I’ll pay for a great dinner. Sometimes even pay for a friend, if I’m the one with more money in hand or my card is out first. (What goes around, comes around, it balances, one way or another.)
But somehow, I’m aware I have this thing about sweetner packets, hate to buy them, grab a few when I’m out. (I’m still anonymous, right?)
I’ll taxi in a big city. If you don’t have much time there, I see it as cost effective. But I still love public trans, for the people you see, it’s a great equalizer. And yes to hole in the wall restaurants.
I don’t buy for high price or overt status symbols. But I’d like to think I know the quality and how to impress without the label flashing or telling others what something cost.
Since I like people watching and neighborhoods, we don’t pay for expensive hotels, thinking we “have to” stay at X. But I did pay for expensive sheets/bedding, after staying at one and loving theirs.
I’m pretty bad with books. I buy 200+ books a year and nearly every wall of my home is covered with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. I have a similar library in storage back in the States, too. When I (hopefully? someday?) retire, I’ll be in bibliophile heaven
I totally agree about greeting cards. I just bought all my valentines at Family Dollar - they also have better prices on some brand-name pet foods. As for public transit, it’s not very reliable here so if a family member can’t collect me from work once in a blue moon, I Uber .
I’m cheap on almost everything. Only buy clothes on the clearance rack. There is nothing I would wear worth full price. Shop at the grocery store with coupons and what’s on sale that week. Wouldn’t pay for a magazine subscription. Will borrow or read them at the dr. office. My cell phones have always been the free ones you get when you renew. Rarely buy new furniture and if we do, it might be at a resale shop. Haven’t painted the inside of our house more than twice in 28 years. Won’t pay more than $1 for a greeting card. But Costco has a big box of really pretty ones that meet that criteria. Rarely buy wine. Mostly because I don’t drink it, but when I do for company it’s the Kirkland brand.
But I will buy books. Need to own them. Won’t borrow from the library and have that hanging over my head. Need to have a stack next to my bed that I can read anytime.
Will also pay to take my kids on a vacation. They are all grown but it they are willing to spend time with me, I’m willing to pay for it.
@marvin100 get a kindle. It will enable you to read your 200 books without cluttering up your hour with 200 more books a year. Donate to your library used book sale.
Agree about greeting cards. $1 max…there are some nice ones at the Dollar Tree, and at Target too.
Makeup. I can get everything I need at the drugstore, while I watch friends drop hundreds of dollars at fancy stores. Also, I get my hair cut 4x/year at Fantastic Sams and it looks great. My splurge: I will never, never, ever give up paying someone else to do my taxes. I don’t care what it costs.
Movies - I like the theater that charges $5 for any showing before 6 p.m. We don’t buy popcorn/drinks/etc.
Cars - sorta. I drive a Volvo (expensive model) BUT it will soon be 11 years old. I see no reason to look for a new car, be it inexpensive or not.
Food - I can’t stand to waste it, so we cook and then don’t neglect any leftovers. I don’t go to the grocery store until we’ve cleaned up anything already here.
@marvin100 - I totally understand. I do go to the library but also spend an inordinate amount on books.
Cars. We buy used and for me it’s a luxury used car (Lexus) but for H it’s always a Honda - and we drive them into the ground before replacing.
I buy cards at Marshall’s/TJMaxx now. They have the fancy, wrapped in cellophane ones for $1.
Wine. A $10 bottle is more than adequate for me as I’m not a connoisseur.
I buy almost all my clothes on sale but mostly from boutiques I like. All winter clothes/shoes were already on the sale racks last month.
We also don’t replace anything until it breaks (like TV’s/toaster ovens, phones, computers/tablets, etc,) but anything that’s a capital improvements/big ticket items, I usually choose the most expensive materials. I don’t even necessarily know the cost when I choose, it just always turns out that way. I will do without if I can’t do it they way I want (hence the 26 years I’ve waited to do my two hideously ugly bathrooms.)
I also do the library and Overdrive. In my old age, I’ve decided that I don’t need to make a permanent commitment to every book that I read - I read in the 200 range per year, also. So I borrow and read, and then purchase only those that I affirmatively want in my permanent collection. I feel very efficient now, but the reason was cost. with a pumpkin in college, I do need to scale back on discretionary spending.
