Comments on: When we’re not in college anymore

By: Manyake

Manyake — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 16:34:47 +0000

Having money to me means that instead of spending $39 on a pair of jeans, I can go to Marshalls and spend $79 on a pair that would have cost me $149 at the department store.

By: Peter

Peter — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 19:13:19 +0000

I’ve noticed the same mindset in my peers, and I find it really encouraging for two reasons.

1) I don’t see my mindset changing greatly once I graduate – I can’t think of many things I’ve forgone because of cost, anyway – so saving shouldn’t be a problem if income suddenly greatly exceeds expenditure.

2) Despite spending very little, they are mostly very happy people. That says nice things about life.

By: chris

chris — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 10:37:39 +0000

Dear AK,
I have experienced that our paid off home and our early retirement funds did not come from huge savings on big-ticket items like cars, electronic equipment etc. but from a $ here, 10 dollars not found worth spending there. Some occcasions reappeared regularly, others did not. Anyhow, each $ counts and bears interest or dividends.

By: AK

AK — Fri, 30 Jun 2006 07:00:49 +0000

lol Noah, this isnt “I will teach you to be cheap”

By: Noah C.

Noah C. — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 20:49:03 +0000

I must first say that I have earned my nickname: “Cheap Swede” I rent a duplex with another person and the only utilties we have to pay for is electricity. We keep it under $15 a month per person. I spend about $30 on food a week and would like to cut this back to $20-$30. So in frugality this is what I would do…Lie. It’s only a little white lie though. If the dinner party starts at 6:00 say you’ll be arriving at 6:25 or 6:30 after you have already eaten with a prior engagement. This allows you to say, “Oh, I’m not hungry but I’ll have a beer/appetizer” and then make sure to put this on a seperate tab.

Although, I think Eric really hit the nail on the head on how to handle this situation if it comes up more than once or twice a year.

By: noah kagan

noah kagan — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 10:52:32 +0000

reminds me of how i wrote about how much $20 is to me now relative to when I was young article: http://okdork.com/2005/08/03/20-is-the-new-dollar-bill/http://okdork.com/2005/08/03/20-is-the-new-dollar-bill/

By: AK

AK — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:52:09 +0000

Its all about balance, you have to spend the money you make, but dont go crazy with it.

Your saving for a house? Sure, but an extra $20, one time, wont help you that much and you are not going to have fun.

By: Eric Nakagawa

Eric Nakagawa — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:40:21 +0000

When you’re first reaction to a fine dining menu is to find the cheapest entree, or you’re mentally budgeting until your next pay check, for the means to order prime rib… maybe it’s time to do some soul searching, consider the company you keep, and assess if the lifestyle you’re living is worth the trouble.

To some people money is not an object. But to most of us, there’s nothing wrong with nailing down what’s important to you and putting your money towards those things.

I’ve turned down many invitations to dinners out, and it may alienate me from the socially ‘hip’ and with it. But my keen budgeting has allowed me lots of travel, a laptop, a new car, and lots of time with the family.

By: chris2

chris2 — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 21:15:47 +0000

I wanted to agree with Chris Yeh–even when one can swing for an expensive restaurant for the entree, wine and appetizers can drive the price way up.

It’s a drag when the big spenders order all this stuff and say “Let’s split it.” It can turn the dinner into a status contest.

By: annab

annab — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 19:07:25 +0000

I think that it’s important when you pay more than you usually would to be sure that it fits in your priorities.

For me, I’ll pay extra when I get extra value for it. Sometimes that means more convenience, better quality, or because I like it more. That was hard for me to do at first. But a boss pointed out that sometimes the cheapest $$ option isn’t the cheapest overall, especially considering how much your time is worth or how important the issue is.

But it’s also ok to say that a particular expenditure doesn’t fit in your plans, even if you could afford it (like seeing the full price instead of the matinee.) Your money, time and energy are finite and so it’s all right to economize on one arbitrary thing and splurge on another, in accordance to your priorities.