(upbeat music) - Hey you guys, it's Dana, and it's time to talk about money. And in this video, I wanted to share with you
23-ish thrifty luxuries that will help you feel rich. So let's talk about that. (chiming) Okay, so lately I've had a
lot of stuff on my channel about how to be frugal, how to budget, how to get outta debt. And obviously, that is what
I talk about on my channel, but I thought it'd be really
fun to go over some ways that I like to feel luxurious
(laughs) on a budget. So how can you feel rich but
still stick to your budget? So that's the thing I wanna
go over in this video, and hopefully it'll help
you come up with some ideas that maybe you haven't had yet of ways that you can feel like, 'cause when you're
trying to get outta debt, and you're trying to save money, and you're cutting everything, a lot of times you can get burnt out, and you just feel tired. So, you have to find
little ways for yourself to still feel like you're
living the good life, you know what I mean? Number one is something
that seems a little odd, but it is to donate stuff, to purge. Nothing makes me feel more
just, I dunno, lighter, helps me feel lighter, to pack up a bag of clothes
that we don't wear anymore, or stuff in our house
that's just kind of clutter, or that's just there, it's
not bringing us joy anymore, so packing it up and
bringing it to goodwill and dropping it off. Sometimes it can be kind
of hard to drop it off, because you think you want it, but right after you drop
it off, and you drive away, you're just like, "I don't even remember what
was in those bags anymore, "and we don't need it apparently, "'cause I can't remember
what's in the bags." So it helps you feel
just a sense of release, and it helps me feel rich to
donate stuff and to purge. So if you haven't tried
it, I suggest you do so. Number two on my list is
pens and pencils (laughs). So I'm talking about these
basic Ticonderoga pencils that the school tells
you to get for the kids, but I like pencils that have
an eraser on them, intact, and the point is sharpened, okay. So, just like a pile of
these in a little cup or something that I can
grab with a couple pens, nice pens, maybe, because I cannot stand it when I have to sign a form
for the kids for school and I can't find a pencil,
'cause the kids chew on it, break 'em, break off the tip,
the eraser's completely gone, and it just makes me nuts. So I feel like I'm wealthy if I have some nice pencils
and pens readily available. Next is bedding, and I'm not just talking about like 1000-plus thread count, I'm talking about matching fitted sheet to top sheet and pillowcases, everything matching and tucked in. I love it. It makes me feel so clean,
and fresh, and relaxed, when I can just get in between the sheets and sleep (laughs), and it just feels great, so I like matching bed sheets, and for some reason my husband always takes off
the top sheet, he's like, "Why do we even need a top sheet?" But I cannot sleep without a top sheet. I just have to have a top sheet, and makes me feel like the
blanket stays cleaner longer, I don't know, and the kids rip off
the fitted sheet, even, from the mattress when they're sleeping, and just sleep like on the bare mattress, and I'm like, "What are you doing?" But so, the fitted sheet, top
sheet, all being matching, makes me feel really luxurious. Next is a cup of tea. Loose-leaf tea, or coffee. And, I like, I have a French press, and I have it at work, at my desk, but I love buying,
which I don't buy often, loose-leaf tea from Hawaii, and it's so good, and it's high quality, it's from a farm, and so I love putting that loose-leaf tea in the bottom of the French press, with the hot water, and then it sort of sits
there for a little while, then you plunge down the plunger and you have this nice little carafe in the French press of tea. And putting that into a nice cup, a nice mug, or teacup. I just think that makes me feel, it makes me feel so good. I just think there's nothing better. I grew up with after dinner
we'd always have a cup of tea, after dinner every single night, and we'd sit together and talk, and so I think that it just feels good to have a mug in your hand and be drinking and sipping on it. And I'm an introvert, so I like
groups of just two or three, that's where I feel most comfortable, as opposed to large groups, but just intimate groups
where you can sit and talk and have a little warm cup of something, I just think that feels, feels rich to me. (thuds) So along those same lines is candles. I did another video talking about how I was researching all the ways that people in Denmark, which is the happiest place on earth, how they are happy. And
