How to Spend Your Bonus (Better)

The best way to spend your bonus is to:

1. Pay-off Debt: if you have high-interest debt, then paying that down will have a measurable impact on your life.
2. Save: retirement fund and short-medium term savings accounts.
3. Self-improvement: invest in continuous development and career progression (courses/conferences, upgrade your work suit/bag).
4. Charity: consider sending money to a charity that's meaningful for you.
5. Spend: set aside some money for guilt-free enjoyment. 

The proportions of each will depend on your situation, including the amount of debt you have, your reitrement fund, and your overall life goals.

Need some luxury spending inspiration? Discover something now at Von Baer.

You're Staring at a Bonus. Now What?

No one taught you this part.

Sure, you learned how to file your taxes, automate your savings, maybe even max your 401(k).

But what do you actually do with a chunk of money that lands in your account like a surprise guest at a dinner party - full of potential, but also loaded with expectation?

Spend it all? Save it all? Split the difference and hope for the best?

Let’s be real - this moment isn’t about money.

It’s about power. Choice. Identity.

So before it vanishes into a vague soup of “smart financial decisions” and “a little treat,” let’s talk about how to use it well.

And not in a Ramit Sethi Instagram reel kind of way - in a way that makes your next year, decade, or decision sharper, smoother, and more satisfying.

Maximize Impact with the First 10%: Why Your Initial Choice Sets the Tone for Every Other Decision

This isn’t just about being responsible - it’s about setting your psychological thermostat.

Ever notice how the first bite of dessert changes how you taste the next one? Same thing happens with money.

Your first move isn’t just a transaction - it’s a trigger.

This is what behavioral economists like Daniel Kahneman would call an “anchor.” Set the anchor too low - say, splurging on a pricey espresso martini bar crawl the night your bonus hits - and everything after that feels like catching up.

Instead?

Before the bonus even hits your account, move 10% to a high-yield savings account or Roth IRA. Not thrilling? Maybe not. But neither is breaking into cold sweats at 2 a.m. because you don’t know if you’ve outgrown your job or just never gave yourself space to think about it.

And listen, if the thought of “just saving it” feels like letting your inner child down? Don’t worry - we’re not staying responsible forever. We’re just setting the tone.

What if the first thing you did made the rest of your choices easier instead of messier?

Things That Linger Longer Than Price Tags: Choosing What You'll Still Talk About in Five Years

You won’t remember the specs on your new phone. You will remember the taste of fresh soba noodles in Kyoto, eaten barefoot after a tea ceremony where nobody spoke English.

You won’t remember how much your OLED TV cost, but you’ll remember what it felt like to zipline across a Costa Rican jungle with your dad, laughing like you were both ten.

That beautifully crafted leather briefcase you invest in - you'll forget the price, but you'll remember every sideward glance you get at work or nod of appreciation from a client about it.

Here’s the trick: spend your bonus like a story architect, not a consumer. Design experiences that add something to your internal narrative - not just your social feed. Invest in products that will be with you for life, not just the next 2 years.

Ask yourself:

Would this moment be worth talking about in five years, even if nobody else saw it?

Need ideas?

• Feeling disconnected in your relationship? Spend $3,500 on a Gottman Institute retreat - real talk, these things get booked out for months. You’ll walk away with literal conversation frameworks, not just vibes.
• Craving a deep reset? Book a silent Vipassana retreat. Ten days. No phone. No eye contact. It might be the first time you've ever heard yourself think without interruption. Free, by the way - just cover travel.

Bonus tip? Create a “no-photo” rule for yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much more you remember when you’re in it instead of trying to document it.

What if the most valuable part of your bonus didn’t go in your closet - but into your memory bank?

Buy Back Time, Not Just Stuff: Tangible Upgrades That Give You Your Day Back

Let’s play a game: What’s the most expensive thing you own?

Your Peloton? Your MacBook Pro?

Wrong.

It’s your attention.

And if you’re like most high-functioning professionals, your attention is being siphoned off by friction you’ve been tolerating for years - unwashed laundry, meal planning dread, crappy Zoom lighting, or chairs that compress your spine into a question mark by noon.

But some of the friction is invisible. It’s the micro-messages your environment sends you.

• The beat-up laptop bag that says “I’ll upgrade eventually.” 
• The belt that cracks at the holes. The accessories you’ve outgrown without realizing.
• That worn travel bag with the broken zipper that you can't bring yourself to replace.

Now is the time to fix this.

Here’s where the bonus gets tactical. Let’s talk friction-killers:

• Classic Bifold Full-Grain Leather Wallet: smart, sleek, and built to last for decades. 
  
