What do you think: blow money??

[forHISglory]

I had a conversation with a lady recently who insisted that her family never never never blew one cent foolishly, but that they were still in a race for their financial lives. She talked about their bankruptcy, the foreclosure, how they lost a car, were behind on CC, had loads of payments that they were just ignoring. Now, she did mention that kids got a $5 allowance to "use for whatever they wanted" and that her hubby and she had money to spend "just to ease the tension". We were in the slow lane at Wal-mart, and I just happened to peek into her cart: lots of convenience and junk-type foods. It wasn't my place to say anything and often there is a story behind such purchases that justifies it.

Nevertheless, it got me to thinking about blowing money. My belief is that Americans blow a tremendous amount of money, and that this tendency cuts across age, gender, ethnic and economic lines. Why? Is it because we have had it too easy? That we are not educating ourselves and our families about how to spend wisely? That we are impulsive? That we don't care? I'm sure there are lots of reasons out there. Are Americans any different on this than other similar countries?

I tend to blow very little money; I'm a generous miser at heart!!! Yet I must admit that I blow some. I buy some scrapbooking materials that aren't essential. We eat out once in a while. I don't buy many convenience or junk foods, but yes, we do once in a while. We usually entertain ourselves at home, but even a book or CD or turning on the TV costs something. I tithe, give to charity, and help out some people in need. I don't consider that blowing money, but some might. We have internet, even though it is no longer a requirement for our jobs. My list could go on and on with all the non essentials that I buy, yet I tend to think that I blow very little. Is this a common tendency: to see ourselves as blowing little, but others as blowing too much?

I'm curious. Is there anyone out there who really never never never has blow money, not even a little? What is yours used for? What would happen if you could not have this money?

just wondering and rambling.....

[dmarie]

It's funny i was talking to an old friend today after church who told me how frugal her and her husband are.Then she started telling me about how they went on a 3wk trip and charged the whole thing did it on a Harley they bought on a loan, and didn't know what to pay first the credit cards or the mortgage because it was so tight with the loans for her brand new car and his new car and harley lol Hubby heard the convo and just laughed and told her your not frugal your the Jones's.

[madhen]

Oh, I definitely blow a lot of money. For me, I spend mostly on craft stuff, and then mostly on yarn and fabric. I bought myself a $70 sewing machine a few months ago, and spend probably $10-$20 on yarn and/or fabric every month. But a LOT of my "blow" cash gets spent on my animals. I'm probably just as bad as some people are with their kids, making sure the animals get the best of everything, but I feel like animals are in a different category, because they are basically prisoners, except for what you provide. So I give them as much as I can to keep them happy, healthy, and entertained.

If I didn't have the money to do both, my hobbies would suffer before my animals did. If I didn't have enough money for the animals, I'd probably try to find homes for some of them, but the dogs and birds would stay with me. I'd go hungry before I got rid of them.

[Maine Girl]

I think that in some way we all blow money. For me some months are better than others. I feel i tend to blow money on picking up a pizza on the way home or need chocolate so i run to cvs to pick up a big bag of choc. that i share at work. But i also believe it you don't have play money to blow it makes you feel resentful.

[joyofsix]

I think almost everyone blows some money. I think we live in a place and time where there is so much opportunity, it would be amazing if we didn't. Stuff is everywhere we look, go and listen. If you lived with your family, alone on the plains or in a remote village somewhere there wouldn't be an opportunity to blow money. That said, I don't think it's a problem if it's budgeted and you can afford it.

[pollypurebred39]

If it just came to just needs, basic needs being shelter, food, clothing then yeah, we really blow money away. We are far more frugal then we were 2 years ago, but we never were the keeping up with the Jones type.

If your talking about dining out, movies, retail priced clothing, replacing furniture, cars, appliances before they have heaved their last sigh, then no I can't say we even do that. I can't remember the last time I sat in a theater, even the low budget theater.


My Blow Money:

Now normally I have mason jars full of ice water or ice tea (When running around town) but if we run out I just may go to the outlet store and get their 6/$1 canned soda or even the 25 cent soda machine. I did it just yesterday for our day trip. I even bought 2/$1 granola bars to munch on because I was starving. But, I packed us a lunch to take and bought fruit to munch on from the roadside stands on the way. Got to have some of lifes little pleasures or I think I'd go mad, kwim?

If I find a really good deal on a perfume, or an article of clothing, something for one of my kids or husband I just may pick it up. Like yesterday I found a bottle of perfume for $1!! It was an old favorite back from my teen years, I love the stuff so I picked it up. made me happy I know they say money can't buy happiness and while that's true this small bottle of perfume makes me happy even if just till it's gone.

I can say that I also have blow money on on crafts and fabric. I've got a small stock going, not a lot mind you but if I see a fabric that's inexpensive and is beautiful or unique I'll pick up a few yards to stick away for future projects. Just a few things for scrapbooking, I tend to buy just what I need and nothing more. I'm not a picture taker, almost every photo we have has been given to us. I'm more a project person, I see something that I can turn into something else and collect all items to complete project. That takes time so I've got a small stock going with several projects. This is my little piece of sanity here and definately blow money.

[Persimmon Lace]

I think it because we have "relationships" with money, instead of it being a useful tool, it takes on a persona. Our selfworth becomes whatever our bank account is. I've been there and now I am able to view money as a tool to pay my bills and buy groceries, instead of the rush of buying the latest gadget.

