Spend Out: This is why we have nice things

Throughout 2025, I’ve been working on a monthly series inspired by Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project, a book that explores how intentional actions can incrementally build a happier life. Each month, I’ve been taking one of her original themes and reframing it in the narrow context of tennis. July’s topic is money, and this month I’m digging into the emotional baggage and behavioral patterns we all carry around when it comes to spending. Yesterday’s post tackled the provocative question of ways money can potentially buy happiness within the sport. (It’s complicated.)Today I’m focusing on another of Rubin’s more counterintuitive concepts.

Rubin defines “Spend Out” as the idea that we shouldn’t hoard or save nice things for an unspecified future special day. In other words, don’t keep something tucked away unused for fear of ruining it. If you never use it, you may as well not have it at all. Rubin’s example includes items such as nice stationery that you never send out and linens saved for special occasions that never arrive.

At first, I struggled to find a tennis-specific angle. I have never known a player who has a favored racquet that they are saving for a future big match. Similarly, we don’t hoard consumables like strings, overgrips, or balls. I was gearing up to tackle today’s post from an entirely different angle when I realized I had a shining example of this behaviour right under my nose.

I’ve previously written about the towels handed out to qualifiers to the Texas Masters tournament each year. These towels are high-quality, plush, and personalized with the tournament logo. Every year features a new and unique color scheme. They are easily the nicest tennis towels I own. And yet… I’ve never used them. Not once.

My Master’s towels have been sitting on a shelf in my linen closet for years. I’m not sure exactly what I’ve been saving them for. When I earned my first one, I had the irrational fear that if I carried it around, I might lose it. In the second year, I just added to the stack. The net result is that they are currently occupying an inordinate amount of space that could be better used for other items. In their current state, my Masters towels are definitely not practical, efficient, or sparking any joy whatsoever.

Consequently, in the spirit of “Spend Out,” I’ve made a decision. I’m going to start using the towels. All of them. And I’m encouraging the Trophy Husband to do the same with the ones he has received. These aren’t museum artifacts. They’re rewards for something we worked hard to earn. They should be used, appreciated, and maybe even worn out. That’s how they’ll actually bring happiness.

How about you? Do you have any tennis-related items—gear, apparel, or mementos—you’re saving for a “someday” that never seems to arrive? Maybe it’s time to spend out.

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Throughout 2025, I am dedicating the first full weekend of every month to exploring how ideas from Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project (<- Sponsored Link) can spark greater enjoyment and happiness in tennis. This is a non-tennis book that I have come to believe everyone should read. Seriously, you should get your hands on a copy of this book and consider trying some of the techniques described by the author.

The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun (<- Sponsored Link)