I spend way too much money

[Flubber]

Originally posted by DanS
As a day-to-day matter, I like spending money. Lots of it. I might get buyer's remorse, but I still like spending the dough on all sorts of useless sh!t.

being married means you usually avoid bigger frivolous expenses. I will spend up to a hundred bucks on something I want pretty easily but for bigger stuff, I hesitate. Even though its my own money, I think of other things to do with the money (usually stuff for my son)

Originally posted by DanS


I'm getting better at this as time goes on and my system curbs my appetites. Saving is fun too, but for me it's an acquired taste.

I can't say that saving is fun... I just see it as a necessary thing to do and like you, once its automatic, you live on your remaining income as if it were all you actually earned

[KrazyHorse]

Life to me is like a video game. I keep track of my score by my bank account.

I'm going to be one of those miserly old buggers that dies living in poverty and when they look in my mattress they'll find 5 million dollars in cash and government bonds.

I'm going to leave it to a home for retired chipmunks...

[Provost Harrison]

Originally posted by Adalbertus
My father once told me always to increase standard of life less than income - it's harder to reduce the standard of life one you get used to the better life. So far it worked.

Your dad is a wise man, that is the basis upon which I function...I am trying to remain relatively static in terms of standard of living (I like comfortably so it is not a problem) so any increases in income will be saved or used to clear debts more quickly...

[Flubber]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Life to me is like a video game. I keep track of my score by my bank account.

I'm going to be one of those miserly old buggers that dies living in poverty and when they look in my mattress they'll find 5 million dollars in cash and government bonds.

I'm going to leave it to a home for retired chipmunks...

wow thats sad-- you'll lose it all to the "estate tax"

Seriously though . . . for me money is to enjoy. Once you take prudent steps to ensure the security of those you are responsible for, you should enjoy your money. I "waste " a fair bit of money eating out for instance and it troubles me not in the least. Enjoy life !!

I try to be sensible on big items For instance, I don't care much about cars. I drive a 1998 Honda Civic even though I could easily"afford" a new car. My attitude is that I would keep that car until it no longer is functional

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Provost Harrison


Your dad is a wise man, that is the basis upon which I function...I am trying to remain relatively static in terms of standard of living (I like comfortably so it is not a problem) so any increases in income will be saved or used to clear debts more quickly...

Good plan

Thats essentially what we are doing. Once we get into paying down the motgage debt I actually think of that as saving since it does create a positive asset .

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Flubber


wow thats sad-- you'll lose it all to the "estate tax"

I guess the chipmunks won't be getting their windafall donation then...

[pchang]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Life to me is like a video game. I keep track of my score by my bank account.

I'm going to be one of those miserly old buggers that dies living in poverty and when they look in my mattress they'll find 5 million dollars in cash and government bonds.

I'm going to leave it to a home for retired chipmunks...

So, crime is just a cheat code?

[DanS]

Once you make the step of keeping score in life by your bank account (a venerable tradition in the US), it's not too far from comparing your score with others' and letting the competitive juices flow in big business. Most of the self-made wealthy in the US look at their bank accounts this way, as I understand.

[KrazyHorse]

No crap.

But I was just kidding.

Though I do enjoy saving more than spending, the government is more than welcome to increase my taxes if it uses the money to pay for valuable social programs...

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by VetLegion
Jon, you are the USA. Just spend man, and if you go down, take the world with you

Vet, this is priceless!

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
Holy ****, Jon.

Assuming you take home ~1380 a month:

400$ rent

...

Holy ****, KrazyHorse.

$400 a month wouldn't get you a shoe box in middle o' road round here.

[Cort Haus]

Jon, I don't usually post on 'personal' threads, but this one caught my attention.

You're suffering from what my economics teachers used to call 'Money Illusion'. You are pretending you have more income available than you do, and living wildly outside your means. Clubs, restaurants, games, toys, guns shouldn't even be on the compass for a student.

When I was a student in the eighties I remember taking my old ZX Spectrum games to a second-hand shop to raise the pennies for a train ticket to go and visit my girlfriend, where we'd share a single pint in the pub for the whole evening.

I'm surprised you haven't got monthly payments on a Beamer to maintain. Or maybe you have.

Get real man - you can't take the good life without earning it, and the world doesn't owe you a living so balance the damn books! If you can't do the tedium of a detailed budget, just stop spending money you don't have.

Bluntly - stuff the new games and toys, buy drink from the cheapest retail outlet, cheap takeaways or microwavables if you can't stand cooking, and sit at home playing Civ instead of doing restaurants, clubs and paintball. You might even become a good Civ player!

In years to come you'll have a job and an income that can afford what you want, so be patient and live wisely!

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Cort Haus


Holy ****, KrazyHorse.

$400 a month wouldn't get you a shoe box in middle o' road round here.

Luckily I don't live where you live.

400$ a month buys me a 1/4 share of a 3 floor, 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom rowhouse (my bedroom is 11X12 or so)

[Jon Miller]

well, I have decided to cut back

which probably means no laptop.. and definitely means no more going out on weeknights (and only the occasionaly weekend)

JM

[Dinner]

Good for you. Now get a budget together!