If you are one of the millions of people who are struggling with post-pandemic finances, the thought of spending extra on anything makes you clench your wallet. As much as it's easy to gravitate towards the cheapest possible brand or type of service sometimes it's worth a little extra for a better product.
One service I will always pay the extra is when it's time to go for a haircut and color. If it can't be included in that month's budget, it will simply wait until the next. The reason is for how expensive it is to fix a bad job, or how long it takes to grow out an embarrassing haircut. Heading to the salon at the big blue discount store is not my idea of a good deal.
If I'm not walking out of a hair appointment feeling like a million bucks it's not worth it to me. Thankfully, I found a great local stylist whose prices are great and her work is perfect—looking at you J! In fact, she could charge more, but that's why it's always important to tip your stylists so they know you appreciate their work.
Redditor biancalin wanted to know what other people don't mind shelling out the extra dough for.
They asked:
"What's one thing you're always willing to pay the extra price for?"
No “ragrets” right?
Rainbow GIF by 60 Second Docs
Giphy
“Tattoos from an artist that knows what they're doing.” ExpressW
“Tattoo artist here, please do. Yes we might be more expensive compared to Scratchy Dave from behind the Walmart, but we'll do your tattoo justice and make sure you're cared for, that it stays as it is and doesn’t make you look like a middle-school student's desk.”
“There's a reason why good artists ask for a higher price, and its not cause we want to f**k you over.” Clayman8
Time is a valuable thing…
“My time. I used to always try to save money while traveling until I realized I was wasting hours and adding stress to my life. Sure, the bus is $100 cheaper but it's 3 hours longer, doesn't leave when or from where you want, and is a miserable ride. Pay for the flight!”
“I've seen this shift with little things too - ‘splurging’ for an Uber if it's make my trip simpler or even paying to have something done in my apartment building (we have laundry and cleaning services) if I'm stressing about getting it done. It's nice to save money but not at the cost of being a miserable ball of stress.”
“Edit: I just eventually came to view stress and wasted time as a ‘cost’ even if it doesn't necessarily show up on my balance sheet.” montage10
“They say a cheap man pays twice as much in the long run."
“Tools: If you are earning a living with them, you want something totally reliable and is not going to break and work properly every time. They say a cheap man pays twice as much in the long run.”
“I bought up a set of Ryobi power tools for work and for DIY at home they are pretty good. But, when I was onsite and found the batteries take 3 hours to charge. I don't have that kind of time. Also the hammer drill didn't always hammer. I'm a Milwaulkee boy now and I am completely satisfied.” quadruple_negative87
You might even find one at a thrift shop…
“A really good quality winter coat or jacket. To me, it's definitely worth the investment if you live in a country that gets cold winters. Here in Ireland it doesn't snow much in winter due to us being a small island, but we get very cold winters and very wet ones, so you get really cold rain.”
“Paying extra for a really good quality, warm and waterproof coat makes SUCH a difference if you're out and about a lot like I am. It pays for itself because it can last you years.
“I'm due a new one this year, got five years out of my last one and it's still good, but I've lost a significant amount of weight this past year and it's much too big for me now.” LasRua
Ughh layovers…
“Currently sitting in the airport for an egregiously complicated over-night layover, all to save $80. I'll always pay the extra $80 moving forward.” Trappest_1G_Sucks
“Yeah, everything is more expensive while traveling and additional length of travel time needs to be accounted for. Adding 2 hours of travel time to save a few bucks may seem like a decent bargain when you're buying the ticket, but several $5 bottles of water and the $15 Burger King combo that you eat during your layover will make you regret that decision to cheap out on the flight.” iWillNeverReplyToYou
“Don't cheap out on stuff that separates you from the ground. Mattresses, shoes, and tires.” maverickaod
“Excellent way to remember that! I've been paying the price for years now (foot surgery), after wearing high heels, having to dress the part in finance, banking, etc., with most every other woman in the 80's, 90's, then with flip flops, with zero support. Glad I've always gone with the good mattress, car & truck tires, and a good office chair where I can and do soak my feet!” 1plus1dog
Safety is worth it…
“Motorcycle helmets. You don't need the most expensive helmet, but you should pay what it takes to get something with a decent certification (SNELL, ECE, FIM) and not just DOT. Some technologies like MIPS are also well worth the extra spend.” Bicameral_vtech
No back pain=worth it.
“As a lady with rather generously sized boobs I'm accustomed, and happy, to pay through the nose for a really good bra. The difference it can make to my day is worth every penny.” CourtneyFish_Lately
Holy crap yes…
Toilet Paper Dancing GIF by The Cooligans
Giphy
“Toilet paper. Nothing worse than cheap toilet paper.” Mentalhygienx
The Best 'Actually, You're Speaking To The Boss' Experience | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
There are a few experiences as frustrating as dealing with an entitled customer. But there's absolutely nothing quite like dealing with someone who doesn't r...Good tradespeople…
“A good plumber, water damage f**king sucks.” midnight-genius
Many Americans would…
“I'd Pay extra taxes to get things like universal healthcare.” wombo23
Local is always best.
