You aren't "investing" your money, you're spending it.

[Torak]

I hate it when people say they are "investing" in the purchase of some sort of pricey consumable item.

I'd be interested to see your ROI on that £500 baby sling. 🙄

Gifting is another one I hate. But today I'm irritable about investing.

@LimeSupper

Dictionary definition of investment: the action or process of investing money for profit.

Buying a handbag or expensive pair of work shoes to save you money over the long term is not an investment. It may well be spending your wisely though!

I think if you go down the page you will see that there are several meanings of 'invest'.

I spent all my pocket money ‘investing’ in Beanie Babies in the 90’s, hoping to make a massive profit one day.

Can’t remember for the life of me what happened to them, but I certainly didn’t make my money back. 😂

@girlmom21

You can invest time or energy or whatever. It's an investment if it benefits your life, just not a financial one.

Exactly! You are being narrow minded and pedantic,OP and you’re not even right! I don’t like ‘gift’ as a verb but that battle is lost.

@Goatinthegarden

I spent all my pocket money ‘investing’ in Beanie Babies in the 90’s, hoping to make a massive profit one day.

Can’t remember for the life of me what happened to them, but I certainly didn’t make my money back. 😂

I have 3 tubs in the garage - I'm still hoping 😂

@BanginChoons

*PollyPage

My rokexes and vintage chanel bags could buy a house tomorrow. I must tell them that they are worthless. Maybe just chuck them away*

Oh no don't tell them they are worthless. It may offend them. Why not tell them to buy a house tomorrow instead?

Don't do that! it won't be 'the type of house' she cares to live in' And that would be horribly distressing

If you sold it back to a jeweller it would not achieve anything like that value. After my divorce I took my wedding and engagement rings to a jeweller

Higher end jewellery tends to hold its value better. I have a 2.2ct ascher cut which I know the jeweller would take back at 2 x what DH paid. Because they’re difficult to get hold of.

Nah, I don’t agree. Saying it’s worth investing in good shoes or an electrical appliance or decent curtains or whatever has been around as a concept my whole life, and I’m in my 40s. Everyone knows what it means.

Investment has a number of meanings and one is about buying things with a view to getting some benefit you wouldn’t otherwise have. So not accumulating increasing amounts of money as in the most obvious sense, but saving money, saving time, getting a better result than if you had the cheaper thing, increased enjoyment, etc. It’s pretty much synonymous with saying is a good buy, but also implies that the thing on question requires a good amount of money up-front relative to the alternatives.

I’ve ‘invested in’ clothes in this way. Purchased something that cost more than I’d have liked, that is effectively valueless once I’ve bought it, has been worn out and beyond repair ultimately - but has served me very well over the years and brought far greater pleasure than if I’d spent the same amount of money differently or even if I’d invested it in the stock market sense and I now had a bit more.

Investment used this way usually means "spending more money now to spend less in the long run, thus meaning I have more money eventually". So buying a £300 coat that will easily last 10-15 winters is an investment compared to buying a £70-80 coat that will be thin and ratty looking after a second winter.

Investing in one pair of expensive boots that will last years rather than multiple pairs of cheap ones.

Investing in a decent washing machine that will wash your clothes well using less electricity and less water and last longer before needing to be replaced. Investing in a good quality sling that means you can carry your child further without having to drive short distances, and not need to pay out for physio from fucking up your back with a shit sling.

Investing in a good quality items that need replacing less frequently and do the job better is not the wrong use of the word. Its knowing if the difference in price and difference in quality are worth it long term. Spending money now to have more money long term is a form of investing, however you do it.

I take the point about metaphorical investment, but I do think people use it in a way to justify the purchase of expensive things.

I own expensive things that bring me enjoyment, but I don't call them an investment.

And yes, investing time and energy into doing something that yields tangible results, education for example, is a reasonable use of the word.

@caringcarer

I think my engagement ring has gone up in value x3 over the years. Not that I would sell it.

No chance (sorry)

@Torak

I really don't think a handbag is going to hold its value when basic living costs are skyrocketing. But what do I know! I have no idea about assets!

