Is it worth it? It’s a question I ask myself a lot (aside from “Do I need it?”) before buying something.
For years, I would struggle with the idea that spending in general was bad, and you should do everything in your power to save and invest your money. Those were the smart things to do after all, right?
Well yes, saving and investing are great things to do with your money, but you shouldn’t feel guilty or ashamed for spending your hard earned money too!
But, it’s all about practicing value-based spending that’s the key. And what I mean by that is being more mindful of your spending, so you’re spending money on things that align with your values, bring you joy and fulfill you. Also, making sure that you’re not overspending, spending beyond your means and getting into debt, or spending your money on stuff because you want to look like you’re on trend or one of the cool kids so to speak.
Spending, just like other parts of personal finance is personal. And it’s important to remember that.
So, what does value-based spending look like? Well, that’s why I started this new series called “Is It Worth It?” I want to show you some of the things I buy that align with my values. Or, things that I think will align with my values, but end up being a total waste of money (so take it from me, don’t buy them too!).
For my first video in the series, I share my experience trying out a MyHeritage DNA Test. I’ve always been very interested in learning more about my background, so I decided to spend about $160 to see what results I got back.
In the end, was it worth it? I had to say yes, but not because getting the results changed my life. In the end, it was just a bit of fun for me and my family. It brought me joy. And although it was almost $200, to me it was worth the money (and I could afford it, that’s why I budget!).
Let me know in the comments if you’ve ever tried a heritage DNA test before and what you thought of it. Was it worth it for you?
Read my blog post that goes with this video: https://jessicamoorhouse.com/heritage-dna-test-worth-money/
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My first ever review video, and this one diving into whether it's worth the money to try out MyHeritage or any other DNA testing kit that gives you results about your heritage. Have you ever tried one of these? Let me know in the comments!
People should remove the lip stick before doing the Test ….OK thanks
Why were you surprised you had black in you? You've got red hair, having red head and freckles, which is melanin btw, is linked to black heritage. I guess lots of peeps don't know that. Very cool actually.
"I obviously come from a cold place" and then you get Nigerian and North African… LOL
I paid 70.00. 168?????? Omg
I understand that your family, on both sides, have been living in Canada for a long time. Possibly one of your (Nigerian) ancestors could have been an enslaved person, originally from Africa, who escaped the USA and some how or other made it to freedom in Canada.This was not so unusual historically and goes at least as far back as the Revolutionary War. I took an Ancestry.com test (on sale!). Still waiting for the results…
Hi Jessica, you think your DNA-test was worth the money because the results confirm to what you had expected before (more or less). I'm from an old ancient (13th century) German family but the DNA-test told me to be o,oo% German but 57,7% English and 42,3% Scandinavian. I feel so helpless now. Where do I belong to, where is my home? Shall I make a test with another company?
It's a lie that the Iberian of my MyHeritageDNA is Spanish, is Portuguese. It serves to be told that you are Scandinavian or that the French are not told they are Spanish. In other companies, they use a more prosperous method to Spain and South of France. I like https://gencove.com/ the Iberian is from the beginning of the Neolithic.
MyHeritageDna has been giving everyone Nigerian it's a mistake fr sure.
Great video jessica! Nice results ? i posted a video about my results for if you want to check that out ? i thought i was 100% north western european. I wasnt ?
Your sisters would have different results actually, DNA is not perfectly split 🙂
I did AncestryDNA and mine was spot on. It tells that everyone of your siblings will come up with different percentages and may pull different dna revealing more ancestry. It just means that there wasn’t enough of that DNA in your strand to point out. Iberian includes Spain and Portugal. On these ancestry sights they tell you how your ancestors migrated. That might explain the Nigerian part of your DNA. The Ivory Coast of Africa is where the slave trade was started by the English. North Africa includes, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, Sudan and Tunisia and the Western Sahara. I’m guessing it is far back in your ancestry and is related to your Iberian ancestry. Trade flowed from their to North African countries.
you qualify for affirmative action, got two drops of black. its not a joke.
There is one thing you receive in my opinion , and two things you give .
What you receive is a result based on the data they have (they might have noone from switzerland or swahili in their database so it cannot come up) ,
With this day and age you are giving not only money to just a company but also your DNA . All the info about what makes truly you . They are not the government . They are not your personal doctor .
They are a company .
Spain and south France is the same (Iberian)….and Spain, France and UK are very similar: look at this genetic map of europe: http://brilliantmaps.com/the-genetic-map-of-europe/
I'm waiting for my results and I'm Middle Eastern, but really really really hoping for some North African despite not knowing anyone in my family from this descent. It's just the emotional connection I have with this land. I was glad to see despite how white and European you are that you had some traces, so my probabilities could be higher lol. Thanks for sharing.
The only difference is I don't have any Iberian. All the other ones are the same, wow!!!!!!
Yours is almost the same as mine!!!!!!!!!!!!!
At $160 you didn't get a cheaper kit! AncestryDNA is only about $99 in the States. I came up 55% British (more British than my Mum!), 7% African, Iberian 7% , Asian 11% etc. My dad's family are from all over! I have made contact with a few distance relatives and am trying to find out how some of them are related to me which is fun.
Hi Jessica! Very cool results! I’ve recently done the test (it’s on my channel if you want to check out) I am 54.4% Greek, 16.8% West Asian, 12.8% Mizrahi Jewish which I had no idea. And I am 1.2% Nigerian too!?
France also shares a part of the Iberian Peninsula so you most likely have French ancestry. Also the Moors which are North Africans, invaded Europe and lived there for centuries. The British were in Nigeria and ruled the country for many years. So it’s possible that you have very little African DNA. Great video ?
Wow, you're more African than French. But the answer was in your last name the whole time. "Moor"house.
Actually it's not true that your sisters will share the same results. You inherit 50% from your dad's dna as well as 50% from your mom DNA, but it's possible your siblings got a different 50% then you if that makes sense. But yeah this also gives them a rough idea of their ancestry.
MyHeritage is on sale now at $59.00
Hi Jessica, firstly thanks for the video.
I did the test and I got 60,1% Iberian , 32,6% North Western European and 7,3% Irish, Scottish and Welsh.
I'm French with all my known ancestors French. I assume that part of the Iberian percentage is actually Southern French.
When I transfered my data to DNA.Land and Gencove, my highest percentage was South-Western Europe, lumping together Spain, Portugal and the South of France.
So perhaps part of your Iberian percentage is French. I do not know about the last name of your French Canadian family but maybe it's a name common in the South of France and Occitany (a historical region englobing parts of France, Spain and Italy). You can check where this French sounding name is the most common thanks to this website (just type the name in Saississez un nom and you get a map with the occurency): https://www.geneanet.org/nom-de-famille/
MyHeritage DNA will update their estimacy in the upcoming months so it will be interesting to see our improved results with perhaps new ethnicities.
Enjoy your day !
So interesting!! I really want to get mine tested. My Aunt had hers tested through Ancestry DNA last year and even though both sides of her family came from England, English was her lowest percentage. Scandinavian was her highest. Also, I read somewhere that siblings don’t always have the same results. You might get more of your DNA from one side of the family and your sibling the other side?.