I've never spent that much money on an item that I've wanted, and in fact, never really spent anything on myself. However, after learning about the importance of exercise for my health, I've decided to invest in some quality adjustable dumbbells.
The reason I picked them over the cheap ones, is that is going to last a while (I'm hoping it can last me 40 years), and secondly, it will motivate me more to exercise, than holding some cheap dumbbells. Is this normal to feel as someone who is very frugal? The most expensive stuff apart from this that I've spent are running shoes. I have never spent this much and do not know how to process things.
There's also tons of stuff that I've 'wanted' such as apple headphones, quality keyboard for my monitor, however I have always been able to say 'no' to them, and have not bought them. However, these dumbbells are something I've really wanted as I'm interested in fitness and I'm studying physiotherapy, so I see it more as an investment for my career and learning, which was what made me pull the trigger on it.
Comparing how much my degree cost, the price of these dumbbells are relatively small and seems justified, in the long run. But right now 99% of me is saying I shouldn't have bought it and just put that in the stock market. I can't get over it!!!
Edit: To add, I am not new to fitness. I've had a gym membership for 3 years, but have not been as consistent as I would have liked as I don't have time (biggest barrier). However, although I was not consistent, my gym membership was pretty cheap as well. $150 USD for a year, so it was well justified. However, my gym has massively increased their price now to $700 usd a year, as they went under adminstration with their cheap membership model, which everyone knew was not sustainable. So instead of renewing my membership, I was considering investing in dumbbells.
Feeling guilty after spending $750 on some adjustable dumbbells (Powerblocks) that I've been wanting.
byu/Stunning_Concern_973 inFrugal
Posted by Stunning_Concern_973
26 Comments
If you feel bad, wait until they become door stops, because buying the expensive ones didn’t actually give you more motivation.
You need to splurge on yourself every now and then. There’s a time to be frugal and a reason. But sometimes you just want something
As long as it didn’t create financial hardship, this is a fine purchase and you should not make yourself feel guilty over it.
750 for dumbbells? This was def a luxury itch scratch lol
Part of being frugal is being able to spend money on things that you care about. Spending money on things that make you happy. And spending money on your health if nessesary.
Will $750 be a bad investment? Perhaps, but I’ve lost more than that on less.
Being frugal doesn’t mean you have to be cheap.
Nothing wrong with indulging in little treat culture every now and then. It’s not like you can’t take your money with you when you die. Buying quality gear can also be frugal in the long run, especially if you’re going to use these for years to come. Don’t beat yourself up.
Frugal isn’t about not spending money, it’s about not wasting it. Saving money is good, but the point of doing that is to spend it more effectively.
My first big purchase was my guitar. I debated it for a month before pulling the trigger. Never once regretted it.
Take 30-45 minutes a day and make the most of it. If you get years of building muscle and exercise from this purchase it’ll be a good investment
People are piling on you but I did a lot of research on adjustable dumbbells when I was purchasing one recently. Powerblock is the gold standard and is the BIFL brand. For $700, I’m sure you are getting the model that can get much heavier than the cheap $200 ones.
It is more expensive for sure but as you said, this is for decades and that’s okay. The only other frugal option might have been get it second hand.
>and secondly, it will motivate me more to exercise, than holding some cheap dumbbells
I mean, if this is something that you know you actually will use regularly and benefit from (and you can afford it), then I don’t see an issue. What does worry me though is that it sounds like you bought them as a motivation tool, because you currently don’t exercise regularly.
The wiser thing to do would have been to get a cheap / secondhand set first to make sure it’s something you’ll actual commit to before splurging on something so much more expensive.
Use them, enjoy them, and it wasn’t a waste. Quality is valuable.
You invested in your health. Sounds like a good thing to me.
Every time you use them, they get more and more worth it.
Why would you compare the cost of a degree to some dumbbells? I don’t compare the cost of my espresso machine to my car, even though they both ‘get me to work’.