one of the things they do is they have a lot of candles burning, and so just simple, clean candles without a lot of scents going on, I just think the glow of
candles is very peaceful, very relaxing, and it seems
very fancy, rich, luxurious, whatever word you wanna use for it. So I like candles. Next is my fluffy robe. I love my terrycloth robe and fuzzy socks. I have these fuzzy socks
that I got from Old Navy, these are elf socks, but these were a dollar over Christmas, they had all of these socks on sale for a dollar at Old Navy. So these kinda socks are just so warm, and I just like to wear
these socks with my robe, and it's my favorite thing to do, come home and get my robe on and have the pockets in the
robe for my phone or whatever, and I just feel comfortable, I feel at home, and yeah, it's like you're at a hotel. You know I don't like
staying at hotels (laughs), makes me feel like
there's bugs in the bed, and all kinds of stuff, but I like to feel like
I'm somewhere fancy by wearing my robe, with my clean sheets, so, yeah. High-quality shoes (laughs). And this is something that
isn't necessarily inexpensive, it can be expensive, but I have these boots, and
I will show them to you, and I buy them every single year, once a year, usually around
Christmas or New Years, and they are the Ariat Fatbaby boots, and they're like $150, and I just love these boots. They're super comfortable, I wear them every single day, and I can't live without them. They are just my favorite,
I can't, I can't, I love these boots. So having good quality shoes, whatever that is to you,
because it's your feet, right? So they should be comfortable. Moving furniture. So, ever since I was a little girl, thanks to my mom, thanks mom for letting
me do this at your house, I've always liked moving furniture. So I like rearranging, not
like moving furniture as a job, but like rearranging the
furniture in the house. And usually I do this at
our house every quarter, and at this point now my
husband's just used to it, but in the beginning he'd be
like, "What are you doing? "You're moving the furniture again." And I just move it. Every quarter, about, I like
to move the furniture around, rearrange it into a different location, makes everything feel
fresh and redesigned, and I just feel like it, that makes me feel rich, and I feel really happy after I'm done. It just feels like
everything's been cleaned out and you can get behind everything. I mean you move furniture anyway to clean, but when you really move everything, and usually the kids always love it, they're always like, "Whoa, it's a new house," because everything's been moved, and then they're always like, "Can you move my bedroom next?" And they just love it when
I move the furniture around, because it just feels good, it just feels really nice, and then you really get a chance
to organize everything too, I guess that's why. But moving furniture
freshens everything up, and makes me feel like we're
living in a new house (laughs). Okay, next is something you've probably heard a million
times, and that is towels. I remember hearing Oprah talk about that was the first thing that she bought, like when she had made it,
or whatever, was new towels, So, white towels,
specifically, are what I like. White towels, you can bleach
them to clean them up, I just think they look
so nice all together, again, like you're at a hotel, even though I think hotels are skeevy, but it just looks nice. I like white towels, and Costco has really inexpensive towels if you have a Costco membership, you can get pretty good
priced towels there. So, yeah, that just makes me feel rich, if I've got a nice pile
of fluffy, white towels. Now every time there's a
holiday, or we have a party, which isn't very often, but if we ever get together, I like to have fresh roses. Some people say fresh flowers, but I like roses, in particular. And we have a produce place near us where they have a whole
bunch of discount produce, and they have two dozen roses
for like $5 or something. And yeah, they don't last forever, but just getting an
abundance of these roses, and putting them out around the house. They smell so good, and for some reason,
for me it's just roses. It has to just be plain
roses, bunch of 'em in a vase. And I like white roses, or
yellow roses, or pink roses, they just look so pretty to me, and they always make me feel like I'm at some kind of
really boutique, fancy inn, or bed-and-breakfast, and I really, really like roses. It makes me feel good. Okay, next is weird, a
little bit weird (laughs), but I am weird, and is, I like whales. A little-known fact about me
is I am obsessed with orcas. Some of my family members
don't even know that about me, but ever since I saw the
