The $250 Purchase That Has Been Essential To My Happiness

I moved to northeast Ohio in 2013, and I was surprised to discover that the area is very kayakable. The Cuyahoga River runs through Cleveland, Akron, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and we’re surrounded by paddle-friendly lakes of all sizes. So it wasn’t really a surprise when, in 2015, all my friends started buying kayaks. Pretty soon, there was a small fleet of kayaks heading out every weekend.

I didn’t jump on the bandwagon at first. It felt impractical and expensive, and I had no idea how I’d manage to store a 10-foot boat in my tiny apartment. So I looked on from afar, trying to ignore my desire to join the fun and relive my childhood summers spent paddling around the little lake near our cabin in northern Minnesota. Then, on Memorial Day of 2016, my friend Stacey was out of town and offered up her kayak for anyone who wanted to borrow it. I spent the afternoon paddling around Portage Lakes with a few friends, feeling so happy I thought I’d burst. Before we returned to dry land, I’d made my decision. I was buying one. I Googled sales on the drive back, begged a friend with a big car to drive me to Dick’s, and brought home my very own kayak that same day.

I’d be lying to you if I said that kayak wasn’t kind of an impulse purchase. I didn’t plan for it, I didn’t save up for it, and I had to get pretty creative when it came to storing it. But it’s clear to me now that my kayak remains one of my best investments.

Read the full article on The Financial Diet.