What is the word for when you pay for something?

What’s the word for when you pay for something? Ugh, paying! That gut-punch feeling, you know? Like, bam, there goes another chunk of your hard-earned cash. It’s never fun, is it? Whether it’s the electricity bill – seriously, how much does electricity cost these days?! – or groceries, or that ridiculously cute sweater I had to have from Etsy (don’t judge!), it always stings a little. I mean, “compensating” sounds so formal, right? And “reimbursing”… that’s more like getting your money back, isn’t it? Satisfying a debt? Sounds kinda bleak. It’s more than just an obligation, though. It’s a… transaction? No, that’s too sterile. It’s a trade-off, yeah, that’s better. My precious dollars, gone, exchanged for… well, hopefully something I actually need. Or, you know, that ridiculously cute sweater that makes me happy every time I wear it. Totally worth it, right? Right?!