documentary "Blackfish," I just really love watching
orca videos on YouTube, and I am appalled that we
still hold them in captivity, and I'm one of those
people who really believes they should be released
into sea sanctuaries. I mean, those whales, they're actually dolphins, but orcas, they live to be
like 80 or 90 years old, they have whole family units, they speak whole languages, each different pod. In different locations they speak whole different
languages from each other. And so I think it's fascinating, 'cause they're pretty much
as intelligent as we are, they are, I mean, so it's horrible that we are keeping them in captivity, and making them perform these tricks, and all this stuff that we have
made them do over the years, and we have taken them, stolen
them from their families, and some of those family units, some of the orcas who've
been taken into captivity, sorry, this isn't orca video, but, their families are still out there, they know their family's
out there in the ocean, like their mothers are
still alive out there, and I just think, man,
if they were reunited. I just think that, why
was I talking about this? 'Cause I like to listen to orca music, like the sounds of whales, okay. It makes me feel something, I dunno. I love to listen to orca or
whale, humpbacked whale songs. So, that, I just
sometimes I sleep at night with the orca or whale songs, I love to listen to that. They're just so hauntingly beautiful, and that makes me feel
rich to listen to that, I don't know why, but it does. Okay, next is kombucha. I love drinking kombucha,
and eating sushi. So if I go to Wegmans, or the
grocery store or something, and like I have a little
extra money in my budget, I'll buy a glass bottle of kombucha. I like the ginger, mostly, I like that, and then I'll get a little thing of sushi, the California rolls or the avocado rolls, so no I don't, just avocado and carrot, or whatever, so I just, with the candied
ginger on top and the soy sauce, it is so, I just love
that, it makes me feel so, so, I dunno how to even
describe it (laughs), when I have the kombucha
drink and the sushi, it's so good, and it makes me feel, that's my food, my fancy food, that's what makes me feel good. Waking up in the morning. So I get up every morning
at 4:30 or 5:00 a.m., and I like to go jog, or a walk, and see the sunrise. So that, to me, is the ultimate in luxury, just because it's me time, and it makes me feel
like I'm at my leisure, even though I'm so not, I have to get back and get ready for work, but getting out there in
the morning and walking, it's quiet, and it's so wonderful, I
just can't even stand it. So waking up early in the morning
makes me feel really rich, because it just makes me feel
like I've got all this time, I listen to whatever I wanna listen to, and walk, and think, and breathe, and see the moon. When I get out and I see the
moon if it's a clear morning, and then the sun rises, it is unbelievably incredible, like I just, I can't even stand it. So when I don't get up in the
morning, I have a worse day. It's not my day, I'm just
grumpy, and my husband knows it. They go, "Oh, you didn't go
out this morning, did you?" I'm like, "No, I didn't get a chance." Even when it's raining, if it's snowing, usually if it's icy,
that's when I don't go, 'cause I don't wanna slip
and have a slip 'n' fall when I'm out there by myself, but I really love it,
getting up in the morning. Essential oils, okay. So, they can be expensive, but so what I do is I get these roll-ons, they're like $12 from Plant Therapy, so I get the essential oil roll-ons, and they smell so good, like lavender, and so I put it on the kids even, they're kid-safe, and they call them "magic sticks," and so they think that, so, yeah. So sometimes Santa brings it, sometimes Easter Bunny brings
these magic sticks for us, and they stick it on their wrists and they go like this, and activate the magic, and it helps 'em to sleep at night. We get "Calming the Child," is one of 'em, which
is lavender and stuff, it's supposed to help them relax at night, and helps me, I think it helps me relax, and I just think that the
smell of essential oils, and to me, that's a luxury, it makes me feel rich just to have these little "magic sticks." Now along those same lines
is coconut oil spray. So I get this coconut oil spray, OGX? Okay, I'm not into beauty products, sorry, but I like this, I get this from Amazon, and this stuff is really great. It smells fantastic, and I
just spray it in my hair, and it helps get the frizzes out. It's just coconut oil,
and I just love the smell, it makes me feel like it's tropical, like I'm on some exotic beach somewhere, which I never do, but it just makes me feel,
