Spending Money: How Much Self-Control Do You Have?

[FunInTheSunParticipant 8283]

Personally, I’ve had a history of being out-of-control when it comes to spending money. But I have been making some progress, lately. My goal is to limit my spending to $6 during my work days. I try to spend about $2 on lunch. There are cheap frozen meals at discount stores (Dollar Tree), that you can buy for $1. And bottled water is often $1. For dinner, I eat soup and some bread.

If I have an off day, I’ll see a matinee movie for entertainment ($6), get something to eat ($4) take a walk in the park (free), or go to the library (free).

I’m tired of wasting money, and I’d like to have a savings account with something in it instead of $0.

How about you? Do you have a hard time avoiding the temptation to spend money during the day? Or are you a disciplined spender?

"I saw that there comes a point, in the defeat of any man of virtue, when his own consent is needed for evil to win-and that no manner of injury done to him by others can succeed if he chooses to withhold his consent. I saw that I could put an end to your outrages by pronouncing a single word in my mind. I pronounced it. The word was ‘No.’" (Atlas Shrugged)

[Anonymous 43]

forget the savings account. talk to a financial planner… not a local insurance agent or a bank a real planner

Get a financial s~~~ for dummies book. Library has financial books.

Write out a budget

[MGTOWmonkey aka No More Fucks To GiveParticipant 6635]

FunInTheSun wrote:

My goal is to limit my spending to $6 during my work days. I try to spend about $2 on lunch. There are cheap frozen meals at discount stores (Dollar Tree), that you can buy for $1. And bottled water is often $1. For dinner, I eat soup and some bread.

Or just try brown bagging a lunch to work,it makes no sense to be spending while earning. Stock up the pantry and fridge and only eat at home. Stealthy will probably comment on this soon because he’s going cheap bastard mode,but you can also cook for 3 days at a time while freezing the meals to keep them fresh.If people only knew how much they spend on food per month outside of the house,its enough to cover a few utility expenses.

Never lose sight of what brought you here.

[RedRojasParticipant 559]

MGTOWmonkey aka No More Fucks To Give wrote:

Stealthy will probably comment on this soon because he’s going cheap bastard mode,

I would definitely like to read about that. I got the same problem, spending way too much on food at work.

Consistency is victory - Ultra Magnus

[GnosticParticipant 2491]

Beware of cheap food though, because the doctor bill may be more expensive.

If possible cook yourself on organic food, else get some healthier choice when eating out.

There is no magic in MGTOW, just recognition of the truth and logical decision how to avoid dangers. The red pill is but the truth, it is no magical potion. Do not think in this modern world men have no longer have natural enemies, men are prey to women and government.

[SandalsParticipant 4253]

Buy assets (things that earn you money), not liabilities.

[clint englandParticipant 341]

For me i always use the spend a bit, save a bit kind of approache. But when i’ve been on a major save up, i just work as much as possible to earn more and this also makes me too tired to want to go out and spend it.

[DwightDavidParticipant 859]

I have more self control than I used to have, but still not enough. I try to buy from ebay, or in clearance or reduced price items only from stores.
I do buy too much junk from ebay. I wind up reselling most of it. I blame my job. I am so unhapy and unfulfilled that buying crap does make me feel better. But now that I am focusing on moving, and because I am getting older, I have cut back on most of boredom buying.
I want to reduce the hours I work and move to Kentucky or someplace like it. Less bulls~~~ than New Jersey.

To the OP- I wish us both good luck in our savings goals.

[BoarParticipant]

Separate your needs from your wants. Do NOT make your wants into needs! Minimize your needs and then your life becomes frugal.

Untamed wrote: Quit complaining and Go Your Own Way in whatever manner suits you best.

[xenonParticipant 2007]

I was always frugal. Didn’t make a big hit with any female I have spent time with.

[RedRojasParticipant 559]

Hard boiled eggs for snacks, helps the testosterone diet.

Pb&j, tripple decker.

Thermos of milk.

Garden and cook with it.

Sounds good to me, any diet sans tuna is OK in my book!

Consistency is victory - Ultra Magnus

[BeerParticipant 11832]

clint england wrote:

For me i always use the spend a bit, save a bit kind of approache. But when i’ve been on a major save up, i just work as much as possible to earn more and this also makes me too tired to want to go out and spend it.