This was a luxury purchase, *not* an investment. And that’s completely fine if it’s something you wanted and can afford. Tbh I hate how people try to make everything an ‘investment’. If you have the money, and value what it gives you, buy it because you want to, not because of this benefit and that benefit.
As long as you use them, an investment in your own health is never a waste of money
I spent idk how much on a similar thing from bowflex and have used them every day for over a year. Worth every penny. So was the nice bench.
Worth it. My dumbbells cost more than my truck. I saved extra for the nuobell ones just because they look better, they were the ones I really wanted. But as a result, I have completely transformed my body.
I had weights before, a full set of dumbbells and barbells that I cobbled together from garage sales and even scrounged from the dump. They worked. But I was spinning my wheels, no consistency. Technically, they do the same thing. But dropping a wad on my ultimate set gave me the motivation to actually use them and it changed my life. I hope the same for you. The dumbbells might not feel like they’re worth $750 but the improvement to your life is priceless.
I have a set of adjustable dumbbells (Bowflex 1090s) and I used them for a few years. However, I bought them secondhand on Facebook marketplace from someone who was moving and needed them gone. I paid $200 for the dumbbells, their stand, and their bench. I was very happy with getting a great deal on something I wanted a lot.
For me being frugal is also sort of being a savvy shopper. I wait and look out for bargains on items that are luxury wants rather than needs and I enjoy them all the more for it.
Some examples of other finds I have gotten over the years:
Litter Robot 3 (several years ago when it was the newest version) $150
Surface Pro for traveling: $15
Dyson vacuum (use for spot and car cleaning mostly) $50
Roborock vacuum (love this thing and would consider it at full price even) $100.
At the end of the day, my savings that I get from being more mindful of my money let me live what I consider a frugal life which lets me have the things I want to use in my life without sacrificing my quality of life.
If you are going to use the dumbbells and commit to them, I think it’s still a worthwhile investment into your health.
I believe part of being frugal is not buying stuff that is poor quality. If you’re going to buy something that depends on it’s durability and quality to get real use from you, then you had better buy the right stuff, even if that means it costs more.
I’ve thrown out way more stuff buying the cheap version when I got into it due to relying on the cost being lower while failing to account for cheap things breaking as I actually get into and excited about something. If you must spend money, and spending on joy and well being isn’t waste, spend it wisely.
Honestly it’s not a bad purchase. If you’re new to fitness, got the expansion pack and have some money left over for a bench you’re pretty much all set for a functional home gym that you can grow with for years.
I have the same ones and they have lasted over 6 years with heavy use. The ability to change weight quickly makes these so much more useable than handles and free weights. The only change I would make is that there are cheaper options now that weren’t as available when I got mine, if I had to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells again it would be something like the eisenlink set on Amazon. They’re cheaper and look more comfortable because they don’t have the added weight cage, they can also be expanded to a higher maximum
Those weights are awesome, I have some too. Don’t stress, money spent on health related things is money well spent (as long as you use them!)
I also have this problem when I spend money on myself. I recently bought 3 new pairs of jeans after wearing the same clothes for a decade. I felt anxious and guilty leading up to buying them. I kept saying to myself aloud, “all my bills are paid, I have plenty in savings, and this purchase won’t even make a dent in my account. This is okay.”
I think we go so long not buying anything for ourselves, that it feels illegal when we finally do. As long as your finances are in order and that $700 won’t blow you off the road for the next 6 months, it will be fine.
I’ve had my power blocks for 15 years. No regrets.
Not powerblocks, but I spent about 1k building a home gym 3 years ago. I’ve saved 1200+ in fees, probably couple hundred in gas and 100+ hours driving plus I exercise twice as often if not more. Not a single regret
Could of got used on fb market place for much less
Just throwing this out there as I too started working out at home starting last November. I’ve purchased the following from FB Marketplace:
200lbs of plates + 1 curl bar = $170
Pair of 50lb & 40lb dumbbells = $160
Pair of 35lb & 1-50lb kettlebells = $160
8-10lb plates from Amazon = $70
As you progress, you’ll need more weight. Marketplace is great, you want to pay no more than $1 per pound or less.