Comments on: Who Are You Trying to Impress?

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 13:58:03 +0000

I agree with you Linda, the same reason you try and make a nice dinner or dessert if people are visiting.

By: Linda

Linda — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:47:33 +0000

I agree with most of what Gail has said in this article, but not the part about cleaning up the house and tidying oneself for visitors. This has nothing to do with trying to impress anyone, it’s a matter of respect for the visitors. When I make my home a little cleaner and more inviting for guests, it shows that I take pride in myself and my surroundings, and that I respect my guests enough to offer them my best. I can’t always have a spotless home due to other responsibilities, but I CAN put in the little extra effort to welcome someone in to my home.

By: Canadian Personal Finance Blog » Blog Archive » Olympic and RRSP Random Thoughts

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:27:50 +0000

[...] Vaz-Oxlade asks, Who are you trying to Impress? and my answer is, no one really. I gave up trying to impress folks once my age passed my waste [...]

By: Emma

Emma — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:42:41 +0000

Hildebrand, have you considered renting? Why must you purchase property if you can’t afford it? Depending on where you have moved to, there may be houses that you can rent, or a large apartment. My boyfriend’s family (4 other people) all live in an apartment (their living room is probably the size of our entire 1 bedroom apartment).

There’s nothing shameful in renting while you grow your savings. Besides, renting gives you a bit more of a chance to explore where you want to live in the new city before actually putting roots down! (And if it’s a temporary move, you won’t need to worry about all the costs of selling a home within a short period of time).

In the end though, if you have no other debt, and can afford the payments without incurring other debt, then it’s up to you to determine if that is a priority in your life.

By: Cas

Cas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:29:41 +0000

My coworkers were discussing their children’s bday parties the other morning, in particular, the CAKE. One was showing another on-line the cake that she had for her son’s birthday. It was a 3 tiered hockey cake (a la wedding style). When I asked how much she spent on this beautiful cake for her 3 year old son, I was speechless. More than $150! Seeing the look on my face, she quickly explained how it was something “she” wanted, and if she wanted to indulge that was her choice. I said I agree’d, as long as she knew who she was REALLY trying to please. She said, “Oh no, my son enjoyed it just as much as I did. He LOVED the decorations.” I mean, really, what kid wouldn’t love ANY cake? And, really, how hard would it be to decorate a hockey puck and stick on it anyway?
Oh well, the best cake that I ever had was last Friday night when I came home. My husband, who was off all day, made a chocolate cake, and even spread some icing on it. Yes, it all came out of a box, but he put the effort into it. And he said that his cake’s cost, well, it was only $3.00 Believe me, nothing ever tasted so good!

By: Nanci-jean

Nanci-jean — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 19:41:04 +0000

Wow! A lot of you have said everything that has come to my mind while I was reading the blog…My husband struggles with trying to impress others but thanks to Gail’s book and my constant reminder that we don’t need to keep up with the Jones’…who the F are the Jones’ anyways? We live in a condo that is the perfect size for the three of us (we have a little dog) and we have spent money decorating it yes, but to our needs/wants and style…yes we have a dining table that we hardly use, but it does get used, although we joke that it makes a really nice candle stand for most of the year, lol…but we bought it cash! My husband is very good that way. I have to admit that I like my credit card, but thanks to Gail and my husband I don’t carry balance it on it for more than a couple of months…I am working on it Gail, lol.

Anyhoo…as much as I love reading the blog, I also LOVE reading everyone’s comments…we are like a little financial club!!

By: Diana

Diana — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:19:00 +0000

It is not only through conspicuous consumption that we try and impress, but also by the number of activities our children attend. A regular team just isn’t good enough, but it must be a Rep. team, or a competitive dance class. No child can just join something for fun and recreation. Nor can their parents… one must be in a run club or train for a marathon, etc. It seems everything we do in life must now be ramped up to Extreme or it is deemed unworthy of the effort.
All the competition exhausts me.