That’s what I try as well. When I want something, or want to do something, I tend to just go buy/do what I want and not worry much about price…but I don’t splurge often. I’d rather have few nice things in life than constantly buying lot’s of cheap s~~~ just to have stuff like a lot of people do.

Overtime also works wonders. On average I tend to spend more on a day off than I do on a day I’m working just because I’m more likely to go out to eat or go somewhere that involves spending some money on a day off than I am when I’m working. I work long shifts so days I work I tend to just brown bag lunch, eat dinner at home, and don’t do much from day to day other than go home and sleep. More money in and less money out is always a winning combo.

Boar wrote:

Separate your needs from your wants. Do NOT make your wants into needs! Minimize your needs and then your life becomes frugal.

This lesson is lost on many. I know way too many people who are in debt up to their eye brows who make decent money…they just can’t figure out what they need and what they want. I don’t see why a single, childless person can’t get their monthly budget to under 2,000 a month without even trying to be super frugal. That is 24k a year. 1500 a month is more than enough for me to get by on…that is only 18k a year. Health/healthcare is the only real wildcard here.

It just blows my mind that I know so many people grossing 50k+ a year who are digging themselves deeper into debt each passing year. They tend to enjoy things like upgrading vehicles every few years, have expensive phones/data plans, think at least one expensive/fancy vacation yearly is needed, go out a lot, etc…but its just nuts to hear them whine about debt when its so obvious how much money they blow every year on s~~~ that is just total luxury.

If you have the money and want to enjoy it, that is cool…but I know people that actually plan to just carry debt their entire life and their retirement plans are to work until they’re 70 and live off social security and a reverse mortgage. Its nuts how much money you essentially throw away by doing this rather than frugaling up for a few years if needed, getting your head above water, and then watching your investments grow rather than paying someone else interest. For example if person A makes 20k gains this year and person B pays 20k in interest…that is a 40,000 dollar a year difference just for having some investments vs having debt. Over the course of a life time person A is going to come out over a million dollars ahead…the average person would literally have to work more than a decade longer to cover the difference…is having stuff now really worth wasting that much more of your life working…especially when you can still have stuff…just don’t go into debt for it.

[AwakenedParticipant 35201]

FunInTheSun wrote:

There are cheap frozen meals at discount stores (Dollar Tree), that you can buy for $1. And bottled water is often $1. For dinner, I eat soup and some bread.

You really should reconsider your meal choices. The frozen meals, prepared soups, and bread are all pretty poor choices. Take care of your body/health, it’s your BEST investment.

As mentioned above, eggs are the cheapest chicken meal around. Buy yourself a crock pot (buy a good used one at a thrift shop for about $10.), chicken, rice, beans, potatoes, onions etc. are very cheap and easy to prepare. FREE recipes on line. INVEST in some glass pyrex containers and pack your lunch every day. Do not use plastic. NEVER put plastic in the microwave!! Make it a habit to prepare your work lunches for the week on Sunday and pack your containers. Done for the week., EASY, once it’s a habit! Don’t buy water, juice, or soda. Invest in a water filter and/or buy milk.

Lean to cook !!

Take care of yourself because NOBODY else is going to!!

In a World of Justin Beibers Be a Johnny Cash

[foghornleghornParticipant 3449]

Mr Money Mustache. Get on a fixed budget – map out your essential expenses like rent, health insurance etc. Then budget for your food and gas for the car (if you need t). Everything left over should be money that is going into investments and savings. Savings because you need a rainy day fund incase you have a job loss. Investments because one day when you have enough money you can tell your boss to f~~~ off and go live the life you always wanted.

[Won'tGetFooledAgainParticipant 3293]

foghornleghorn wrote:

Mr Money Mustache. Get on a fixed budget – map out your essential expenses like rent, health insurance etc. Then budget for your food and gas for the car (if you need t). Everything left over should be money that is going into investments and savings. Savings because you need a rainy day fund incase you have a job loss. Investments because one day when you have enough money you can tell your boss to f~~~ off and go live the life you always wanted.

