mmm, Cletus!

EXTRA CREDIT: If you have a rewards credit card and having been using your card for all of your purchases, then perhaps you can use those rewards points to help pay for any of the ideas above. Of course, you are using your credit card the right way by paying it off every month in full and gathering all those tasty rewards points. As smart money people, we never will get in a situation where we damage our credit and have to work hard at a fixing bad credit score, right?

So that’s a wrap on how to splurge away those hard-saved dolares. I’m sure you’ll have more ideas or can expand on these, so feel free to share below. I know BB wants to see those comments and so do I!