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 Things to throw your dough at that might give you more value for what you spend.

I just read an article about how Kylie Jenner recently came out with a set of makeup brushes in her Silver Series line. If you haven’t heard yet, they cost $360 for a set of 16 synthetic brushes. Do you know a ton about makeup & understand the difference between different makeup brushes? Do you still believe that the brushes are a great price for what you’re getting? By all means, buy them then. I have nothing against the brush set, except that I personally think it should be less expensive.

The thing is, I want you to buy what’s going to make you GENUINELY HAPPY. Not just spend your money on something you think you’re supposed to want or like.

These brushes might be the perfect thing for you.

But this article is for the people who aren’t totally on board with buying the brush set but still feel like buying SOMETHING. The alternatives on this list are equally great alternatives for anything else you’re on the fence about buying. Especially if what you’re debating buying is something else that’s hyped, new, popular, & probably overpriced, especially for everyday people who don’t need pro-quality tools for whatever they do.

I want you to spend your money on things that are going to add real VALUE to your life, however you define that value. Because it’s not really the price that matters as much as whether the value you’ll personally get from buying something is equal to or higher than the price you’re going to pay for it. I just don’t want to feel pressured into buying something just because it’s “cool” or because a celebrity is involved with it.

So if you’re debating about whether to buy the brushes (or other expensive, popular item), here are 17 way better things you can use that money for that will give you back so much personal value in return for what you’ll spend on them.