This, you should only be spending money on things you absolutely need and on things you cannot do yourself. For example, for me the easiest things to cut out are :

1)Eating out – Absolute rip off, I can stay home and cook better food for a tenth of the cost.
2)Lunch – Make your own, this will save you a fortune.
3)Coffee – Never, ever pay for coffee when you are out.
4)Holidays – Possibly the biggest waste of money ever, a total wallet rape from the time you leave for the airport until the time you get home. Think about it, flights, taxis, hotels, food, entertainment etc.
5)Cars – Buy an older car outright and learn how to fix it yourself, probably something petrol and japanese. Don’t lease that BMW just to impress people who don’t care.
6)Mobile Phone – Have an older phone outright and pay as you go for a sim only plan. Nobody cares if you have the latest iphone 7 in shiny black.
7)Ensure you are paying the cheapest price for gas, electricity, insurance etc.
8)Don’t go to bars, alcohol is expensive go and do something more interesting that costs nothing.
9)Never use a credit card or get a loan, if you don’t have the cash then you cannot afford it.

Set yourself targets, I love seeing my bank balance rise so try and get the balance to the next £1,000, £10,000 etc. this gives me more of a buzz than buying something new and shiny. Never underestimate how warm and fuzzy it feels to know you have a large amount of money in your “give a f~~~” fund.

See how many days in a row you can go without spending money. I buy food, fill the car with petrol and then see how long I can go without having to spend anything else.

Once you start saving and see the balance grow it gets easier and easier. I am now in the mindset that spending money on things stops my balance growing and I absolutely hate that.

For women, everything eventually boils down to Alpha Fucks, Beta Bucks.

[BeerParticipant 11832]

Won'tGetFooledAgain wrote:

Never underestimate how warm and fuzzy it feels to know you have a large amount of money in your “give a f~~~” fund.

Its super awesome when your investments begin to put out enough gains that you actually feel like you have some passive income. Its motivational to make you want to save even harder when you realize you’ve actually made significant progress towards financial independence.

[foghornleghornParticipant 3449]

I remember reading in a book on finance that people who are successful enforce their will on their money. They will their money to behave the way they want it to behave. They will their money to be spent how they want it to be spent. Look at any person who is wealthy that is what they will tell you. Divest your life of all the s~~~ you don’t need. It is amazing how much we claim we need but in reality we don’t need it.

We need food, we need water, we need shelter – beyond that all this other s~~~ we accumulate is just that s~~~.

[SandalsParticipant 4253]

foghornleghorn wrote:

We need food, we need water, we need shelter – beyond that all this other s~~~ we accumulate is just that s~~~.

For personal yes. When you run a business, you need many things to operate the business on a day to day basis: office supplies, assets, tools, etc… money comes in and goes right out and margins can be thin at times until the business breaks through.

Maybe that’s not what this question is about, but just thought I would state it because I am constantly buying stuff that require expansion. Also, I have to purchase stuff just to look good because there is an image to maintain for clients.

But personal, yes, do not buy doo-dads.

[FunInTheSunParticipant 8283]

Beer wrote:

Over the course of a life time person A is going to come out over a million dollars ahead…the average person would literally have to work more than a decade longer to cover the difference…is having stuff now really worth wasting that much more of your life working…especially when you can still have stuff…just don’t go into debt for it.

I’d like to spend the last years of my life enjoying the fruits of my labor/investments.

"I saw that there comes a point, in the defeat of any man of virtue, when his own consent is needed for evil to win-and that no manner of injury done to him by others can succeed if he chooses to withhold his consent. I saw that I could put an end to your outrages by pronouncing a single word in my mind. I pronounced it. The word was ‘No.’" (Atlas Shrugged)

[~BSParticipant 3266]

I’m not a very materialistic guy, so don’t really have expensive spending habits aside from my car and alcohol. I actually hate eating out at fancier restaurants. The only reason I’d do it before is because that’s the bulls~~~ women like to do on dates. lol I buy clothes once a year, if that. Ion’t buy anything normally unless the one I have breaks, etc etc. But if I want something nice, I will buy something nice, no problem.

Other people’s opinions differ, but in my opinion, it’s easier to make more money to fit your “normal” lifestyle & fund your savings/retirement than it is to scrimp and save. Using this method, my spending has remained fairly constant over the years, while my income and savings skyrocketed because I didn’t expand my “normal” lifestyle to fit increasing income. Nowadays I gross roughly triple of what I spend every year.

Living a lifestyle you’re not comfortable with is like going on a diet. It sucks, and eventually you want to quit, and revert back to form, eating or spending way more money than you did in the first place. So either suck it up and make more money to fund your regular lifestyle and save OR if you hate working more than being able to fund your lifestyle, cut back on your spending.

"He didn't marry until now, so he won't ever do it. Think about it, why would a man like him ever marry? It's too late to catch him. " ~some cunt

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