• No.1 Luxury Leather Briefcase: ultra professional, designed to help you reach the next stage of your career.
• Steelcase Series 1 Chair: $499. Suddenly your 9-to-5 doesn’t feel like medieval back torture.
• Executive Large Desk Pad: upgrade your desk setup to CEO level.
• Jarvis Standing Desk: $599. It adjusts. You adjust. Your body stops mutinying.
• Dell UltraSharp 27" 4K Monitor: $650. Goodbye, digital eye strain. Hello, feeling like a Wall Street Journal productivity article.

You know what people say after they make these purchases? “I should’ve done it years ago.” Every. Time.

Or go soft:

• Laundry pickup service: $60/week. 3 hours reclaimed. Multiply that by 12 months, and you’ve just bought back 156 hours of your life. That’s nearly four 40-hour work weeks. Just… back.

One friend used her bonus to hire a personal chef to meal prep for her every Sunday. Not because she was lazy. Because she was building a side hustle and didn’t want decision fatigue over lentils to be the reason she burned out.

What would it be like to feel unburdened before you even start your day?

Small Luxuries, Big Identity Shifts: The Power of Micro-Indulgences with Macro Consequences

Let’s zoom in.

What’s the one thing you touch every day that still feels a little… student-y?

Is it your bag? Your bedding? Your coffee setup?

Now imagine upgrading it - not for status, but because the signal it sends to your nervous system is: “You matter.”

I once worked with a brand consultant who’d hit a ceiling. Nothing external, just that weird invisible stuckness that happens when your life doesn’t quite reflect who you’ve become.

You can start small - think about what you use and wear daily, and decide, "would I be better off with a nicer version of this?"

Here are some ideas to upgrade:

• Work bag
• Laptop Bag
• Belt
• Wallet
• Purse

That’s the thing about micro-luxuries. They tell a story your brain listens to every time you use them. And when that story says, “I’m the kind of person who does hard things in comfort,” you start living up to it.

Use the Cost-Per-Use filter. A $300 pair of boots worn 150 times a year? That’s $2 per wear - less than a coffee, and infinitely more powerful. A $2,000 briefcase that you use daily for 25 years? That's a bargain (especially if it helps you land that promotion).

If you upgraded one object you touch daily, how might it change how you carry yourself hourly?

Strategic Giving: How Giving Away a Slice Strengthens Your Identity

Ever had that feeling where you buy something... and still feel empty after?

There’s a reason. Giving actually triggers more long-term dopamine than consuming - especially when it’s personal, specific, and unannounced.

This isn’t about writing a check to some vague foundation. This is about giving that hits like a well-placed sentence in a Mary Oliver poem: quiet, clear, and life-altering.

Try this:

• Pay for someone’s certification exam. ($250-$2,000)
• Cover a month of therapy for a friend who’s struggling. (around $125/session)
• Send a care package to a single parent going back to school. (Amazon Wishlists are gold for this)

This is the difference between wealth and money. Money is finite. Impact multiplies.

What would it feel like to change someone’s life... and never need credit for it?

Splitting Smart: Creating a System That Combines Freedom, Growth, and Joy

Ready for a cheat code?

Here’s the math for a $10K bonus, structured to give you traction and taste:

• $5,000 to value-building: Invest it, pay off 19.99% APR credit cards, or finally take that course you’ve been side-eyeing for two years.

• $3,000 to lifestyle lift: Better chair, better shoes, better food, better sleep.

• $2,000 to joy - but delayed: Create a “30-Day Joy Buffer.” Drop it into a high-yield savings account. If you still want it in a month, it’s desire, not dopamine.

Another idea: create a “bonus weekend” - 72 hours where you only do things funded by your bonus. New mattress. Acupuncture. Dinner at your favorite restaurant. You'll be saying:

“It feels like I had stepped into a version of myself I didn’t realize I could afford.”

What makes it work? Intention + constraint. Not random scrolling. Planning, celebration, and a feeling that lingers.

Investing in Future Earning Power: Upskilling with Precision, Not FOMO

Let’s be blunt: You don’t need more credentials.

You need the right capability at the right time, delivered in a format your current schedule can actually absorb.

That means no more dusty Skillshare logins.

What works?

• Reforge: Deep cohort-based learning for product/growth folks. $1,995. Cohorts capped. Feedback’s brutal - and that’s good.
• On Deck: If you’re pivoting, building, or burned out. Around $2,400. The alumni Slack alone is worth it.
• Stagen Leadership Academy: $14K, yes. But if you’re leading at scale? This will change your management DNA.

Ask:

1. Will this grow my rate (income)?
2. Will this grow my reach (audience)?
3. Will this grow my resilience (ability to sustain momentum)?

Got your plan? Great. Now, get to work.