Quit Your Unsustainable Life
Posted by Gail | Filed under Bad Habits!, Money Management
After working for years with other people’s budgets I’m still scratching my head at some of the stuff I see. Tell me, when did take-out food, snappy new cell phones, facials, manis and pedis, costly cut-and-colours, personal trainers, books, magazines and CD’s, and annual vacations become needs? How the dickens did we get here?
People continue to write to me describing cash flow problems and how they are agonizing over their credit card statements. They can’t keep up with an avalanche of bills, but it doesn’t seem to stop them from spending.
Getting people to make a budget to see where they want their money to go can be a two-edged sword. People are exhilarated by the experience, relieved to finally be doing something to get control of their money. At the same time they are terrified of the deprivation they think they will have to face.
It sometimes tough to remain neutral while folks explain why they can’t give up their pedis, hair cuts and massages, or why they really must take that $4200 vacation this year despite the thousands in debt they are carrying. Sometimes I can’t and words like, “dope”, “delusional” and “nuts” pop out of my mouth.
Lately, I am inundated with more and more letters describing cash-flow-challenged folks. With the economy in the dumper, refinancing is no longer an option as credit dries up. Home equity lines of credit are decreasing or disappearing altogether. Credit card companies are lowering limits. And everyone is raising interest rates.
People are watching as their pay and/or hours are cut. Small biz owners, commissioned salespeople, free-lancers and the self-employed are lamenting incomes that have been slashed. With people losing jobs, two incomes are now one and there are no replacement jobs in sight. It’s not a pretty picture.
The long and short of it is that people have to learn to live within their means. For many, this is the first time they’ve had to watch what they’re spending. And many are finding it tough to cut back.
For a long time I’ve been trying to deliver the message that money is a finite resource. Easy credit made it easy to ignore this truth. But now the story is coming home and people are desperate. While the bad news won’t last forever, this is a terrific opportunity to really tap into what makes us most happy (not the stuff we’ve been buying).
Living within our means doesn’t mean that we have to cut out all the things we love to do. Here are some things you can quit to create a sustainable lifestyle:
Quit spending money on things you can do yourself: manicures, pedicures, hair colouring, gym workouts. If you must have your hair professionally treated, cut back on the frequency, going every eight weeks instead of every six.
Quit spending money on things you can borrow or trade. Have a movie-swap night with your friends, borrow books and magazines from the library, find ways to use what you have to get what you want without spending any money.
Quit visiting your favorite stores. Every time you go in you enter The Temptation Zone. Don’t want to spend money? Don’t go to places that ask you to take out your wallet. And while you’re at it, delete those shopping sites from your computer and toss out the catalogues unopened.
Quit paying for subscriptions you aren’t using: newspapers, magazines, video rentals, gym memberships, anything online.
Quit eating out. You can eat really well at home for a fraction of the cost. Yes it takes some planning and a little more time. But the money you’ll save with stun you. Ditto buying your lunch at work.
Quit upgrading. The longer you can hold onto things, the less money you’ll have to part with. Just because new technology is available doesn’t mean you have to upgrade from your DVD, computer, appliances, TVs or cell phone.
Quit buying luxury. You can still enjoy a glass of wine with dinner, just switch from $45-bottles to a good $10 bottle. Ditto the restaurants you celebrate in, the perfume you wear and the shoes you buy. It’s downright ludicrous during tough times to waste money on frivolous spending when you really need to be debt free and have a solid emergency fund.
Quit thinking a vacation is your due for working hard. That’s why they paid you. A vacation is what you get when you’ve saved up the money to pay for it. Need some time off? Take it. Enjoy your rest by going on a staycation.
March 12, 2010 at 7:34 am
I’m am having a staycation for March Break!!!:) People all around me are going on trips down south…but I would rather save up and go when I can afford it..rather than enjoying a beach for a week…for months worth of worrying how to pay it off…
March 12, 2010 at 7:44 am
All of my savings has come from eliminating takeout food from our diet, reducing dining out to once a month, and taking my lunch to work. You’d be amazed at how easy it is to make wholesome whole wheat pizza dough in the breadmaker and how good homemade pizza tastes!
I haven’t had to do anything else to make the budget balance (although now I actually have a budget and track where I spend my money). So for no pain at all I stay within budget, save for emergencies and the things I want instead of putting them on credit. So when last week my dentist said I needed to have $1,300 worth of dental work done, all I could think of was “darn – that’ll take a chunk out of the emergency fund that I worked so hard to build up”, but no worries about how to pay for it. A relief for sure.
March 12, 2010 at 7:49 am
That sounds like a great idea. Have fun!
March 12, 2010 at 8:24 am
I completely agree with the quit upgrading part. I still buy DVDs and I won’t upgrade to blu-rays till DVDs are no longer sold. hopefully by then the blu-ray players will have come down in price.
People need to re-evaluate what is a need years ago we didn’t have cell phones and voice mail. people got just fine without those things. I’m sure there are still people today that are getting by just fine without them.
regards,
Jason
March 12, 2010 at 8:50 am
Jason, I don’t have a cell phone
We do have an answering machine at home, but it’s not the type of voicemail that lets you check it from anywhere.
I’d rather use my money for fun (my yearly vacation cost is the same as it would be to pay for a cell phone for a year!). Vacation isn’t a need – it’s a want, but provided you aren’t going into debt for it, there’s no reason not to take a vacation if you can afford it.
For example, I’m putting a significant chunk of money against my student loan each month (approximately 40% of my take home pay each month). When I get my “bonus” paycheque, one goes to savings, and the other goes to my “Fun Money” fund. That is a savings account that accumulates gift money, the 2 extra pays each year, plus any other cash that comes my way. Could I use the money to just pay off my loan? Of course. But I would much rather take the extra money and use it for fun (i.e. vacation, dance classes, theatre, etc).
