6 Things I Spend Money On (and 6 I Don’t) as a Working Mom in San Francisco

What actually improves my quality of life as a working mom in San Francisco—and what’s just nice to have.

You probably already know, but this was inspired by the TikTok “things worth your money” (yes, I have a time limit on my TikTok app, and yes, I ignore that time limit every day). And listen, I’m not here to tell people how to spend their hard-earned dollars. This is more about what I PERSONALLY believe is worth the money—for me.

For a little background, I’m a beauty executive living in San Francisco with my husband (who also works) and two daughters, ages 5 and 7. While we do have money to spend, this city is expensive, kids are expensive (can we talk about camps? And swim lessons??), and unfortunately, not everything can make the cut. I spend on things that noticeably improve our lives and bring me joy, but less on things that just don’t deliver enough value.

So, let’s get into it.

6 THINGS I SPEND MONEY ON

1. My home

I believe where you live has a huge impact on your mental health. I’ve lived with bad roommates, I’ve lived in shitty basement apartments, I’ve had annoying condo neighbors—and let me tell you, itcuts you to your core every. single. day.

I live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and a huge portion of our paychecks goes toward our home. But I love it. It’s big enough for the four of us to live comfortably (by city standards, lol), centrally located on a hill with beautiful views, and close to my family and work. It makes me happy every day. 100% worth it.

2. Travel and experiences

I love to travel and make memories with my family and friends. So if I’m invited on a girls’ trip to Japan, spring break with family friends to Mexico, wine tasting in Napa, or a nice dinner with my book club—I’m going to say yes. I pay to take my kids to museums, family camp, and long weekends in Sonoma or Santa Cruz. I paid to have an awesome 2000s-themed 40^th birthday party (with an open bar, hello) that I’ll always remember. As we used to say back then…YOLO.

3. My hair

Taking care of my hair makes me feel more confident, which is huge for my overall headspace. I wasn’t genetically gifted with amazing hair (wahh), and now I’m getting some grays, so yes, I’m going to spend money taking care of it.

I go to Shanna at Monarch Salon, who is sooo good at giving me the cut and color I want while keeping my hair healthy. I also have a Dyson Airwrap (with the large round brush attachment), a red light cap, and a collection of (mostly drugstore, thank god!) products from the Abbey Yung hair method (her method has literally changed my hair—please look her up).

4. Workout classes

I’ve been working out for 20 years, and I know myself. If I do a workout alone at home or in a gym, I’ll probably half-ass it and potentially not even do it. But I LIVE for the energy of workout classes—the music, the vibes, the instructor yelling at me, the other people sweating beside me and motivating me.

Right now, I’m spending $244 per month on a Solidcore membership (obsessed, it’s my entire personality), plus around $14 on the Peloton strength app. In the past, I’ve done ClassPass and had packages or memberships at Lagree studios, Barry’s, SoulCycle—you name it. For how working out makes me feel and look, it’s worth every penny.

5. A rental property

Last year my husband and I bought a condo in Palm Desert, furnished it, and turned it into a vacation home and rental property (find it on Airbnb if you want a taste of the desert life!). This wasn’t cheap, and we’ve cut spending in other areas to make it the best living space—and most profitable rental—it can be. It’s an investment and, hopefully, a place where we can spend a lot more time once we retire (which, manifesting that will be semi soon? maybe?).

6. Coffee from coffee shops

I’ve seen approximately 3,689 pieces of content saying that if you want to save money, just stop buying coffee and make it at home. I do make one cup every morning at home, but it also brings me incomparable joy to walk to coffee shop and have one made for me. Every day. I mean, it just tastes better, it gets me out of the house, and I get to vibe out at the coffee shop. My go-to is Philz but I also have a running list of cute places around the city (most recently, Hardware and Jaandi - both adorable).

I do this almost every day. Is it practical? No. Will I give it up? Also no.

6 THINGS I DON’T SPEND MONEY ON

1. Business-class flights

Listen, I LOVE a business-class flight, okay? When I’m flying for work and it can be expensed, there is truly nothing better. But there is no way in hell I’m going to spend $8,000 on a round-trip ticket to London or Paris or wherever. NO. WAY.

I will suffer in economy, get horrible sleep (despite my silk eye mask, earplugs, travel pillow, and travel foot stirrups), and power through on the other side. While it’s not great, it saves me thousands in just one day.

2. Designer clothes and expensive jewelry

I work in the beauty industry, where many other leaders are dripping in Dior and Louis Vuitton (honestly, it’s iconic and I’m here for it). And yes, I have a few designer bags (mostly from employee sample sales tbh), and I like to buy quality clothes. But this is an area I’m mindful of.

I mostly shop at places like J.Crew, Levi’s, Everlane (SOB that they were bought by Shein, kill), American Vintage, Gap, and occasionally stuff from Revolve. I keep my jewelry simple, and I wear the same black Beyond Yoga workout sets year after year.

While I’d love to splurge on a fancier closet, my other expenses (see above) are more important to me.

3. Private school for my kids (right now)

I’m a big believer in public school, AND it’s also very important to me that my kids get an excellent education. For elementary school, we were lucky enough to get into a top-rated Spanish immersion public school within walking distance of our house. It has a warm, active community and a diverse group of students from a variety of backgrounds. It’s not perfect, and the facilities could be nicer, and the classes could be smaller, but we’re very happy.

Private schools offer a lot. But for this exact moment in time, that crazy price tag isn’t worth it for our family.

4. Manicures

I spent many years getting gel manicures. But the time and money have become a huge hassle. It takes at least 90 minutes (which…with work and kids, when exactly am I doing this?), and you have to plan your life around your next appointment so your nails don’t look grown-out and chipped and gross, and yeah, you get it.

I’m into the bare-nail trend and have seen a lot of v stylish and successful women I know rock this look forever. If it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

5. Luxury makeup and skincare products (without performance to back them up)

I’ve worked in the beauty industry for 13 years, and I know what constitutes a *real* clinical claim, what’s marketing fluff, and when a product is actually worth the money.

I do TONS of research before purchasing something new. Often, I can get a product for $30 instead of $200 that works just as well, if not better.

I’ve also really simplified my makeup routine and spend a lot less impulsively than I used to. I know what I like, and what works for me.

6. Our car

We don’t drive anything super fancy (this coming from the land of Teslas). We have a Hyundai Tucson plug-in hybrid. It runs on electric for shorter distances (aka almost all the driving we do). We charge it in the garage and spend almost nothing on gas.

It’s big enough for our kids and all their crap, small enough to parallel park in tight spaces, and not so nice that we get upset when it gets dinged—which, living in the city, it inevitably does. We used to drive a Mercedes SUV, and honestly, like the Hyundai better. I don’t care about fancy cars, never have and never will, and this one is great for us.

Well, there you have it! What do you spend money on because it’s totally worth it to you? What do you skip? I want to know!