MMM: "A Millionaire is Made $10 at a Time"

[Geila]

We also are in spending mode after years of doing without and convenience. We always throw 2 big outdoor parties during the summer. I usually make all the food but the one we had last Saturday I bought the food. A few weeks before the party we saw this fabulous street singer downtown. He is a teacher also. I hired him to sing for 2 hours so it cost 200. He sang a extra hour for free. We have 2 patios so put him on the farthest one and people danced in the yard. Everyone had such a great time.

How wonderful! I want to be your neighbor and come to all your parties. I'd be happy to bring booze.

[Gardnr]

We also are in spending mode after years of doing without and convenience. We always throw 2 big outdoor parties during the summer. I usually make all the food but the one we had last Saturday I bought the food. A few weeks before the party we saw this fabulous street singer downtown. He is a teacher also. I hired him to sing for 2 hours so it cost 200. He sang a extra hour for free. We have 2 patios so put him on the farthest one and people danced in the yard. Everyone had such a great time.

FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! I think my invitation got lost in the mail

[Teacher Terry]

Okay you guys I will make sure you are invited to the next party ��

[Tammy]

I buy ebooks. Don’t even blink at the cost. It’s my favorite hobby. I’ve been reading books since before I was 10 yrs old and have probably been in the middle of at least one book 95% of the time 1970.

[Gardnr]

I buy ebooks. Don’t even blink at the cost. It’s my favorite hobby. I’ve been reading books since before I was 10 yrs old and have probably been in the middle of at least one book 95% of the time 1970.

This caught my eye because....doing the exercises in YMOYL, I discovered I was spending $1100/year on books, being a voracious reader. Mind you, this was the year 2000....when we had a mortgage and 2 car payments with an E/D factor of 1.82. I became an avid library user to this day. On rare occasion I will purchase a book, but very rare. I have gotten rid of 75% of the books I had back then and each year I continue to comb the shelves for "will I really read this ever again"....and the shelves continue to empty a bit each year.

[happystuff]

Wow-feel like I'm definitely in the wrong place. I watch every penny as pennies turn into $1 and ten of those $1 make $10, etc. If I'm going to buy wine at all, it's my little *treat* bottle of $4.99 from the liquor store. I like it and, like I said, it's a treat. Have been and will continue to be frugal mainly due to necessity, but such is life. Glad most here are more comfortably well off. Enjoy!

[Yppej]

My gazingus pins change. Last year with the start of a new job with a different dress code it was clothes, this year it has been travel. Each year I just try to rein myself in and be aware.

Alcohol is no temptation not just because of the cost but the calories. And some days I think if I start drinking I won't want to stop.

[catherine]

I buy ebooks. Don’t even blink at the cost. It’s my favorite hobby. I’ve been reading books since before I was 10 yrs old and have probably been in the middle of at least one book 95% of the time 1970.

Yes, Amazon one-click is the death of me. And those purchases do average, or exceed, $10. I'm trying to be more mindful of my trigger finger. I recently bought a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, which is $10/month and I get "free" books that way. I probably save $30 a month going that route. But it's still $10 a month. And I'm trying to also be mindful of the fact that subscriptions are not usually money-savers.

[SteveinMN]

Wow-feel like I'm definitely in the wrong place. I watch every penny as pennies turn into $1 and ten of those $1 make $10, etc. If I'm going to buy wine at all, it's my little *treat* bottle of $4.99 from the liquor store. I like it and, like I said, it's a treat. Have been and will continue to be frugal mainly due to necessity, but such is life. Glad most here are more comfortably well off. Enjoy!

So much of it is a matter of where you are in life. Many of those posting now are retired and assume their savings/income streams are sufficient for their expected lifespans; many (at least some?) of us are not yet retired (or even close). Being in a committed relationship makes a big difference financially. And, not to take away anything from the abiity of those who have gotten to this financial level, many have had the advantage of stable locations and/or employment and/or relationships (moving, job loss, and divorce often are significant financial setbacks) and no chronic health conditions.

So much of it is a matter of perspective. As DW and I get older and our energy levels diminish, the "time-for-money" equation changes. When I was single I had no problem haunting thrift stores after work a couple of days a week for clothes or household goods; now, I'm out of "acquisition mode" and it seems what's in the stores frequently is not of good quality or we're looking for something specific (specific size, color, etc.) and spending hours each week cruising through stores is less compelling than spending time with each other, visiting with the kids/grandkids, etc. It's easier -- but costs more money -- to buy those items (sometimes even used) in a store or on-line or through craigslist/Facebook Marketplace/NextDoor and be done with it. We're more aware that we have only so many years before it will be harder to drive at night and such, so it seems reasonable to us (even before a fully-funded retirement) to enjoy some experiences now rather than bank on a continued ability to enjoy them in 10 or 20 years. So we spend more money now on things we didn't earlier in our lives.

It's hard and misleading to compare your insides to other peoples' outsides. And that rarely ends well.

[Tammy]

I have multiple allergies which act up when I borrow library books.

I tried borrowing ebooks but I hate the deadline - it feels like a school assignment instead of reading for fun.

So I spend the money. And I don’t care. 😄