I spend way too much money

[Sikander]

Originally posted by Tingkai
At 20g, you'll be lucky to get by. Most Canadians would be in the same spot.

Spending thousands of dollars a year more than they make in order to buy booze?

[Sikander]

Seriously Jon, you need to quit drinking. Aside from the plain fact that you are spending money you don't have to do it (which is the very definition of an addiction), I bet being drunk for a significant percentage of your life (at least 20-30% right?) is also going to effect your behavior and personality in negative ways. Take half the energy you're wasting on drinking and rededicate it to your work and take the other half and rededicate it to yourself.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
well, drinking out weeks can easily reach 200... and that is just for drinking two evenings...

How much is beer in the US?! I can go out, do an all nighter drinking expensive cocktails and still spend well under $100.

*misses Baby Love*

But yeh, that's some serious financial mismanagement. Easy way to do a budget:

Take income
Remove rent/mortgage, groceries, utility bills and any loan repayments
Decide what to do with the rest of it

On the latter, you can't choose computer games, new consoles, paintball guns, nights out drinking and eating out. That's just too much. Give yourself a budget for those luxuries each week, and then do a trade off - when you look at a new computer game, think if it's worth having one less night out for. Or weight up a new paintball gun against a new console, and don't buy both.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
I've been to ****ing Chipotle, Jon. If you're spending more than 8$ there you're buying a lot of food.

And who eats out every day as a grad student?

LEARN TO COOK. It tastes better and it's cheaper. I eat better than I did when I lived at home with my parents without frequenting restaurants regularly.

Cooking is fun.

Chipotle I only spend 6 or something

but I dont' go their often

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Sikander
Seriously Jon, you need to quit drinking. Aside from the plain fact that you are spending money you don't have to do it (which is the very definition of an addiction), I bet being drunk for a significant percentage of your life (at least 20-30% right?) is also going to effect your behavior and personality in negative ways. Take half the energy you're wasting on drinking and rededicate it to your work and take the other half and rededicate it to yourself.

I was actually calculating

it isn't all alcohol, it is also Paintball, and PsP, and other stuff like that also (the laptop will also contribute, if I get it)

JM

[Japher]

maybe you should start smoking pot... makes you way less active

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Drogue

How much is beer in the US?! I can go out, do an all nighter drinking expensive cocktails and still spend well under $100.

I never spend that kind of money on a night out...I stick to a few beers that doesn't cost much more than a £10, even decent stuff...sometimes I may have a meal with that earlier on but I rarely tend to eat anywhere too expensive...you don't have to spend a small fortune to have a good night...

[Shogun Gunner]

deficit spend and don't worry about it. Your future income will "grow you out of debt"

No need to plan for natural disasters either.... everything will be fine.

[Dinner]

[Thoth]

Originally posted by Japher
maybe you should start smoking pot... makes you way less active

It's also a heck of a lot cheaper than alcohol.

[Skanky Burns]

You need to realise that money has a value, and that spending it on one thing means you can't spend it on something else.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Traianvs
Now let's not exaggerate... €25 is not the price of a 'good' restaurant. Perhaps if you don't take the wine yeah but otherwise..

Indeed, that's the price of the meal alone. This kind of restaurant is in the 25-40€ range for the meals (and they make all their money on wine). 25€/$ is really a bundle for a regular meal.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Skanky Burns
You need to realise that money has a value, and that spending it on one thing means you can't spend it on something else.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
it isn't all alcohol, it is also Paintball, and PsP, and other stuff like that also (the laptop will also contribute, if I get it)

Well, that's one thing. For me, the laptop didn't "contribute". It was where I spent three years of savings. Even a fairly cheap laptop will cost about one month of your entire income, and three monthes of non-essentials. That's three monthes where you do nothing at all (not one bar, not one restaurant, not one movie, not one game etc.).

And if you don't want to live like a monk for three monthes, you can cut your non-essentials in half, which will last 6 months. It's quite some time.

[DanS]

These kind of spending habits are probably making it much less likely that JM is giving to charity. Something to keep in mind.