Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

People Share The $75-Or-Less Purchases That Give Them The Most Joy

People Share The $75-Or-Less Purchases That Give Them The Most Joy
Harry Cunningham/Unsplash
Make us preferred on Google

You may have heard of the phrase "retail therapy" before, which is the act of buying things for personal enjoyment.

Well, there's some truth to that.

The University of Michigan actually studied the affects of shopping on our sadness levels. Purchasing something you enjoy can actually decrease sadness 40 times better than not purchasing something.

There are tons of other benefits like dopamine increases, anxiety reduction and improved mood. We wanted to know what people are buying to give them that rush of happy hormones and increase their joy.


Redditor greyblacknavytan asked:

"What can you buy for $75 or less that will provide the most happiness?"

It might be time to start a wish list!

A sweet treat.

"The chocolate bar I’m eating right now is doing it for me. It's a Tony’s Chocolonely milk chocolate sea salt and caramel."

- knovit

"$75 of Tony’s is a great use of money imo."

- lostinbass

The amino acids in chocolate actually change our brain patterns to make us happy, so definitely a good investment.

Your neck will thank you.

"Get a nice pillow. So worth it. I got the a memory foam one from Amazon for $50. My neck is in premature heaven."

- googlemeagoose

"Memory foam pillows are hit or miss. For me, they're all miss. Feels like I'm resting my head on a rock."

- Snoo74401

"I was the same way until I got a pillow that you stuff to your own firmness with shredded memory foam. It has the feel of a memory foam pillow but it's 'fluffier' if that makes sense. Add to that the customizability of the firmness and you have a perfect pillow IMHO. Just don't throw the extra stuffing away immediately, sleep on it for a while and adjust as needed."

- liberal_texan

Splurge on some nice food.

" Food."

"I'm poor but not so poor that food is the main concern. What I mean is some nice cuts of meat, chanterelles, russet potatoes, cream, a nice wine and the rest for beer. I could make a meal for kings on that. It would make me so happy!"

- Redditor

"For sure, similarly you could even provide a meal for a group of friends for that amount which would make a group of people happy."

- Chocolateismy

Invest in your hobbies.

"Invest in a hobby like good hiking boots or high quality yarn for knitting or so on. Hobbies keep you happier, healthier, and can help you make new friends."

- Fredredphooey

"Good hiking boots are going to cost more than $75."

- Captain_Hammertoe

"Save money by buying just one boot."

- Ian1732

11 years of happiness.

"I paid the Humane Society about $75 when I adopted my cat; he has thus far provided me with 11 years of affection."

- MatthewHWood

For something silly.

"Googly eyes and some blue tack."

- asthma_mermaid

"This is my favorite first date. Just walk around sticking googly eyes to stuff together. It's always so much fun."

- Skrappyross

"Another one I really liked was leaving sweet notes in books in a bookstore."

"We took some notecards and wrote a short paragraph or two about a favorite book. What we'd enjoyed about it, how we wished we could read it again for the first time, that we were excited the new owner of the book is on the verge of that experience. We signed them with our (common) first names, but included no other contact information."

"Then we snuck them into books in a bookstore."

"It was a super fun date."

- TheDiplocrap

Just vibes.

"I clicked on this thinking I'd be enlightened by some suggestions... Instead, everyone is telling me to do drugs, go to the gym, and relax with a vibrator."

"OK... You all convinced me. I'm going to buy a vibrator."

- jonsconspiracy

"Vibrators are pretty enlightening tbh."

- dumbbinch99

Make a donation.

"3 cataract [treatments] to restore sight via the Fred Hollows foundation."

- SaffyAs

This can apply to any foundation of your choosing! You're sharing joy with those who need it.

A bidet.

"100% a bidet. A clean butthole makes for a happy day."

- thr0w4w4yanon

"Bidets are so underrated. I just don't feel clean without it anymore, yk?"

- possumpussie

Maybe you don't have $75 to spend right now.

Well, even the act of filling up your online shopping cart and hitting "save for later" can give a rush a dopamine.

You're definitely worth that little bit of joy from buying that item that's been sitting in your cart for weeks.

Want to "know" more?

Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.

More from Trending/best-of-reddit

'The Craft' cast, including Robin Tunney, Fairuza Balk, Rachel True and Neve Campbell
Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

'The Craft' Star Speaks Out After New Bratz Dolls Were Sent To Influencers But Not Original Cast

Bratz enthusiasts have a lot to be excited about right now, as a new collection of the dolls have rolled out, this time inspired specifically by the original cast of the 1996 horror film The Craft, from which Bratz dolls came to be.

But just because it's an exciting campaign doesn't mean it's perfect.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trick-or-treating
The Boston Globe/Getty Images

HOA Sparks Debate After Sending Letter Telling People Not To Hand Out Full-Size Candy Bars On Halloween

Within our communities, it's important to make everyone feel welcome and included, and sometimes that means making changes so that everyone can afford to be included. But sometimes changes are made simply because someone with the power to change it doesn't want to do something.

The question is whether changes are being made for inclusivity or convenience.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @serena_loscalzo's TikTok
@serena_loscalzo/TikTok

College President Goes Above And Beyond To Help Student Prank Her Chronically Oversleeping Roommate

University of Vermont President Marlene Tromp and UVM student Hannah Lapier have gone viral after their fabulous wake-up call—and fortunately not the negative, reality-check kind!

Lapier opened up to her roommate, Serena LoScalzo, about struggling to get out of bed in the morning for her classes. Lapier prompted her friend to use any means necessary to help her make it to her morning classes on time, because she wanted to take school seriously.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @itsvictoriavega's TikTok
@itsvictoriavega/TikTok

Woman Sounds Off About 'Worst First Date Of My Life' After Guy Made Truly Unhinged Request

There are bad first dates, there are the worst first dates ever, and then there are the dates that are so terrible, you can't help but wonder how they occurred in the first place.

TikToker Victoria Vega, for example, went on a first date with a guy after what she thought was a promising start, but when she actually went on the date, it was nothing like she'd expected. In fact, she called it the worst first date of her life.

Keep ReadingShow less
TikToker Kae; Walmart storefront
@lolxdlolxdlolxd23455/TikTok; Douglas Rissing/Getty Images

Fired TikToker Shares Bonkers Behind-The-Scene Stories About What It Was Like Working At Walmart

Whether or not we've ever worked there, we've all heard horror stories and seen internet memes about "people at Walmart" and the weird things that often happen within the oversized chain convenience store.

TikToker Kae, or @lolxdlolxdlolxd23455 on the platform, worked at Walmart for more than six months and ultimately was fired because he'd accidentally logged his PTO time incorrectly and also requested multiple days off,—but he'd intended to quit anyway given his unpleasant time working there.

Keep ReadingShow less