1. Invest In Yourself. This is my absolute #1 use for this money. NO OTHER INVESTMENT will probably give you as good of an ROI (return on investment) than investing in yourself. Websites like Udemy offer courses in pretty much EVERYTHING you could ever want a course in, & they always have courses going on sale for $10 — $20 or so, which means you could get a LOT of courses for your $360. On Udemy, you can take classes in everything from business knowledge, marketing, & finances, to playing guitar, healing people with crystals, & becoming a life coach. SO MUCH POSSIBILITY HERE. You could also use some of the money to take a IRL class, buy books/ebooks, or take a college class. Investing in yourself will help you become a better person, learn the skills you always wanted to have, start your own business, increase your knowledge, get a higher paying job, or develop a new hobby (which could turn profitable). All of those can potentially increase your happiness so much, which makes investing in yourself an awesome thing to spend your money on.
2. Pay Off Some Debt. From a financial standpoint, paying off your debt is one type of investing that ABSOLUTELY will have a ROI. The stock market can crash, but money spent paying down your debt will always benefit you. Most money you’ve borrowed in one way or another has interest you pay on it (or will pay on it if you don’t pay it off before the interest-free time is over). So by paying down your debt, you’re pretty much putting money in your pocket by not handing it casually over to the bank each month via paying unnecessary interest. Spend your money here, & you could possibly increase your credit score, pay off a loan sooner (so you don’t have to keep putting money towards it each month), avoid unnecessary interest, avoid late fees, or if nothing more, increase your net worth & get closer to achieving financial freedom.
3. Put the Money in Savings for Your Emergency Fund. Do you have an emergency fund? GOBankingRates says that 34% of American adults don’t have one at all. Now is a great time to start, even if you don’t have an emergency fund. Even putting $5 in savings is better than having nothing in your emergency fund. I know that technically, you’re supposed to have a few months’ worth of living expenses, but starting is so much more important than perfection. For me personally, even having a few hundred dollars in my emergency fund feels really good, because it gives me the confidence that if something big comes up & I need to pay for it, that I will be able to without having to worry about it. Being able to have certainty in your future might be more valuable to you than owning new makeup brushes.
4. Put the Money in Savings to Buy Something Big. If you want to buy your dream house, car, RV, Jacuzzi, or something else expensive but valuable to you, this is the perfect time to put this money in savings so you can pay the down payment on one of those things. Sure, having nice makeup brushes might feel good, but how amazing would it feel to be able to confidently go shopping for one of the above & more easily be able to pay the down payment? Then you’d own your own house, or have a reliable car you didn’t have to worry about, or be able to travel the country in your RV, or be able to chill in your Jacuzzi sipping your favorite milkshake. The options are endless!
5. Adopt a Pet. If you’re really ready for a pet & you’ve done all your research, the love & enjoyment you get back from owning a pet will be unmatched. IMO, nothing feels better than having an awesome animal to care for, to nurture, & to love. BEST FEELING EVER. My pets are my world. If you’re ready for a pet & know exactly what you’re getting into & how to care for it, this would be an awesome use for the money. $360 is enough to get a lot of types of pets & still have some left over for supplies, vet care, etc.
6. Donate it to Charity. Think about how amazing it would feel to be able to write a check for $360 to your favorite charity! So many people/animals could be helped with $360. Your money could be used to feed the homeless, build schools for kids in another country, assist battered women, rescue abused animals, or save the rain forest. Going to sleep at night knowing you made an impact on the quality of life of another living thing is so worth it.
7. Invest in the Stock Market. First off, DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER (or do I play one on TV), so please do your research or talk to a real financial professional before doing this. But there’s no reason to be scared of the stock market. I know us millennials grew up during the recession & some of us are nervous about the stock market for this reason, but if you utilize it right, can be a good place to put some of your money. Unlike most regular savings accounts (unless you have a high-yield savings account), if you invest correctly the stock market can grow your money beyond the rate of inflation. But do your research or talk to someone who is qualified to work with you on this if you want to pursue it. There are lots of brokerage websites you can sign up with & begin investing if knowledge-wise you’re ready to do this, such as Ally Invest, which I like because there are low fees & no minimum investment needed to fund your account.
8. Use the Money to Start Your Side Hustle. In the back (or front) of your mind, maybe you have a business idea you’ve been thinking about for a while. DO IT NOW! There’s literally never been a better time in history to start a business, thanks to the Internet & the infinite number of people you can reach through technology. Maybe you watch your favorite YouTubers & wish you had a good camera you could use to make vlogs too. Maybe you love nothing more than making a perfectly-decorated cupcake & thought about starting a catering business. Maybe you want to learn how to be a programmer so you can get a better paying job or make apps everyone will use. Maybe you’ve started doing research on starting your own business but you haven’t been able to do it yet. Use this $360 to start your side hustle. The extra income you could make from it (as well as the possibility of working for yourself one day, if that’s what you want) might be way more valuable to you than buying new makeup brushes.
9. Buy Concert Tickets. Over the past year, I’ve gone to a lot of amazing concerts. EVERY SINGLE CONCERT I’ve ever gone to has been more than worth what I paid for the tickets, regardless of how much that was. Getting to see your favorite musicians in concert & hear them playing it in real life & know that YOU ARE IN THE SAME ROOM AS THEM breathing the same air & they are really REAL & everything is such a thrilling feeling. Going to a concert lets you experience the music in a way that makes YouTube pale in comparison, especially when the crowd starts singing along & you realize this big amazing thing that you’re part of.