I just like this spray, and I put this on every day. Actually my daughter uses it now too, so both of us use this coconut oil spray, and so I think I have like, I dunno, five of these bottles
floating around the house, 'cause when we can't find
it, we're like, she's like, "Where's the spray, where's the spray," because it helps get the frizzes
out the top of your hair, and it's natural, it's just coconut oil, and probably some other chemical stuff, but it's good I like the smell of it. (thuds) All right, next is scarves, wearing scarves in the
wintertime makes me feel fancy, and warm. I just, I like wearing them. I have all kinds of different scarves, I have crocheted scarves, knitted scarves, different colors, or whatever, I think that they have
the infinity scarves. I do like wearing them, I guess as you get older too, you wanna cover your neck more (laughs). So I just feel, I like the scarves. Okay, next is oatmeal. I really like oatmeal, and I eat it on the weekends, and I've been doing this, I guess I've been eating
oatmeal since I was a teenager. I read some PMS book, and in the PMS book it said soy sauce, or not soy sauce (laughs), soy milk, and now I make it with
almond milk or cashew milk, but it's just like a
cup of plant-based milk, and some raisins, a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little bit of maple syrup, or you could use honey, and then a cup of the oats, and it is so good, it's just so warm, it makes me feel good, and it makes me feel like
I'm in the three bears or that storybook, yeah, so (laughs). I dunno, it makes me feel special, like I'm in a fancy, again, in a bed-and-breakfast or something, to eat the oatmeal for
breakfast in the morning. Podcasts! I love podcasts. I've been listening to them for
years, and years, and years, even before I had babies, I was listening to pregnancy
podcasts and all kinds. I just think it's incredible that how much free
information is out there. We have access to so much within podcasts, it is unbelievable. And I know it's not technically free, you have to have a phone, or some kind of internet connection, but most people in today's
day and age have a phone. They might not have anything else, but they have got a phone, and so you can listen to
all these different podcasts and learn pretty much
anything you wanna learn, and I just love how it connects all of us, and just the access to
information is just, that's a luxury for sure,
so I enjoy the podcasts, it makes me feel rich. Moisturizer. Facial moisturizer, and body
moisturizer, scented or not, I love moisturizers, I think it makes me feel like I have all the time in the world. Like usually when I get ready, I'm getting ready in the dark, in a super big hurry to get to work, so like if I'm putting on moisturizer, I feel like, "Oh, I've got
time to moisturize my skin." And it just feels really nice to take the extra few minutes to do that, and usually it helps
you smell really nice, and you don't need perfume, just coconut oil spray in your
hair and some moisturizer, and you smell good,
and that's what I like. So, water cups. Okay, so, I like these Contigo water cups, it's just a plain, these are just plain, clear water cups, but when I'm at work I can
put ice in it with the water and it just looks really fancy. And I like to drink a lot of water, so I like to have a nice, tall water cup that I can drink my water in. And usually in the morning
when I do wake up early, before I go out for a jog, I have a whole cup of water, and I'll sit down and drink
the whole cup of water, just relax a few minutes, and then after I drink all the water, then I go out, and it feels really good so to have that glass of
water every single morning, so yeah. All right, a clean car. We have kids, four kids, and they do eat in the car, so we have snacks around, and wrappers, and who knows what stuff in the car. Papers from school, toys in the car, it gets ridiculous, it gets outta hand really fast, so a clean car, without
all that stuff in it, just nice and cleaned out, makes me feel like I am rich, even though we're driving older cars, I still love it when the
car is all cleaned out. So try, clean out your car, and you'll feel like you're driving in some kinda super fancy
car just because it's clean. It feels great to clean it out. Okay, next is a wood-burning fireplace. We have a wood-burning fireplace, so on the holidays, usually I will take
just like a starter log and light it up in the fireplace. It's good to do that once in a while to make sure there
aren't bats in your flue, but so we do that. I mean, a wood-burning fireplace, just to sit there and look at the fire, that is definitely a luxury, to me I just think it looks so, just enjoying the crackle of the fire, which you can still get