You're absolutely wrong. Prices of vintage Chanel and Hermes have sky rocketed recently. Cartier has always held its value. People may not buy these items as investment pieces but are delighted at how much their value increases year on year. There are lots of people around with money to spend and demand is high.

Fair enough.

@Torak

I think people say it to justify the cost of something. I've heard it said about an instant pot, once.

But we use thousands of words metaphorically.

People put cash into buying an instant pot and ‘profit’ by gaining time and decreasing stress.

The principle is understood.

@PollyPage

My rokexes and vintage chanel bags could buy a house tomorrow. I must tell them that they are worthless. Maybe just chuck them away

🙄

And you know people often say this in a tongue in cheek way?

No chance (sorry)

There is a chance (re. engagement rings). Diamonds have gone up in value - if the ring has, e.g. a 2 carat solitaire it could well have appreciated significantly.

Re Rolexes - I think some people don't quite understand how it works. my company get them for staff for bonuses instead of cash as they hold their value better than cash ever will (and we're in a city with a very healthy property market too) They're usually on a wait list in the first place and people will pay a fortune for them second hand.
One member of staff has 4 now. They don't flash them out and about - kept in a safe. One is worth almost double what it was purchased for 6 years ago now. They're definitely a wise investment.

The OP is posting about somebody e.g. spending £500 on a sling.

This kind of thing

shop.artipoppe.com/zeitgeist-baby-carrier/1211-zeitgeist-baby-yin-yang

I understand the ‘investing in your own happiness’ argument, but you can apply that to any expenditure.

The investment will be the fact it makes their life so much easier for years, I understand their point.

So I am on a Chanel Facebook group where a lady from Ukraine has just literally spend all her money on a Chanel bag.
The currency is going down rapidly and she lives abroad but has a Ukraine payment card. So her father transferred all his money to her and she bought a bag. In the hopes obviously of selling it for what she bought it for or more.
Consumer goods can be investment because some do not deprecate.

I think justifying the purchase of very expensive handbags 'to wear' by calling them Investment pieces is 🙄🙄🙄

But saying it was worth investing in goid waterproofs for dog walking has a totally different meaning.

You can invest time, money, effort into something to get a return on it, it doesn't have to be financial.

I invested a lot of time & effort in doing the garden. The return I got was a beautiful garden (in my dreams!!).

I invested in a good washing machine the return I got was not having faff about with constant repairs/replacements.

Interesting question OP. I voted YANBU because instinctively, it seems ridiculous to call shopping investing. But reading the discussion, maybe it’s not so silly.

Every book I buy that increases my knowledge is an investment, every pound spent on healthcare and exercise is investing in me, buying items that won’t need replacing in no time at all is also an investment.

Oh and buying consumer goods not to use them, but to hold onto them as you are certain they will go up in value and you can resale for more is not vastly different to buying and selling shares.

Its a risk that tastes might change, or that some external shock could effect the value (like the company re-releasing a particular style that is only highly priced due to rarity, or the brand itself becoming unpopular /unfashionable) but someone who is investing that way would obviously follow trade information and would aim to sell before prices fell.

Eg. Theres issues now with Elvis memorabilia collectors - prices of rare records and Elvis owned /signed items have often being very highly valued and priced, but over the last few years, priced have slowly started coming down. The problem has been that the bulk of the Elvis fans are now getting very elderly and beginning to sell their collections to pay for care / their families are selling after death. There aren't enough younger collectors who are willing to pay the very high prices to keep them inflated. Beatles collectors are beginning to look at this and trying to establish when the peak might fall for them. It was fascinating reading about this !

If I’d purchased lesser quality, more affordable stuff I wouldn’t have gotten 50% of retail price at resale, so for me it worked.

I've seen the IKEA plastic high chair sell second hand for more than you pay in IKEA. Whereas my Tripp Trapps just cost me money because it was such a good chair I ended up buying one per child and they still use them now (my eldest is 14). Good buy though.

Some consumer goods can be an investment, DH has first edition LOTR books that are worth thousands now but MIL bought them for him for £30 40 years ago. Anyone who has a first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is sitting on a fortune now but does that count as an investment or just luck?