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

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

Kim Kardashian; Kimi Antonelli
Pascal Le Segretain/WireImage/Getty Images; Luca Barsali/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Kim Kardashian Just Sent A Peace Offering After She Sparked Backlash By Stealing Teen F1 Driver's Towel

At just 19 years old, Andrea Kimi Antonelli seems barely old enough to have a driver's license. But instead of cruising around town with friends, he's driving over 200 miles per hour through the streets of major cities as a Formula One (F1) racer.

The Italian driver, who prefers to be called Kimi, isn't just an also ran either—he's already won won five Grand Prix races since his 2025 debut with Team Mercedes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jesse Watters; Hillary Clinton
Fox News; Dominik Bindl/Getty Images

Jesse Watters Ripped Live On Air After His Overtly Sexist Rant About Hillary Clinton's Place In History

Even Fox News personality Jesse Watters' own colleagues pushed back after he dismissed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as just a "female" who will be a "footnote" in history following her remarks that former President Joe Biden's reelection bid was a "terrible mistake" for the Democrats.

Clinton argued that Biden's first significant error was deciding to seek a second term after initially presenting himself as a bridge to a new generation of Democratic leadership.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Jon Ossoff; Donald Trump
MS NOW; Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Jon Ossoff Masterfully Hits Back After 'Unstable' Trump Tries To Insult Him With Cringey New Nickname

Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff hit back at President Donald Trump after Trump branded him "Jon Os(jerk!)off" in an unhinged post following the Republican runoff results.

In this year's midterm election, Ossoff will face Representative Mike Collins, Trump's preferred candidate, after Collins defeated fellow Republican Derek Dooley in Tuesday's GOP runoff.

Keep ReadingShow less
Peter Doocy; Donald Trump
Fox News; Magali Cohen/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Fox News Just Told The Truth About Why Iran Is So 'Eager' To Sign Onto Trump's New 'Deal'

In an unexpected twist for Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, nepo-baby White House correspondent Peter Doocy called out MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's deal to end the war he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel provoked with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz that was closed because of their actions.

The son of Fox News veteran Steve Doocy spoke to Fox News host Will Cain on Tuesday from Geneva, Switzerland, where Trump was attending the G7 Summit. Cain asked Doocy if he could hear what Trump said, to which he replied that he could and that he agreed with Trump's assertion that he's "very rich."

Keep ReadingShow less
Three children blowing out birthday candles; Tweet by @Liza137823
Dennis Hallinan/Getty Images; @Liza137823/X

X User Dragged After Complaining About Neighbor Hosting Birthday Party With Six Kids In Backyard

Not everyone likes children or hearing kid noises or activities, but when you are in close proximity to a child-friendly space, you're going to hear some of it, whether that's at a park or even living next door.

X user @Liza137823 got onto the platform expecting to receive validation and comfort from her fellow X users, but all she received were critiques when she complained about a kid's birthday party happening without getting her permission first.

Keep ReadingShow less