Do you find it hard to spend money?

[Deleted]

I don't have the link because I was at school when I read the article, but do you sort of save too much and find it hard to spend money?  This was true of both low-earners and high-earners.

That's not exactly me, but I do veer toward the super-saver as in I have all these little pots that I add to, and then I sometimes go, "Wow!  I saved that much for that?"  The dog has $1200 in her savings account.  She could wipe it out in a minute with a major issue, but that's not pocket change.  The grandkids have $10,000 that I have contributed (worth more in the up market) that I have contributed although there are eight of them (only six have accounts) and half is in the oldest's account. 

I started saving in the RSA-1 account (sort of like an unmatched 401k or whatever) maybe twelve years ago.  I started because a "financial advisor" tried to get me drop my insurance policy at the time.  He said I could save the money and have the $75,000 for myself or my beneficiaries when I retired.  He was halfway right.  I have $32,000 and will retire in 5.5 years.  Oh, I still have the $50 a month insurance (although now $28 because I switched to Genworth) until I am 70.  It is for DH to be able to sell off the house if I retire even if I am underwater, and it is now $150,000.

Anyway, I LOVE saving.  I sort of HATE spending.  It's not a problem spending . . . my grandkids' book fairs, boy scouts, groceries, whatever.  But I hate spending on what I consider "frivolous."  That would be clothes, for example.  At 59, I won't look that great in the latest and greatest, and my clothes are just fine.  The students I work with don't care what I wear. 

I saw Swamp's list of personal spending, and the only one I really do is a cut every six weeks.  My hair just doesn't grow enough to cut every month.  I do highlights every twelve weeks.  Maybe they look more obvious by week 10, but even at age 59 I have very little grey.  I don't do manicures or pedicures although I do have an orthotic insert if that counts.

I also read about paying $3000 for two chairs and an ottoman.  I used to buy your used furniture.    That's when I had a DH (now ex) with access to a truck and then a BF with a truck.  $3000 is probably what I paid for most of the furniture in my house (ok, $6000).

So am I alone here?  

[Deleted]

I think I'm just pickier now and don't like spending money unless I really have to or really, really want something.

Owning and maintaining stuff is more of a chore to me.

Even going out to dinner isn't that much fun anymore. Last night we went out to dinner and it was only the 3rd time we've gone out to dinner while we've been home in 2013. We used to go out to dinner at least once a week.

We do go out when we travel but we prefer the vacation rentals whereby we can pick up something local and fresh and make a simple dinner at home. It's much more relaxing.

[Sum Dum Gai]

Do you find it hard to spend money?

I do now, since I haven't had any since April. 

I could see it though.  The amount we used to spend on eating out, and random crap, makes me a little ill now.  I can see how somebody that got into the saving thing could have a hard time going back to spending.

[sarcasticgirl]

Nope. I am on my train ride home and I just placed an online order for dinner that I will pick up as I walk home (restaurant is between train and home). And then I ordered a book on amazon.

I like to save too. But I will spend on things I want.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using proboards

[Deleted]

I'm mostly reluctant to take on monthly payments.  It's not hard at all for me to spend $$ on travel or an extravagant item of clothing or jewelry but that's something I can stop almost completely if I have to cut back.  OTOH, I look at the stately old homes along the historic boulevard on my commute home, perched on expansive lawns that I couldn't possibly maintain myself and I know I'd never live there.  I'd hate knowing that I HAD to hire armies of landscapers to mow it, and pay a fortune to keep it watered and weed-free.

Furniture definitely isn't in the budget.  We're perfectly happy with what we have- no need to redecorate.

[mmhmm]

LOL!  Nope.  I'm a "support your community" kinda gal. 

[quince]

Kinda. I'm working on not feeling guilty when I indulge, while still being frugal in general.

[ilovedolphins]

I also find it hard to spend money.  I am spending more on my trip in December than I had planned so I am cutting back in other areas.  I was going to get new Christmas tree decorations the last several years but I can't bring myself to it since the ones I have are nice and work for the tiny bit of time the tree is up.

[Gardening Grandma]

I have no problem spending money on travel or on my grandchildren.  I don't like to fritter or waste it though.

DH has a really hard time pulling money from savings though.  I tell him, "This is what you've saved all your life for. You can't take it with you".

Although he agrees with my logic, he feels it is "bad" to pull money from savings....

[cronewitch]

I don't enjoy spending much and think about very cent I spend, it is ridiculous. I went to the hardware store this week looking for tape to tape boxes. I checked each roll for how long it was and looked for the best deal, all the time looking to spend under $10 including one dispenser that is all I bought except a big box of TSP. I love TSP powder the real stuff it will take the shine off of paint and skin off your hands. I need to scrub down my white painted kitchen but if I scrub it then I need to paint again at least all the dirt and grease will be gone with the shine.

