Author Topic: Remembering to Stay Frugal.  (Read 6736 times)

S0VERE1GN

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Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« on: June 25, 2014, 06:31:11 AM »
In the past few weeks since purchasing a house where my free time has seemingly disappeared, I've completely forgotten about being frugal almost entirely. I mean, its not like my wife and I have gone out and bought new cars on credit, or racked up the credit cards to a point where we cant pay them off, but it hasn't been a conscious effort, either.  I'm glad I happened upon this article.

http://www.filmsforaction.org/news/your_lifestyle_has_already_been_designed/#.U6n5edIoEFQ.facebook


Glad to be back. Stay frugal, my friends.

StashthatCash

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2014, 07:44:58 AM »
I noticed the same thing as well.  After being frugal for 5 months suddenly last week I decided to be a consumer sucka and spent way more than I wanted to on seemingly un-necessary items.  Nothing like noticing it though to get you back on track and stay motivated!

rocksinmyhead

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2014, 07:52:40 AM »
I too had a recent life change that seems to have sucked up all my free time and frugal energy/motivation (got an 8 week hold puppy... holy fuck). thanks for the boost!

eil

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2014, 08:57:20 AM »
From the headline, I wasn't expecting that to be a particularly good article, but it turned out to be a great article. Totally on par with MMM's writings.

Thanks for passing it along.

eil

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2014, 09:00:40 AM »
Ohhhh, it's a repost of a 2010 raptitude article. That makes sense. I was clicking around the website and couldn't find any similar content. http://www.raptitude.com/2010/07/your-lifestyle-has-already-been-designed/

horsepoor

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #5 on: June 25, 2014, 09:18:36 AM »
Awesome article, thanks for posting it!  It's frustrating that, as the author says, in many professions you either work 40+ or you work 0.  I think I'd be perfectly happy, and just about as productive, working closer to 30 hours a week, or maybe 3 weeks per month or something.  But even with a commensurate pay cut, it's not possible.

Eurotexan

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #6 on: June 25, 2014, 09:19:13 AM »
Great article, really made me focus again on FIRE and why I don't want to be working 40 hours a week 10 years from now.

Thanks for sharing!

rujancified

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #7 on: June 25, 2014, 09:34:42 AM »
Brutal, but great, read. Thanks for sharing.

Bob W

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2014, 10:29:46 AM »
Similar experience for me.  I'm not sure if it is pent up demand or the need to expand spending along with expanding income.   I was a stay at homer for 3 years.  My monthly discretionary budget was like 10 bucks with unlimited time.  Now I get home from work and sit in front of the TV and am prone to pulling the wallet out frequently.   

Ideally I should be saving 100% of my income as we lived a similar lifestyle when just my spouse worked.   The reality is I'm saving very little so it is nice to have a reminder to get back on track. 

S0VERE1GN

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #9 on: June 26, 2014, 05:54:29 AM »
Glad to see digging up this old dusty article from 2010 was so helpful! sure was for me as well.

pachnik

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #10 on: June 26, 2014, 07:25:20 AM »
Yeah, that article was a huge reminder to me about being conscious when pulling out my wallet.  The things I spend impulsively on cost 2 or 3 dollars but it adds up pretty fast.  And not only do those expenditures take away from what I can stash but they also make me feel like a consumerist sucker when I wake up out of my trance.

Thanks for the article. 

Trimatty471

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #11 on: September 21, 2014, 04:10:23 PM »
The author of this article nailed it!
I know that when I am occupied via work or social life, I spend less.  And it is true that the average office worker can be finished their work within 3 hours.

Herbert Derp

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #12 on: September 21, 2014, 10:41:29 PM »
When I stopped tracking my spending for four months, my spending fell from ~$605/month to ~$327/month. Granted, I made some major living adjustments in those four months but it goes to show that if you adopt a frugal lifestyle, you will spend very little without trying.

MrsPete

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Re: Remembering to Stay Frugal.
« Reply #13 on: September 22, 2014, 06:05:59 AM »
I don't know . . . I know I can't complete my work in three hours a day.  I'm actively teaching my students 4.5 hours each day.  On a typical day I have about 30 minutes of assigned duties here and there supervising students in various situations.  And then every couple weeks extra assigned duties fall my way.  In between those things, I have to prepare for lessons:  No matter how many years I've taught, I still have to Xerox papers, locate /put away sets of novels, bring out materials for the next unit.  And then there's grading papers -- and I spend about an hour a week on record keeping.  Parent contacts.  Special ed paperwork.  I don't have much down time on the job. 

More to the larger point:

I definitely spend more money in the summer months when I'm not working. 

Though I know it's a common thing, I do not personally fall prey to the thought process of, "I work hard; thus, I deserve _____."  It's just not one of my shortcomings -- I do have plenty of others.

During my working months, I tend to do bath cooking and freeze meals.  We don't eat out often.   

In contrast, during the summer months I'm quicker to say, "Yes, let's meet for lunch" or to go to a movie.  And I spend more on crafty-materials, which my kids and I enjoy.  I love to cook, and I spend more on fancy ingredients during the summer months.  I try to do the bulk of my Christmas shopping and home-maintenance during the summer months, and that adds up to money spent. 

I don't know that I'm typical -- well, no, I am sure my spending is absolutely not like that of the average American -- but working 40 hours seems to keep me from spending.