10. Get Your Car Fixed. Or whatever other item has been broken for too long or needs some work done but you keep putting it off because it’s expensive. You know what I’m talking about. Stop procrastinating. Get your oil changed. Fix that squeaky brake. Get that annoying cavity looked at. Get your driveway pressure washed. There is probably something kind-of-broken-but-not-broken-enough-you-have-to-fix-it that you should just FIX before it actually causes a problem. Then you won’t have to worry about it anymore. It will be done, & that will feel good.
11. Travel. Traveling, like concert tickets, is something else I’ve always found gives you WAY more value out of it than the money you put into it. $360 won’t necessarily cover a lot of travel expenses (unless you’re going somewhere close by or only staying one night). But there are some amazing hotel + flight packages, so this money might get you something like that depending on where you go. You could also go camping or take a weekend enjoying a “staycation” & checking out all the awesome attractions in your area. If you’ve always wanted to go on a cruise or travel to another country, put this money aside & you’ll be way closer to being able to afford the trip of your dreams. Makeup brushes < watching a stunning sunset in a place you’ve never been before after spending an amazing day doing things you’ve never done before? Like they say in the MasterCard commercials, “Priceless.”
12. Invest in Your Hobby. Whether you love stamp collecting, scrapbooking, belly dancing, playing video games, crocheting, or cooking, spending this money on your hobby could be a great use for it. Buy those collectibles you’ve had your eye on for forever, get yourself a new video game, or take a class up upgrade your skills & become even better at your hobby. And, if your hobby is makeup, you might enjoy buying a lot of really nice but less expensive brushes for the same price, or get the higher-quality versions of some other types of makeup you’ve been wanting to try. You could also buy yourself a good quantity of less expensive makeup, giving yourself more makeup variety for your money & more possibilities for your look.
13. Upgrade Something You Use Every Day. Does your laptop piss your off daily because it’s so slow? Do you wish you had a better phone? Is your fridge so old that you are surprised it’s still running? Is your mattress so uncomfortable you spend most of your night rolling over & trying to get comfortable? Does your bath towel rip in half a little more every time you shower? (mine just did). Is your bike so rusty that you could find your way back home by retracing the rust flakes? Upgrading something you use all the time might be perfect for you. Even if the $360 doesn’t cover the full price of upgrading this item (like a fridge, for example), it should cover a decent chunk of it, & you’ll be that much closer to making your life easier thanks to your new upgraded gadget.
14. Spend the Money On Your Business. If you already have a business, think about how much you could improve it for $360! You could use it to buy the WordPress plugin you really need to pursue that awesome idea you had, pay for Shopify for a year so you can have your own eCommerce site, boost your top-performing Facebook posts, hire someone to revamp your website, improve your logo, buy inventory of a new product you’re interested in selling, purchase a better tool or service to level-up what you’re able to put out, or increase your business knowledge.
15. Do a Random Act of Kindness. Pay for the groceries the person behind you is buying. Give your waiter or waitress a really good tip. Pay for the person’s drink in line behind you at your favorite coffee shop. Buy a warm meal to give to a homeless person. Buy pet food & donate it to an animal shelter. Get the money broken down into $20 bills & hand them out to people. Buy something nice for someone you love. However you choose to spend it, doing something nice for others will feel SO AMAZING.
16. Invest in Your Appearance. You can still use the money you were going to spend on makeup brushes to improve your appearance without buying the makeup brushes. In fact, you might even be able to do things that help you feel & become more like your best version of yourself for the same or less money. You could color your hair the bright-neon-fantasy color of your dreams, put the money towards a set of Invisalign braces, buy yourself some amazing new clothes, or get a facial, manicure, or pedicure. You’ll not only be looking & feeling good, but you’ll also probably get more value for the money you spend on it.
17. Invest in Your Health. Investing in your health, like investing in yourself, is a fantastic way to spend your money. As long as you make consistent-as-possible use of the health things you throw your dough at, the value you’ll get from this will only compound. There are SO MANY things you could use this money for to improve your health. You could join a gym, take dance lessons, sign up for multiple 5ks or marathons, buy some exercise equipment for your home (like a new set of weights or a trampoline), hire a personal trainer, get the newest fitness wearable, or buy some really nice running shoes & new exercise clothes. You could also invest the $360 in buying more organic vegetables or grass-fed meat throughout the year, going to the chiropractor, learning how to eat better, or taking yoga classes. Anything health-related you spend it on will be an excellent investment not only in your health, & in your future.

If you still think Kylie Jenner’s new Silver Series brushes are a great price, they must be something you know will really add value to your life. Buy them & feel good about the fact that you realized they’re something you really want that you know will matter to you.

But if you’re now really hyped up & excited about how great putting that money towards your business would feel, or helping others, or upgrading something you use everyday, do that instead. You are the only one who can define “valuable” for yourself. The best thing is, you can divide the money up between multiple things on the list above if you want. There’s no reason you have to pick just one. Maybe you spend $100 adopting a cat from the shelter, & then you spend $100 on marketing your business & put the other $160 in your savings account. Whatever makes the most sense to you, go get those things.

Go pursue what’s going to add the maximum amount of value to your life.

DISCLAIMER:: I AM NOT A FINANCIAL ADVISER, so please talk to an actual financial adviser if you have any questions/concerns about anything on this list. Thank you!