“Local beef: Since I started buying from farmer's markets, I can't stand most supermarket steaks anymore. This is noteworthy for me because I'm notoriously the guy who can't taste quality in most food products.” Diabhol
Something that will hold up is worth it.
“Good furniture. My family used to be in the furniture business and we still have things from the store in our homes. Some are now antiques, others are just good, solid pieces of furniture. You can always recover a couch, have a table re-stained, and have a dresser painted. I like IKEA as a place holder, but they generally don't last after a move.” LionCM
You are worth it!
Love Yourself Dancing GIF by Pose FX
Giphy
“Anything to do with my peace, safety & general well being. I'm worth every penny.” Hot_Paramedic7616
“Get out of your comfort zone.”
“I've read travel so much time and disagree, if you like resort vacations and only go to the next beach to relax it's ok, I get it. But if you travel I see everything as a Adventure, don't get the nice hotel room, get a hostel and meet other traveler's at the bar.”
“My best experiences are coming if something comes unplanned. 3000km away from home and my motorbike broke down I need to write in Google translate with the Mechanik, no problem. Get out of your comfort zone.” 0timme
They truly are a treasure…
“True friends. You can only have the best of friends if there is that "extra mile" of effort paid by both of you. If a said person puts a lot of effort into helping you just because they want to be nice, you should push yourself to help him with even more effort and that's how a cycle begins where both parties win in the long term."
“That's how I made very good friends in university. I was the one that needed a bit of help and my colleagues went the extra mile to aid me with courses and I returned the favor twice for that moment. Right now me and my new hommies are in an "endless" cycle of returning the favor for last time."
“Edit: And if a random person goes that extra mile once for you and you never return the favor when you could have, then you are a di*k. Why? Because you Contribute to the other person becoming a d*ck because they might go "that's it, I am done with helping others" just because he put effort into helping you, but you never pay back the favor. That's why some never want to go the extra mile and pay the extra price and thus, true friends are expensive, but they are definitely worth it!"
Good local food…
“A solid local restaurant. I'm lucky to live in a city where you have to go out of your way to go to a chain restaurant. I live in New Orleans so you have to actually leave the parish (county for you normies) to go to one of those bland outback's or olive gardens. I will always pay extra to support local." OPisalady
Their favorites…
“Shoes, toilet paper, skin products (not necessarily the most expensive, but, I have allergies to so many of the ingredients, when I find one that works, I'm buying several) and antiperspirant...still in mourning over dove discontinuing my soothing chamomile dry spray...RIP”
“Oh, and sanitizers/cleansers. I sorely missed my brand name hand sanitizer, which I used for more than just my hands, when it was in short supply...don't get me wrong, I started the pandemic with 3 extra jugs of the stuff from a previous "do you need anything from costco" ordering mistake, but, still.” DishyPanHands
Have you heard of LLBean? Those will last decades.
“Backpack, I used to buy so many Jan sports and stuff and after a year zipper always breaks or the backpack itself tears, I bought a north face 5 years ago and still use it.” Skroooge
One winter in Maine and you’ll understand.
“Winter tires. Preferably studded tires. Huge difference in the winter, and a potential lifesaver.” beardofdoom2017
While it’s not in everyone’s budget to splurge on every item these are some good examples of when to spend the extra when you’re able. You’ll be glad you did in the long run.
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It connects people, ideas, senses or humor, creativity! Yes, we've got our fair share of deviants, murderers, and trashbag people, but we've also got decades of wonder to celebrate.
Newbies like to think using the internet for awesomeness is something they came up with, but the old heads are here to tell you the internet has ALWAYS been a complicated crash course in the coolest stuff ever.
So let's hop in the wayback machine and get our nostalgia on.
Reddit user ransom0374 asked:
"What do you miss from early internet times?"
So let's take that walk down memory lane, or if you're new-ish here on planet Earth, this is going to be a fun little "history" lesson.
If you're uncertain where you fall, here's a test:
"Badger, Badger, Badger, Badger..."
If you finished the song, you're probably going to remember quite a few of these...
Away Messages
"AIM away messages saying stupid stuff like 'BRB going to get some bagel bites.' "
"Don't forget to update your personal profile with Blink 182 lyrics and the initials of your school sweetheart and some ASCII. Browse for a new inappropriate buddy icon and strike up a convo with SmarterChild"
GiphyThe Unknown
"I miss the wild unknown frontier that the internet was."
