5 ms·

I like buying stuff as much as the next guy, but if not buying things you don't need would make you depressed, you probably have deeper issues that need address

by kdamken 11y ago

I like buying stuff as much as the next guy, but if not buying things you don't need would make you depressed, you probably have deeper issues that need addressing.

charlesdm 11y ago
If you want to save money, do it on large purchases. Buying a $30k car? Negotiate aggressively so you can buy it for $23-25k. Anything above a few $100 is worth haggling over. Do you know how many people pay the listing price of a car, yet cut coupons to save a few euros/dollars? A lot. It's ridiculous. Some of the joys in life are simple things, such as drinking a $2-3 coffee or having a cocktail in a nice bar, etc.
- Ocerge 11y ago
  Absolutely. I fully recognize my $2.50 americano every morning could be a couple of cups of free office coffee, but I look forward to it every single day. I also drive a 10-year-old but reliable car, so I don't have any huge monthly expenditures outside of rent and my $150 student loan payment. I'll take the $100 or so hit every month in exchange for me starting my mornings on a positive note. It's not going to positively change my life enough to not have that americano every morning.
  - kdamken 11y ago
    Playing devils advocate here: you're spending $1200 a year on coffee. With that money you could not only buy a really nice coffee machine and make it yourself every morning, but also have a bunch of money leftover to put towards your loans, invest, put towards a nice vacation, etc. The idea is that those small daily expenses tend to add up, and there may be a lot more of them than you realized.
    - joverholt 11y ago
      Also, buy a coffee roaster and roast your own beans. There are lots of ways to get started on the cheap (popcorn air roaster), and unroasted coffee is around $5-$6 a pound. It's a very rewarding hobby. http://sweetmarias.com http://sweetmarias.com is a great place to get started.
    - billmalarky 11y ago
      Reminds me of the old joke: "If you had stopped smoking 10 years ago you could afford to be driving around in a Ferrari right now." "Do you smoke?" "No." "Then where's your Ferrari?" Point is don't sweat the small things. Sure they add up, but you should dedicate a portion of your cash flow towards investments at the start of the pay cycle, not "what's left at the end." Then the rest can be spent on anything arbitrarily with a clear conscious.

by kdamken 11y ago

I like buying stuff as much as the next guy, but if not buying things you don't need would make you depressed, you probably have deeper issues that need addressing.

charlesdm 11y ago

If you want to save money, do it on large purchases. Buying a $30k car? Negotiate aggressively so you can buy it for $23-25k. Anything above a few $100 is worth haggling over. Do you know how many people pay the listing price of a car, yet cut coupons to save a few euros/dollars? A lot. It's ridiculous. Some of the joys in life are simple things, such as drinking a $2-3 coffee or having a cocktail in a nice bar, etc.

Ocerge 11y ago
Absolutely. I fully recognize my $2.50 americano every morning could be a couple of cups of free office coffee, but I look forward to it every single day. I also drive a 10-year-old but reliable car, so I don't have any huge monthly expenditures outside of rent and my $150 student loan payment. I'll take the $100 or so hit every month in exchange for me starting my mornings on a positive note. It's not going to positively change my life enough to not have that americano every morning.
- kdamken 11y ago
  Playing devils advocate here: you're spending $1200 a year on coffee. With that money you could not only buy a really nice coffee machine and make it yourself every morning, but also have a bunch of money leftover to put towards your loans, invest, put towards a nice vacation, etc. The idea is that those small daily expenses tend to add up, and there may be a lot more of them than you realized.
  - joverholt 11y ago
    Also, buy a coffee roaster and roast your own beans. There are lots of ways to get started on the cheap (popcorn air roaster), and unroasted coffee is around $5-$6 a pound. It's a very rewarding hobby. http://sweetmarias.com http://sweetmarias.com is a great place to get started.
  - billmalarky 11y ago
    Reminds me of the old joke: "If you had stopped smoking 10 years ago you could afford to be driving around in a Ferrari right now." "Do you smoke?" "No." "Then where's your Ferrari?" Point is don't sweat the small things. Sure they add up, but you should dedicate a portion of your cash flow towards investments at the start of the pay cycle, not "what's left at the end." Then the rest can be spent on anything arbitrarily with a clear conscious.