What would you pay to change about yourself?
Eemusings’ post on what would you pay to change about yourself was not only original but .. kind of fun to think about!
Aside from some personality traits (I have a few bad ones, obviously)… I’m going to focus just on the physical.
What would I change about my body and how much would I pay?
1. GET 20/20 VISION WITHOUT ANY SURGERY – $20,000
I know Lasik exists, but I also know people who have gone through it and had to have it redone and/or permanently scarred their eyes for life.
I am too scared to do this, and to ever think about doing surgery on my eyes that involves cutting my eyeball open, and this is something that will never, ever happen for me.
I’d rather stick to wearing contacts and eyeglasses than to risk this.
(Best X-Ray I could find, even if it isn’t of a knee)
2. FIX MY AWKWARD BUM KNEE – $20,000
I have a crooked knee that no one notices except for myself, and more often when I walk for too long and it starts to hurt.
I am suspicious when my mother wistfully looks at me after I recount the proper way to swaddle a baby that I saw on Youtube and says:
I didn’t even know how to swaddle a baby when I had you kids. I didn’t know you needed to bend the elbows of the baby’s arms or leave room for the legs to kick…
O_o
Er.. thanks Mom?
Anyway, this knee is only a problem on occasion as it doesn’t align up correctly and puts the weight of my body at an awkward angle on my joints. The only way I can combat this is to not get too heavy so that the weight is minimal.
I thought about getting it fixed but really what can they do? The bone is permanently fused in an awkward angle and it would mean breaking my knee re-aligning it and perhaps causing MORE problems than it is worth.
I just live with it.
3. GET RID OF MY ECZEMA PERMANENTLY (INCLUDING ANY SCARS FROM IT) – $20,000
Again, I could go through laser surgery to remove these scars and marks, but my eczema would still persist.
I will say that it has gotten better since I learned over the past decade or so how to:
- Take warm but not hot showers
- Moisturize like a mofo immediately when my skin is still damp
- Use a natural moisturizer like shea butter that is very thick, sticky but effective
- Not to irritate / scrub my skin with loofahs, sponges or exfoliate too often or at all
- Keep my legs shaved, because any little rustle of wind on leg hair makes me itch absentmindedly
- Avoid scratching my skin at all costs, because even a little nick can cause a rash to develop
It’s just annoying because I also have to be careful when I cut myself because any little cut has a potential of eczema to develop into a full-blown, nasty case.
WHAT WOULD YOU PAY TO CHANGE ABOUT YOURSELF?
26 Comments
-
-
save. spend. splurge.
My eczema is mostly on my legs, ears and INSIDE my ears *sigh*
Baby Bun had it on his back. I hope he grows out of it.
Patience would be nice. I lost mine today with his horrible napping…
-
-
Naomi @ Rising Net Worth
I’m with you about the Lasik eye surgery. My vision is pretty bad and I’m a bit squeamish about someone hacking away at my eyeballs!! Another thing, I have this annoying mole on my left leg [totally not gross looking or anything] that is such an eyesore. It’s a bit discolored so I go to the extreme to avoiding wearing shorts. I’d totally pay for a doc to cut or burn it off for me!
And thirdly, because you’ve got me on a roll here! I wish I could find a remedy for my dark elbows/knees. I’ve done countless diy remedies to no avail. Although I’m sure there’s a chemical or procedure a doctor can prescribe I’m not ready to shell out the pretty penny that I’m sure it will cost!
-
save. spend. splurge.
It’s amazing the things we notice about ourselves that no one seems to see 🙂 I told my mom about my weirdly shaped left leg that wasn’t straight and she said: Well, no one notices that stuff. LOL!
-
-
Lisa E. @ Lisa vs. the Loans
Lasik is definitely on my list! I’ve had to wear corrective glasses since I was in kindergarten. KINDERGARTEN! My eye sight is pretty bad, and I would love to save money on contacts/glasses. I’ve heard more good stories about Lasik than bad, but of course I don’t want to end up as a horror story!
-
save. spend. splurge.
Ditto. I’ve had to wear glasses since I was in school.. but my father thought my eyes were “weak and lazy” and could do with some strengthening by NOT giving me glasses to wear, which made me squint and get headaches all the time. Cheap SOB.
-
-
Michelle@MoneySmartGuides
I have looked into Lasik for quite some time, and I have not seen it cost that much. In fact, I often times see a Groupon for it for around $1500 per eye-but that of course is taking into consideration of my location. My friend had it done and loves it. She said you also have to factor in putting in these special eye drops for the first week that cost around $100.00 (but that to me, is a very minimal expense if you are getting this procedure done). If I could pay to change something, I would straighten my teeth without braces and without Invisalign. I have gone both routes. Braces were too intrusive while Invisalign was more of annoyance. I would be looking for a one day fix 🙂
-
save. spend. splurge.
I’m currently on Invisalign and it is putting a damper on my eating!! But I prefer it to metal braces. Not as ugly (a little hideous) but easier to remove to floss and brush.
-
-
NZ Muse
Aw shit, I didn’t know that about swaddling babies either!
You just reminded me that I have a flat head (at the back) – not sure if that’s my parents’ fault or the maid’s (don’t know when we started having household help).