I also think that our priorities are skewed, we put so many things ahead of the basics that we need, food, clothing, basic housing, health insurance and those types of things. When someone is complaining about their health insurance costing them 35.00 every 2 weeks and calling it expensive, while in the next breath talking about their new car payment, 300.00, texting on their new iphone w/plan 70.00 and so on, I'm just not well, interested.

As for blow money, if someone in the household "needs" that I think you find a way to do it as long as it doesn't take away from the basics of life or paying your bills.

[Jamielane]

If I didnt blow money I wouldnt have any debt and I have plenty of that . We are really trying to change the way we live and be more thoughtful about purchases and consider if we really need something. I do however buy things we dont absolutly need. My weakness is my kids. I love to give them things but they hear "no" 95% of the time now and they are getting used to it. If I couldnt occasionally buy something like a skein of yarn or a candy bar or a slurpee for my kids on a 100 degree day we would all be miserable and we dont NEED any of this stuff but as long as the bills are paid and there is food in the cupboards and a money cushion (be it smaller then I would like) in the bank I will induldge us occasionally.

[Grainlady]

One person's frugal is another person's "you've got to be kidding - you spend money on THAT?" It's all relative.... Even just peeking inside someone's shopping cart while they pontificate on their frugalness we recognize it.

If you have any age on you at all, you can be heard commenting at some point to the younger generation, "we didn't have ________ when I was growing up." Every generation has more, and more, and more.... And they have ALL "blown" money on things at all socioeconomic levels since the world began and bartering was how business was done. Having money to "blow" is the reason for lottery tickets, tobacco products, and alcohol - to mention a few...

In the U.S., even people living at the poverty level, or below, have a much higher standard of living than middle income people in most of the rest of the world. You have to believe we live in the land flowing with heaps of "stuff" if you've ever noticed how many garages are full of forgotten and cast-off "crap" while there are $30,000-$80,000 worth of vehicles sitting outside; and people pay to store even more "crap" in rented storage units!

[Incognito]

If I can pay my bills and afford life's essentials, then I consider that the only reason to spend money nowadays. I just don't have very much to work with anymore, so I have to be very careful with it.

Today, after lugging home the week's drinking water supply on a very hot day, I was very thirsty. The store where I buy my water also sells lots of fast-foods and all sorts of slurpees and softdrinks, etc. (It used to make me feel deprived while filling up my water jugs when across the aisle people were loading up with microwaved pizzas and slurpees, etc.) But my personal finances don't allow me to waste money. When I got home, I made myself a coffee-ice in the blender from ingredients I'd saved in the fridge. And it was purely delicious!!!

I think we all need to take care of ourselves, so our needs are met, but a little creativity will do that just fine, without spending any extra money. For example: I love chocolate, but I'm not buying chocolate bars anymore; I bake brownies and choc-chip cookies, etc. and am satisfied. Same thing with granola bars...I wouldn't spend a cent on those when my own recipe is so much more delicious and very inexpensive to make.

I've also regretted spending money in the past on things which I no longer buy. For instance: if I'd known about homemade luna pads, I would have saved myself about $7,000.00 in my lifetime. And there are dozens of little tips I've learned through the years which now save me money, and I only wish I'd learned them earlier, like rotating towels and using fewer during the week to save on laundry, saving cream from frozen milk instead of buying it, using coupons and freebies, controlling addictive spending (even at the Thrift Shop), making the most of all my resources, and rising above the pressure to buy things.

So to sum up, when tempted, I just note the monetary value of the temptation, compare it to the cost of my rent and other essentials, and it's easy to forego the purchase. It is respite from the rat-race of consumer pressures and spending, and I'm happier for it.

[dcompton]

Yes, I blow some, though I don't feel guilty about it now that all the debt is paid off the savings and retirement are growing. It's amazing how much you can save when the debt is gone. I indulge a few hobbies, and allow myself some treats. For example, one area I have spent a good bit on lately is tea. I could use ordinary tea bags, but I've gone back to good non-bag teas, but still with moderation. I set a cap - a pretty low one really - on that I will pay for it. Still it adds up when laying in a variety from scratch. I also pick up fast food on time crunch days.

By doing these things, I can still remain for the most part, very frugal, but not feel deprived, as others have said. If I still had debt, things to pay off, I might make different choices. But for me, for now, I freely admit to spending on things that are not absolutely essential, that are definitely wants and not needs. Never to do so would keep me so focused on money that life would be very unbalanced. I've lived with that imbalance, and not to have to do it now is the best thing about being debt free.

[frugalfranny]

Sure I blow money........and of all the people I know I can say everyone of them do too.

I haven't seen one person that doesn't.........and if they say that I would be very suspect.........as they say that to me while they are standing there with their cell phone in hand!

[Greebo]

I used to blow money by buying whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, usually on plastic.

Now I get $25/week to buy whatever I want and if I have no $$ I gots no blow.

[C@rol]

I think life would be very boring without some "blow money." We all need to have (in moderation) those things that make life worth living. Special treats we call them.

Sometimes it's the favorite ice cream or chocolate. A nice night out, a show or the movies. We do these things only if we are comfortable that all our other goals we have in place have been met.

What's the point of being frugal and saving if you can't enjoy your life along the way.

[Nana2two]

Our big thing is eating out.Sometimes we will go several weeks doing great and then eating out will hit us 5 or 6 times. in a month,