By: Finance Management

Finance Management — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 05:15:51 +0000

Hi there. I’m fairly new to this site. I’m loving the community here, so I want to contribute to everyone this article I read that really changed my life financially. Last week I got a check for $900! Really, no joke, I thought I couldn’t do it myself, but I did. And it really helped me out my family financially because i’m a stay at home mom.hopefully it works out for you too. Good luck and God bless!

****************************
jacky

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:32:31 +0000

I just returned from my first granddaughter’s first birthday. Didn’t impress anybody as I showed up on the bus (I hate winter driving), with my latest reading material to keep me occupied (10 hours up, 8 hours to come home) – Gail’s newest book. It did get my son asking questions (a good thing) and while visiting, I went to the local $ store to get my notebook for keeping my list of planned spending items. The slogan on the notebook is “To have more, desire less” which is now my new mantra. And even tho I am working one full time and one part time job to reach my goals, I still have co-workers who think I should go out more, dress different, or drive a newer vehicle, since I make ’so much money”. I don’t even bother trying to explain my motives for the two jobs, specifically to become debt free ASAP. Those who have to impress people they don’t like are most likely compensating for something missing in their lives, which is sad…. BTW, enjoyed the book, but was surprised that something like the HDI directions did not make the index and was a little hard to find when I wanted to refresh how to calculate it.

By: Hildebrand, The Insurance Warden

Hildebrand, The Insurance Warden — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 22:43:00 +0000

Lovely. I have lately wondered if there is ever a call for indebtedness.

It is certainly a difficult point to sell in this part of the world, where property values in residential districts far exceed most people’s liquidity, however. What would you say to a young family who has moved across the country for the sake of employment but haven’t the assets (sans financing) to buy property in a neighbourhood where they won’t be outnumbered by unsavoury sorts?

By: Kate

Kate — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:53:15 +0000

You wrote this post directly for my sister, didn’t you? You were specifically thinking of her when you wrote it! LOL I have been trying to teach her for years about budgeting. I print the sheets, hand them over and sigh as she rolls her eyes. She has recently gotten married and has blown through over $60,000 of her new husband’s savings in less than 2 years. SHE NEEDS YOU! I’ll keep printing! I love this website! Thank-you for all you do, it is a true blessing to my family.

By: anon

anon — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 16:16:18 +0000

I heard the Will Rogers quote about 2 months ago from Deepak Chopra during an interview about the credit crisis in the U.S. and later used it in a comment for an online article on the thestar.com. Interesting how fast some quotes and sayings make their way around, especially with the internet.

By: Melaniesd

Melaniesd — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:19:37 +0000

Alisha, I don’t want to assume that you have too much ’stuff’ or that your home is cluttered. I have a 1100sq ft house for 3 of us. If I had 3 children, I might want a larger space too. Do you have basement area that can be developed?

If it ‘feels’ too small, maybe a professional organizer might be able to offer some suggestions on re-configuring the spaces to work better for your family.
Sometimes a different set of eyes can be very beneficial – plus it might just do the trick and save you a bundle of long-term cash!

I hope that helps!

By: Ajana

Ajana — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:59:31 +0000

For those people who feel they need a larger home, come to Hong Kong and see multi-generational families living in 400 sq ft places. One friend shared a small bedroom with her sickly grandmother throughout her childhood and her parents bedded down in the living area (hardly a room). There is always a way to manage if you have to.

On Gail’s quote, I am reminded of an article I read in which the author said that many people buy items to display in their home in order to meet the expectations of their guests; not necessarily for their own enjoyment. Interesting.

By: TL

TL — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:39:46 +0000

Gail I want to thank you. My spouse and I picked up your book last week and it has already had a wonderful effect on our spending, our outlook and our stress levels. Putting money into a jar that we both have to account for seems like common sense, but it just wasn’t common knowledge to us. We’ve laid out a plan to get our interest rates down, pay off our debt, and put aside some rainy day, and emergency money… things we relied on credit for in the past. Your no nonsense approach is just what we needed… tough love. Best $20 I have ever spent.