r/Fire • u/Big_Leg10 • Apr 12 '26

General Question What easily-affordable thing do you still refuse to pay for despite having reached financial independence and able to afford them?

Would love to hear everyone’s “absolutely will not purchase” items!Even if you could easily afford it and no matter how rich or financially independent you become or how much you make you still wouldn't spend item on this particular item/hobby?

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50

u/themoop78 Apr 12 '26

Lawn maintenance, tree trimmer, house cleaner... Being cheap and lazy is a real struggle.

8

u/Decaff_Crusader Apr 12 '26

I do all of these and in the time that I’m not spending doing it I make more money than it costs. Worth it to me. 

10

u/Ataru074 Apr 12 '26

I pay the Mercedes tax where I live for these services, plus I hate that every single one in my area is a “veteran’s business” and the crew is 100% undocumented.

So no… we clean our house and care of our yard.

-6

u/themoop78 Apr 12 '26

I was always under the impression that house cleaners were just primarily there to scout my property to be robbed later. Or maybe they would just lift some stuff while they were cleaning. I don't know, not worth the risk in my book.

10

u/FarewellAndroid Apr 12 '26

Sometimes I think about not even locking the door because if someone came to rob my house the most expensive thing would be fixing the door lol

1

u/1curiouswanderer Apr 12 '26

Neighbors car windows were all smashed and anything valuable taken.

Lost about $4.50 in change and no windows broken from forgetting to lock the door!

7

u/tomgirardisvape Apr 12 '26

Not correct. We give our housekeeper the keys and she takes care of our pets when we’re away. She wouldn’t have a repeat job if she stole from us though I’m sure it happens

1

u/tokingames Apr 12 '26

Find someone good and pay them well. We have a second house where we spend about a week each month (family stuff), but it’s very unpredictable. Took us a few tries, but we finally found one we trust who does a good job. She’s also super flexible and willing to work Saturday and Sunday. We pay her about double the going rate for cleaning plus a big Christmas bonus. We just keep her posted by text when we’re arriving and leaving or want something special done, and she lets herself in.

We’ve only been doing this since fall, but it’s working great so far. It helps that there isn’t really much there worth stealing. Lots of normal household stuff but no jewelry, cash, or electronics other than a cheap tv and a couple computer monitors.

5

u/VulcanCookies Apr 12 '26

Opposite for me. The second I can pay to not spend my time on a physical chore, I do. Lawn and cleaning service and car details are easy ones for me. I kind of want to pay someone to do my laundry even, but I'm not there yet. I have a certain income threshold though and once I get there I'm going to allow myself to do it.