I was bored this morning at work browsing some older threads on the forum. I ran across this quote in the "cheap or frugal" thread:
"I think I am both cheap and frugal and wasteful at the exact same time. So I am just me, I have my values and place values on things." - Nick_45
It really spoke to me. I've always wondered how I can be so cheap when it comes to some simple, inexpensive things, yet be willing to spend large amounts of money on things that most would consider frivolous.
For example, I saw my friend playing a game on his phone yesterday that looked like fun. I found it on the app store and it was $1.99. I basked at paying that amount of money for a game on my phone. Yet this weekend I'm driving to Lexington ($150 in gas round trip) and taking a bus trip into Huntington, WV for a basketball game (about 100 including the bus trip, food, beverages, etc...) and I wouldn't even think twice about it. The 1.99 wouldn't even be a blip on my bank account, but in applying my value to what I get for my money, the $250 on the weekend is a much better deal.
I guess we all know ourselves better than anyone, and we need to gauge the importance of every dollar we spend.
I love this quote
February 7th, 2012 at 01:23 pm
February 7th, 2012 at 01:48 pm 1328622487
February 7th, 2012 at 02:03 pm 1328623426
It's a matter of priorities. If you are satisfied with how you spend your money, then it is money well spent.
In our case, we travel. We don't spend money lightly elsewhere, so travel is something we can afford to do.
February 7th, 2012 at 03:30 pm 1328628650
February 7th, 2012 at 08:13 pm 1328645587
I'd say we are used to spending money on things that we value and bring us a lot of joy. But, in order to have money for those things, it's imperative not to waste it on things we don't care about and would not miss.
For example, my sister overall is pretty frugal but is just in another place in her life. When I Talk to her is frustrating because she often alludes to how we are *rolling in it* and she is *struggling.* Uh, I wouldn't be surprised if they have more disposable income. I am certainly not rolling in it (I've got several more people to support in a much more expensive region). But anyway, she is really annoyed with me that I don't pay for unlimited texting on my phone. She exasperatedly told me that "IT's only $5/month!!" Yeah, and since when do I pay $5/month for stuff that I don't use??? Never! Likewise, I have never paid for an app - plenty of great FREE apps out there. Of course, I would pay for one if I found it very useful or enjoyable, and if there was no free alternative.
On the flip side, we have several luxuries that our more frugal friends look down on us for having. So, basically, you can't win. You can only be true to yourself.