"It seemed there was so much discovery to be had on the internet, and if you were good at the internet everyone thought of you as 'Hackerman' and you were like a God amongst your peers."
"It seems like there isn't anything 'new' on the internet anymore. No discoveries to be made."
GiphyThe Irony Is Not Lost On Us
"Variety. There's a popular tweet that says something like 'the internet has turned into four websites where on each one people share screenshots of the other three.' "
"I miss when you could search a term and there would be dozens of sites dedicated to it or forums especially for it. Now it's just ads, Wikipedia, and Reddit."
"Oh, and not having ads shoved down your throat every time you search a term or navigate to a page!"
"I know there were pop ups and banners, which weren't any better. But there was a sweet spot."
"There was a few years there where you could Google something and half the first page WASN'T sponsored ads that had nothing to do with what you looked up. And you could go to a website and it DIDN'T block the page with a full screen ad asking for your email to join their mailing list or save 10% on their merchandise."
GiphyFiguring It Out
"That all the webpages were just random people trying to figure out HTML."
"There really wasn't a corporate presence at all. It was just a place for people to experiment."
"You could click on a button and make a cardboard hand wave at someone's cats. You could dispense a coke from a machine in some dorm. It was dumb and fun."
GiphyEndless Learning
"The learning was endless."
"There were almost an infinite source of information from all over the world. If you wanted to find something all you had to do was search for it in Ask Jeeves or whatever and you'd find any website that had ever mentioned that thing."
"There were more than 10 different websites. And at least it didn't feel like I was being forced to sign up for a subscription after every click."
"There were so many fun, cute stores to shop. Now it feels like everyone dresses and decorates the same."
"I miss a lot of things about the early internet. I'm probably wrong, but it just felt safer than it does now?"
GiphyMaking Friends
"I was in my late teens when the internet was becoming accessible to everyone. Our one household computer was in the kitchen & facing in a way so anyone coming in could see your screen."
"I remember looking at someone's website and my Dad passing by to get something to eat, asking me if the person on the website was my friend."
"I miss those old days! The internet seemed endless & friendly."
GiphyA Base Level For Participation
"Most people were smart."
"In the early days (by far) most people on the internet were in college, either as a teacher or student. Beyond that, people had to to be in a lab or make their computer talk to a connected computer which was not so easy in the old days."
"It acted as a sort of intelligence barrier one needed clear to participate in internet things."
- tsoldrin
"Higher barrier to entry."
"I remember the fond days of SLIP and Trumpet Winsock when you had to know at least a little about tech to get on and participate."
"There was still stupidity, but it just wasn't as loud as it is now."
- dramboxf
"In the very very early days, pre-AOL, you needed skill and knowledge to get online."
"Then AOL came onto the scene an d anyone could get online at the push of a button."
GiphyGo Away Now
"I miss when what happened on the internet, stayed on the internet."
"You could turn off the beige box and go about the rest of your day without it affecting you."
"The fact that is only existed on a big computer in the house, as long as no-one was on the phone. It wasn't some all-encompassing thing."
- dienices
"The internet not following me around. When you logged off, you effectively put the internet away."
GiphyIt Used To Be...
"How people used to treat it."
"The internet was not just a novelty, but an amazing piece of technology that let anyone share anything. It was so wholesome and loving, with everyone still being amazed at what we could do now."
"Now? There's so many websites that are designed to make you angry and radicalize your beliefs. It's quantity over quality."
"There was a time when nobody on Reddit shared politics, when Facebook was for socializing, when YouTube was where people uploaded stuff they were passionate about."
GiphyWe Used To Love Yahoo
"Yahoo Answers"
"Yahoo Pool"
- inaclick
"I can't remember what it was called, but Yahoo had this great music video program where it showed popular artists, and some very unknown folks."
"I discovered some of my favorite artists having it play in the background all the time."
"Launchcast/Yahoo Radio. It was revolutionary for music streaming and the 1-5 star system worked really well. I preferred it over Pandora's up/down system."
GiphyOn a personal level, I want to go on record and say MusicMatch was the greatest music program in the history of life.
It just was.
I will die on this hill.
It was dopeness in all forms. MusicMatch Jukebox? Dope. Yahoo MusicMatch? Dope.
So what relics from Ye Olde Internet are you passionate about? Sound off in the comments!
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Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
The dogs owner shared the video along with a post asking professionals to shed some light on why he does what he does.
Owner-obliviousness as they gushed about how adorable it was made the awkward even better.
The owner explained the Frenchie often makes aggressive eye contact and licks his lips while he "plays air guitar"—which is what the family calls it—and how cute & funny they all find the behavior.
GiphyThe video was the dog, casually chilling, using his paw to rub the tip of his penis while staring awkwardly at the camera and licking his lips like a pup possessed.