with starter logs (laughs). It just feels really good, the kids always enjoy it, even though the younger ones
used to scream, and cry, and run outta the room
when the fire was on, but they don't do that anymore, they're all five and older. But usually the kids
enjoy the fireplace too, safety first, obviously be careful, but I just think it feels great to have a wood-burning
fireplace, we love it. Next is throw blankets. So this is an alpaca blanket that I got, I guess when my husband
and I were getting married. Actually I have all these photos of myself in my wedding dress, with this blanket, 'cause it was a fall wedding, and so this is, I love
nice, warm lap blankets, or just good-quality
blankets for the living room. I love sitting on the
couch with a blanket, with the kids, it's just so comfortable and with a cup of tea,
or coffee, or whatever, I just think, I love to have
blankets in the living room to be sitting with. So a nice pile of throw
blankets are a big deal to me, and I just think that the softer they are, or the better quality material, yeah, that's a total win to me, and that says "luxury." All right, so last on my list
is going to be my budget. I couldn't leave it off, okay. So my budget makes me feel rich, because if you're not budgeting, and you start budgeting, you will understand what I'm saying. So when you are budgeting, it's fantastic, because you know where
all your money is going, how much is coming in,
you know where it's going, you know how much money you can spend. And so a budget is so amazing to make you feel wealthier, because if you don't have a budget, and you have to pay for something, you might be overspending, maybe you're overdrawing your account, or you just don't even know if you have the money to pay for stuff, but if you have a budget,
or say like we have, I guess do you wanna call
it a sinking account, sinking fund, whatever you wanna call it, but for cars. So if the car has to go in for a repair, and they say, "Hey Dana,
it's gonna be $900," we have to fix this, we need new brakes, or whatever, need new brake pads. So I'd be like, "Okay," think
about it a second and be like, "All right, you go ahead and do it." So then when I go in, I can give them my debit
card that says "car" on it, with a car sticker for my car account, from that sinking fund, and say, "All right, here," and just pay for it. Boom, paid for it, done. And it feels incredible. It makes you feel super rich to know that you have the money allocated for that particular item, that you've saved up for it, or that whatever you're spending. If you're buying clothes that month, if you're buying a new throw blanket, you can say, "Hey, I have this in my
budget for the throw blanket, "and I know it," and so you just buy it. I mean, it's amazing, it's permission to spend. So a budget is the ultimate
in feeling rich, okay. So if you guys have any ideas, like what do you do to help you feel like you are in luxury, despite the fact that you are on a budget? Please leave a comment down below so that we can all learn from each other. Hopefully this gave you some ideas on how you can feel like you're living. I always say like I
feel like a real person when I do some of these things, and if you have kids you know what I mean, 'cause there's like a decade, or whatever, that you're pretty much like, that you have no idea
what's going on in the world when you have babies (laughs). And then certain things you do, you go back out to the store, and you're like, "Oh, okay, I
feel like a real person again, "'cause I'm walking
around the grocery store, "and I've been in the house nursing "for the past three months." So anyway. So yeah, what do you do to make you feel like a real person again. Not blowing money, not going out to eat every night, 'cause if you don't have
the money for it, right, what can you do that makes
you feel like you have luxury, even though you're
maybe on a tight budget? Okay? And so, that's it. If it's your first time here, be sure to subscribe. I'm here every single Tuesday,
talking all about money. And I also design T-shirts, so if you haven't checked
out my merch shop, go ahead and do that, and only buy them if
it's within your budget. I'm selling T-shirts on Redbubble, Teespring, and also on Amazon, so that's kinda cool. So, yeah, I like tri-blend T-shirts best, I think those feel luxurious, but my mother, she likes
100% cotton T-shirts, so, you know, yeah. All right, and don't forget to
not visit SeaWorld (laughs). Release the orcas. Okay, all right you guys. I'll talk to you in the next video, bye.