College! I refuse to pay sticker price for college even though FASFA says we can afford it. Kids are not allowed (and discouraged from applying) to schools that don’t offer merit.
Hotels. I see no reason to pay a premium price for a luxury hotel when I can get everything I want (a clean room, a bed, a working bathroom, Wi-Fi, some sort of on-site breakfast, and a TV) at a much lower-priced chain hotel.
I also go to the movies in the daytime because it’s cheaper, but I consider even that a splurge.
I am mixed on the books. I buy for my Kindle or from Half Price Books and I go to the Library every week. I do buy nice wines but I get them from Total Wine. I buy very nice designer clothes either from clearance at major department stores, online discounters or TJ Maxx. I just bought a new SUV but it replaced an 18 year old SUV. (I still miss her. )
No public transportation around me. Have only used Uber twice when we were vacationing in Chicago. I use coupons at grocery store. I am relentless looking for sales or asking for discounts. I am a scrappbook person so I make my own cards or buy the $1 ones at Target.
Splurge: good colleges for Ds, nice vacations but no first class flights. H and I do like to eat out on the weekends with friends/family but we like small unique restaurants so not very expensive. We pay for someone to do our taxes even though we have a CPA D. Our biggest splurge relates to our TV watching. H is a big sports person so we have two DVRs and our cable package includes every sports channel there is!
Here’s a question for everyone. How do your spending habits reflect your childhood wealth or lack of money growing up? I grew up, as I sometimes like to say, too poor for hot lunch and too rich for free lunch. Retrospectively I wish I had not been as frugal during my college et al years because as a physician married to a physician we have tons of money I could have used back then. Easily could have paid off more in loans but financial insecurity never made me think I would have money someday.
So- I still clip coupons, although I don’t bother with those for only a quarter. I still look for sales. The library is a fantastic resource for most books- it isn’t just the money but why buy something you will discard in a few days (I refuse to build an extra large house just to house books I’ll never read twice).
So, for me “uncharacteristically” refers to splurges (another thread going on this). When we die there will be money for causes because neither my H nor I ever spend more than we have to. It helps to not be into clothes- partly in the past because of money then because of sizes (small men and tall women are not mainstream for finding them!).
Note to poster who refuses to consider nonmerit colleges. Many of the better ones do not offer merit based aid because they don’t need to to attract the best students. UW (Madison) is increasing merit aid because everyone else seems to. But need based aid is so much better- those who can afford it don’t need the handout and the top less rich students could get that money. Please be aware of the student body- your child’s peer group when considering colleges. There is a reason some offer a lot of money while others don’t.
Lifestyles. We certainly do not keep the economy going! Our son acquired frugal habits from us. He did not do without like I did but never had the ostentatious brands. Nor did we jump on the latest, greatest stuff. Aware of needs versus wants. For us it is the unusual splurges others take for granted.
However, back then, your medical school debt was much lower (relative to physician pay) than it is now, right?
Given the realities of the cost of medical school today, aspiring physicians today should plan on living frugally for decades while they pay off their medical school debt (and if they do, they will probably do so for life).
Hunt, I agree. Even when somone else is footing the bill. Tap water tastes delicious after seeing the price list in those minibars.
Road tolls and parking are in the same category as gas - such a waste. To park my car downtown, I would be expected to spend $200/month. Add to that the daily gas/toll cost of $10, that’s $400 or so a month for the privilege of being stuck in traffic for 2 hours a day (not counting other costs involved in owning an extra car). No thanks… my bus pass is one of the few perks I get, and I milk it to the bitter end. In fact, I hate to pay for transportation so much, I would have moved downtown. Mr. hates cities, so as a compromise, we will - fingers crossed - - move closer to a major bus route. Yup. Cheap people do not make rational decisions to save a few $$.
I will fly business class on long haul flights but once at my destination will walk or use public transportation never a taxi. When I’m at home I drive my own car which is a higher end make. On same note I don’t tend to spend my money on fancy expensive dining. A loaf of fresh bread, salami and cheese is my favorite lunch when I’m in Europe.
My H will not spend over $10 on a bottle of wine. I will spend up to $20. H considers $20 expensive yet I have other friends who think $20 bottle is inexpensive.
I love magazines but purchase them from the Friends of the Library book cart in the library lobby.
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