Three hundred and fifteen laugh-reacts—at the time that I saw it—and only three comments:
1. a vet explaining that the behavior showed in the video was the dog masturbating while making direct eye contact
2. the owner giving a simple "thank you" and
3. the admins of the group closing the comments.
So, why am I sharing this with you?
Because Reddit user Drakmamman asked:
"Dog owners of reddit, what the dog doin?"
... and so now you get this whole article just so I had an excuse to tell y'all about a furiously fapping Frenchie, 'cause somebody else needed to know about him.
I cackled for a good 20 minutes imagining the family getting all giddy about their dog "playing air guitar"—making the little air guitar meedly squeedly noises while he played, maybe even playing along thinking they're enjoying a fun little game—but they're really just been giving a hair metal soundtrack to their dogs stroke sesh.
Something tells me now the owner knows what "air guitar" really is, they're not likely to rush and tell Reddit all about how they've been gathering as a family to watch cause it's just so cute.
That's what I'm here for.
Anyway, here's the stuff other people's dogs are up to. It's not fapping—or if it is, the owners aren't telling Reddit.
Partner Preference
Giphy"Wife just came home with the baby. Dog is acting like she's been abandoned for years running up and down, barking and jumping on everything."
"They'd only been out an hour and I was with her the whole time." - Single_Goose7015
"My dog does this too when my wife comes home. Like what am I, chopped liver?" - jackof47trades
"I feel your pain. My dog started howling mournfully when my partner went back to work last week… I was right there!" - TreatOutside
"Staring at the door waiting for the only human he cares about to come home (obviously not me)" - SnarkyRedhead
Herding Cats
Giphy"Probably trying to herd the cats."
"He's a border collie mix who's afraid of goats and sheep, but even after six years of living with them he still thinks he can control where the cats go."
"He's a good boy, he's very persistent, but not terribly bright sometimes." - TokesNotHigh
"After 8 years our border collie still herds the cats, and the vacuum." - psychologicaluse28
"Big heart, small brain. I have one of those dogs too. They are the sweetest." - Technobucket
Wretched Existence
Giphy"She has flung herself flat across the bed and is playing dead, quiet except for the occasional pitiful whine. Every now and then she lifts her head up and fixes a desperate look upon me, silently begging for release from her wretched existence."
"She's a bit overdramatic about having to wear a cone. The issue is an abrasion on a toe that she won't stop licking, which is making it worse."
"I've been alternating between bandaging it and having her wear a cone. She's been consistently a drama queen." - halfinboxes
One Hour
Giphy"Staring at me because their dinner time is in one hour and they need to start letting me know that, in an hour, they need to eat...in an hour, so I better not forget...cuz they're hungry, which is why they're staring at me...and it's almost dinner time."
"Just one more hour, And they want to make sure I don't forget. Because maybe I will."
"So, they need to remind me. By staring at me. Every day. One hour before dinner." - MotherOfFred
A Little "Light" Exercise
Giphy"Mine loves light reflected off watches or phones. And loves lasers."
"It's sunny and he sees light on the wall so he is bothering me to use my watch or phone so he can chase the light. I've spent the last hour doing it."
"I even got him a cat laser toy that's automatic for him and he runs himself tired as all hell with it. But he is STILL asking for it."
"Used the laser toy also too, so he is panting dripping tongue and still wants to play more..." - boomgoon
Vicious Predators
Giphy"Last night my dogs chased down and killed a rabbit in the backyard. They are usually so gentle; this was weird and unexpected."
"I watched the whole thing helpless because it was so fast. The rabbit screamed, it was insane."
"Now, I'm watching them sleep on my couch and can't help but think they just murdered someone."
"They are just vicious predators, right here, in my house. On my couch."
"But they snuggly as f*ck. This trips me out." - Atheist_Redditor
A Problematic Princess
Giphy"We have two chihuahuas. One is a 15 year old (quite appropriately) named Princess and one is a one year old named Charlie."
"Both have their own dog beds on the couch since they are spoiled."
"When Princess is feeling particularly moody or like asserting her dominance, she will drag Charlie's bed into her bed and lay on top of BOTH of them and snarl at him if he comes close to her personal space bubble/bed mountain."
"And when we tell her she can't have both beds and put his bed back to the side, she just glares at us. Lol." - mslm90
Shoe-nanigans
Giphy"She's currently in her cage resting after her great adventure."
"She managed to get upstairs and grab a hold of one of my shoes. Not just any old shoe, but one of the shoes I am planning to wear this weekend for my wedding."
"After running around, she dropped the shoe to chew on a shirt - at which point she was cornered, and then brought downstairs."
"Pup and shoe are both unharmed and doing well. My nerves, not so much." - still_interesting23
So ... what's YOUR dog been up to lately?
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