A few people mentioned teeth. Mine aren’t perfectly straight but to be honest what bugs me more than the slight crookedness is the SIZE of my teeth. I have very small teeth and a very gummy smile so I tend to take photos with a closed mouth smile.
-
save. spend. splurge.
I only learned that via the Internet 🙂 don’t feel too bad.
For the flat head part, it is better than a head like a parallelogram!! It just means you were on your back a lot. I’m working on Baby Buns flat head, myself….
-
-
Lila
I had LASIK and I’m thankful for it. It was painless. They put these drops in my eyes so I wouldn’t squint during the surgery. My Dr., his nurses, and staff made me feel at ease. His nurses were very comforting, one even told me if I needed to squeeze her hand then I could.
I researched my Dr. and his facility before my consultation and during the consultation he answered all my questions.
I had this done in mid-2000’s but I have heard they have made many advancements to LASIK since then. They also did a test to see if I was a good candidate for LASIK. Kathy Griffin has spoken out against her poor experience with LASIK. My heart goes out to her.
I understand why you wouldn’t want to do it. I had to take the chance because my eyesight was really bad. I also took my time and thought/researched about this subject for 5 years before I decided to do it.
-
save. spend. splurge.
My eyesight is horrific but I am more scared of the surgery..I’d really like to try though…
-
-
Kassandra
I am with you 100% on the corrected vision. I would love to be free of contacts/glasses (wearing glasses since the age of six) but I still don’t trust Lasik.
Also, I wouldn’t mind hiring a personal stylist for my hair. I have naturally curly locks and it takes over an hour to blow dry my hair straight. I have zero patience to do this myself so off to the salon it is from time to time. Maybe I should pay to work on my patience?-
save. spend. splurge.
Haha!! Most people would just pay and get their hair relaxed 🙂 I like that you chose the personality bit instead
-
-
Alicia
I remember commenting on EE’s post, but I didn’t remember what I said. My answers then were much more physical (no period, and perfect loose waves in my hair).
Now that I’ve grown so much in the last 6 months, I’ve decided I need a few personality traits re-adjusted. Mostly, my insane ability of always having to be right. I will fight you to the death on some things. My fiance can even pinpoint when I realize I’m wrong(a look on my face) and then I start to slowly come around saying “well, it’s true in this situation” so that I’m not completely wrong. I’m also very defensive, and critical. Don’t I sound exactly like someone you want to be friends with? 🙂
-
-
Ksenija
I would definitely have my vision corrected! Apart from that, I would like to correct my feet as I have totally flat soles and my whole spine hurts if I walk, stand or run for longer than 15 minutes which is rather irritant.
But as I am wary of going on the cutting table when my life is not in immediate danger, I don’t see any of the afore mention two happening any time soon.:p
For your eczema, I would recommend you switch to handmade artisan soap. You can even learn fairly easy to make them yourself and tweak the recipes to your likening and your skin will be grateful for that.-
save. spend. splurge.
Luckily my eczema has pretty much been cured because I moisturize and I eat a lot better than I used to. I also try NOT to scratch my itches because then it turns into eczema immediately.
-
-
Kathy
I would change my body so I would never again be overweight and my liver disease would be cured. Many people would tell you that you can change your weight, almost for free, but if it were that easy, we wouldn’t have an obesity problem. If only I could be as disciplined about that as I am so easily about finances. Sigh….
-
save. spend. splurge.
Well managing money isn’t easy either 🙂 it is just less personal perhaps, as it isn’t your body..
For me, I love food too much so I can’t imagine having to go on some diet to lose weight…
-
-
Stefanie @ The Broke and Beautiful Life
Laser hair removal! Though I wouldn’t do it till I had more than enough money to afford it.
-
-
AdinaJ
Physically, my teeth. I wish I had an extra $25k or more to get veneers. Ironically, I have perfectly healthy, straight teeth … but they are discoloured due to childhood meds. They’re my biggest source of insecurity as an adult. Sine day …
Otherwise, I’d pay good money to be more patient.
-
save. spend. splurge.
And you can’t have them whitened??
You’re lucky to have such good teeth. I went through hell for mine and now I am paying $4000 again to re-straighten them.
-
-
Dillon
I would pay to get rid of my defensiveness or my need to always be right. I would pay a lot to get rid of my insecurities. I would pay to be a more thoughtful/thankful person.
-
save. spend. splurge.
Hey I’m with you. I have a problem with being defensive, being criticized and wanting to be right. It’s very VERY hard to break yourself of such a behaviour / habit. It comes instinctively, but I’ve learned I have to shut up and think before speaking, ESPECIALLY when I am angry.
-
Post a comment
You may also like
Why I am giving up (another) $250,000 to be with my family
So I did this once already for Baby Bun. …and here I am, doing it again.. but this time I fee
Do you shop when you’re stressed?
Triggers for shopping therapy..
What does “success” mean to you?
I had an excellent comment on my post: Do you ever feel guilty for being successful? from Stacking P
MakintheBacon
I, too, share the pain of having eczema. Although I haven’t had any recent flare ups lately, I hate the feeling of those bumps. The problem areas are usually on my stomach and sometimes I’d scratch like crazy, leaving scars, thus making me feel very self conscious when I’d wear a bikini.
With respect to personality traits, I wish I was more outgoing and social and didn’t worry so much about what either people thought. I could also use a huge dose of patience.