Years ago I decided I was saving too much and should spend more but I just haven't been able to. I have been wasting money on diet soda and sugar free popsicles so lot of money and you don't even get food value.

I find it easier to give away chucks of money than to waste it myself or even spend it.

ISO wants to rent a trailer tomorrow to move some stuff to his new house. I would rent it and make the trip and come back early to return it in under 24 hours but he will end up staying until Sunday afternoon so pay for two days would drive me nuts to waste a day of rental. I would probably keep it two days and put 600 miles on it in 3 trips to get more moved cheaper. A trailer is only about $30 a day and we are old and rich no reason to kill ourselves working to save a few dollars. We really only need to move the guest room bed so we have a place to sleep in his new house but might move a chest of drawers, stack of boxes and card table and folding chairs and a few living room tables and lamps.

I spent 12.95 each on dinner this week plus tax and tip. I think it might have been worth it but not very often I can buy about a week of groceries for that money.

[Regis]

Yes.  I REALLY want a pontoon boat and have the money to do it.  I just can't pull the trigger on it because of the cost and the yearly expenses that will go along with it.  Most people IRL who know me well tell me to live life a little more and just go buy the boat.  My brain just won't let me.

Funny thing is that my wife and I probably overpaid on a house that we really wanted and have enjoyed immensely.  We had a perfectly good house.  I'm not sure why the boat takes me to a much different mental state whenever I think about buying one.

[cronewitch]

The boat loses resale value and the house can be considered an investment. A house saves you paying rent so even if it doesn't sell for more you will break even after a few decades. A boat requires extras like boat fenders and lines that are then worthless. They are recreational not useful so you can't justify the cost.

If you fish you can consider a boat to be a way to get free fish so actually a great idea. I want to order a new jet sled with a big motor and all the extras but we will be on a great river with summer and winter run stealhead and salmon so we will save a fortune over grocery store fish. See a perfectly good justification for spending about $40K.

[Deleted]

I wish! One saving grace is that I love getting a deal. But that's just so I can buy more.

[svwashout]

Yes, I think I have spending aversion, but I've never consciously saved for anything, that just happens because I'm not spending much. It's not just my own money though, like on company travel reimbursements I'm always way on the low end. That's why I do my business travel alone now, so the rest of the crew can party on without looking like they're padding their expense accounts. I've never actually used any of the gift certificates I received over the years, some I passed on but most are still sitting in a drawer somewhere.

On the other hand I'm very keen on spending money when stuff I need gets marked down steeply. My only buyers remorse in those situations is not having bought more when I could have. The other area is in healthcare, I don't hesitate to spend whatever it takes to minimize pain. Those are rare instances though so I don't need to keep a budget.

My mother has the same problem and learned how to manage it by reverse budgeting with minimum spending buckets. That's what she suggests to relieve what she calls financial constipation.

[Deleted]

Yes.  Difficult to spend because the quality of things is so deteriorated from years ago.  I hate to spend on things that won't last.  It is kind of experimenting to find what is quality at a reasonable price.

I started buying Pacific Down comforters now because I've had one for a couple years and like how it performs.  The expensive Eddie Bauer ones I bought previously (3 at once) lost the baffle threading in the middle of the comforters, rendering them ineffective.  I thought they were good quality, but for their 10 cents savings using cheaper thread, they have permanently lost a customer.  This kind of experience is what makes me wary of spending.

[Spellbound454]

Its not the spending.....its the spending wisely that gets me.

I look for the best quality I can.. at a good price....and shop around until I find it.
Just love a bargain.

There is nothing worse than paying full whack for something then seeing it in a sale two weeks later
It makes you feel like you have been fleeced

[Deleted]

nope, not at all.  I would go absolutely batty doing some of the analyzing you guys do before purchasing something.

[giramomma]

Nov 2, 2013 12:48:18 GMT -5 @anne81 said:

I feel gross when I see DS' toys all over the house and the hundreds of dollars of yarn tucked in odd corners.

I'm a crafter too: but its not just yarn, its needlework and quilting (though I use the term quilting VERY loosely).

I don't regret buying the stash I have. It's fun to have a huge choice when I go "shopping" in my basement now that I have less time to go to the stores.. Even better when I can use it on presents.

I also am much more careful about my future purchases, though. I can't keep accumulating as much as I used to when DH and I were first married and I had no kids and I actually finished projects.

I've shifted my crafty spending to retreats. I pay $250 for a long weekend away. For me, it's worth it. I don't have to cook, clean, or change out of my pjs. I can nap or not. I can have conversations that don't involve trying to decipher if my toddler really means yes or no when she says "no" or reminding my other two kids for the 63,890 time that potty humor is not welcome at the table. And I get the whole freaking bed to myself....

[happyscooter]

anne, my mil had some jewelry that I didn't want nor did my sil want.  one item was a huge cocktail ring.  we took it to a jeweler that bought gold along with a few chains, necklaces, etc...  got about $4k for the group.  it went into an account for the grandkids.  that was better than it being in a box in my closet, never being worn or possibly stolen if the house was broken into.  and when dh and I pass, that is exactly what our kids would have done with it. 

sold!!

[Deleted]

I have a hard time spending money on wants, because I'm always afraid that down the line I'll wish I had it for needs.  It happens to me all the freaking time.  I'll splurge on something and the next day the well pump goes out or DH gets in an accident, or the cat swallows a ball of tin foil...

[Deleted]

I wish I had a hard time spending money.  I like food, wine, travel, etc.  I don't have a lot of stuff in my house because I do not like clutter, but I will drop a hot mint on travel (just dropped a small fortune for a trip to Paris).

Come January...I do have to tighten my belt though. 

[Deleted]

@anne81,

You might want to go through the "hoard" and keep a few pieces and check to see if you like any of the stones in the rest of the pile. I'm getting quite the pile from MIL and I might re-set some stuff and sell the rest. I'll wear earrings if nothing else. When my mom divorced my dad she re-set her engagement diamond into a cocktail ring. I gave the platinum wedding set to my brother to hold for my niece (who turned 15). I just gave my niece a sweet little locket from my grandmother. She loved it.

[Deleted]

I don't have a hard time spending money at all. Which is why I have to play games with myself to save money. I'm also backwards..... when I feel like I have a "lot" of money, I'm very picky about what I'm willing to part with it for. When I feel like I'm broke, I want everything. Just one of the ways that I'm a mess of contradictions. Sigh.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I used to have literal stomach aches when I spent money, even on food for my kids.
my DH has helped me balance that out. When DH and I first started grocery shopping together, he came close to sending me to the car when I started having a panic attack because he wasn't analyzing each thing we out in the cart. I'm still a bit like crone and analyze every purchase trying to find the best deal, but I've calmed down a bunch. YNAB has helped me calm down even more since I can see what money is for what. 

[Peace Of Mind]

  What?  You were serious?  Heck no I don't have any problems spending money!  I can be cheap about things that aren't important to me or don't matter but when I want it I want it yesterday! 

[dancinmama]

The only reason I would say that I have a hard time spending money is because I HATE "stuff" and I HATE to shop.  I simply find no pleasure in it.

Recently we had every tree on our property (24 of them) touched.  Three very large oaks were removed and the rest were pruned and thinned.   It was fairly expensive.  We also set the patio table with place mats and stoneware and ordered the best pizza in town to feed the crew.  We enjoyed sitting and having a very relaxing lunch with them.  Spending the money didn't bother me a bit.  

[Deleted]

Well, I just proved myself wrong.    Last year I bought some Christmas dishes (Pfaltzgraff's Winterberry).  I bought them on Craigslist for $150 and basically got service for 12, glasses for 11 (one had broken), and two vegetable dishes.  I splurged during Macy's Friends & Family and got the pitcher (for mimosas) and four large wine glasses.

Today I just scored an unopened service for 4, 12 unopened dessert plates, two larger vegetable dishes, two platters, 5 glasses, 5 small wine glasses, 3 large wine glasses, a soup tureen with ladle, candlesticks, a divided serving tray . . . and who knows what else.  There are six boxes of this stuff.  I spent $100, and the woman told me she was "sure" there was more somewhere in her house and she would call me to come get it when she found it.

So I have no trouble spending money after all.  I just am having trouble getting it out of the car and washed.

[cronewitch]

I am making room for new things, ruthlessly tossing old stuff, making house empty.

As soon as I retire I am tossing almost all my clothes, keeping a week of play clothes and a couple nicer things the rest is gone. Working you need a dozen blouses or sweaters so they don't think you are poor. At home and things owning 3 is enough so tossing most. Then I can go shopping for perfect things, wear them until I don't love them then toss them. Furniture too, tossing it all except bedroom and den. Empty living room, empty walls, empty floors, paint, floor refinishing then think about if I want furniture or like empty room. Think I will toss dining room too so it will match living room and empty guest room.

[HoneyBBQ]

It really depends. I'll spend a million dollars on a house, but I won't spend the money to have someone else paint the inside.

I'll spend $300+ on shoes/boots, but not more than $30 on a purse.

I guess I have the things that I think are "worth" spending money on and things that aren't. In general though, I'd say I'm a saver and not a spender.

[cktc]

I'm kind of bounce between extremes, save and splurge. I'd rather eat ramen for a week than never be able to afford a nice meal out with friends. It's the middle of the road stuff I can't handle, $10 for a burger at some chintzy chain seems outrageous. $500 for a trip to somewhere I've already been is a waste when I could take a few camping trips and save for a fabulous vacation somewhere new.