Again, it’s about individual priorities. If I had a house, I doubt I could afford yearly vacations, but for now, I’ll happily spend my $500 on a trip to Cuba!
March 12, 2010 at 8:51 am
I didn’t think I was living a hugely unsustainable life, $5000 in debt over 3 years isn’t too bad… until I realized that if I kept that going I was looking at being HUGELY in debt by the time I retired. Also I had minimal savings and the only reason I had any plan at all for retirement was because my pension is automatically deducted. And when did I start thinking it was ok to use my LOC as a form of income?!?
I dropped the $30 every rwo weeks for manis – who really needs fake nails anyway! – and even though I was realatively good at stopping spending once the money way gone, (before Gail) I didn’t feel to bad dipping into the LOC for something I NEEDED. Now I’m paying it down and the only time I’ve dipped into it was a week long RRSP loan to myself until my refund came in
It’s just a mindset and mine is changing now. Thanks Gail!
March 12, 2010 at 8:58 am
We still eat some kind of food from a restaurant twice a week. Usually it’s pizza, or something from a nicer restaurant, not a fast food chain. I’ve considered cutting this out, but it’s something we really enjoy. It gives me a break from trying to figure out something to make for 5 people with very different tastes. I cook kid friendly stuff during the week, but sometimes Mr. Cents and I want something a little nicer.
Taking out food from a nicer restaurant is not cheap, but it’s a lot cheaper than dining in the restaurant as we can share an inexpensive bottle of wine at home. In return for this luxury, we have never gone on a more expensive vacation. Our vacations usually consist of taking our teens to a concert or our younger son to Canada’s Wonderland. Friday night dinners with my 4 favourite men are my happy place and I wouldn’t want to give them up unless things got a lot worse.
March 12, 2010 at 9:00 am
I’d sure love a pretty new flat screen TV and a net-book computer, BUT what I have is just fine. My TV is only 3 or 4 years old. It will have to at least wait until next year.
As someone who does brown-bag it and doesn’t eat out a lot, I have to try to cut spending in other areas – like clothes, little drugstore purchases and groceries. Lately I find it hard to stick to ‘the list’ at the grocery store. It’s the little things that add up and bite me in the behind.
I think my strategy will be to impliment so many ‘no spend days’ each month. OR, I will only bring cash with me. $20/wk is more than enough of a kitty for me to be able to buy a coffee or soda when I feel like it. No ccrds, means no spending!
March 12, 2010 at 9:10 am
We have a cell phone, but have an awesome contract through my hubbies work, which is the only reason we have one. We recently went on a vacation to Las Vegas (fully saved up for ahead of time), and decided not to take our cell phone with us – we have heard of the horrendous roaming charges there are there. So, we figured we’d call home via pay phones on our calling card (yes, we still have a land line because here in Northern Ontario, cell phone service is sketchy). (We didn’t use the hotel phone as there was a service fee just to use the phone for any reason). Well, we were very surprised to find how hard it was to find a pay phone there, and then, one that worked! So many people have cell phones now, pay phones are becoming dinosaurs! We were in a newer subdivision and could not find a phone – even at the gas station! Very weird. Finally we found one, but it is amazing how things are changing. Still won’t change me though. My TV was second hand and is over 15 years old. Like it was said above, my DVD player is quite fine – I don’t need Blu-Ray. And until they force me to change to digital, my rabbit ears are fine for our TV (don’t want to pay for a lot of channels I never watch!) Have a great March Break everyone!
March 12, 2010 at 9:14 am
One more thing… RE: Vacations.
Last weekend, DH & I spent about $250.00 and had a fantastic night away in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia. We stayed at a 4 star B&B which is located next to a winery. We had a beautiful room with a 4 poster bed, an electric fireplace, a jacuzzi tub etc.
That night we visited a local restaurant that served local food. We indulged in appetizers, entree’s and split a dessert. It was amazing! Beautiful atmosphere and one of our favourite spots to visit.
Then we took a drive through the area and came across a wool shop where they raised their own sheep and lamas. I stopped the car to take pictures of the animals when we met one of the owners. He invited us into the barn to see the new baby sheep! It was so much fun! (It pays to be nice & friendly). I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed that. Sheep are actually pretty affectionate and funny little animals.
Having a night away was wonderful for us. We had time to relax and actually enjoy each other’s company without the distractions of home. The next day we took a long drive and took in the scenery. We drove across country to our cottage-in-progress and stayed there for a little while. (It’s not winterized yet so we can’t use it this time of year).
The nice part about going this time of year is that the rates are off season. We had a lovely room with a gourmet breakfast for $129.00 . Plus it’s a nice way to say goodbye to winter and welcome SPRING!
I’d LOVE to travel to Europe and across Canada, but for now, that’s not in the budget. I’ll take a ’stay-cation’ anytime. Explore your local cities & province. There is so much to see & do!
March 12, 2010 at 9:14 am
We’ve done most of those things. However, I won’t give up my 3 pedicures a year! It’s just that now we save up for them with extra money from our jars, instead of putting them on credit. Instead of getting them every month during sandal season, we stretch it to 2 months. We rarely eat out, but when we do, we save up for that too…gives us something to look forward to.
March 12, 2010 at 9:36 am
Melaniesd – We did something similar in early February. We went to Stratford (Ontario) and stayed at a neat place for less than half the cost of the room during the peak theatre season. It was great to just get away. We haven’t done that since our oldest boys were babies! We had the money saved, so no debt was incurred and they knocked an extra $50 off the bill because we had to deal with a loud wedding party on the floor.
March 12, 2010 at 9:36 am
Melaniesd – We did something similar in early February. We went to Stratford (Ontario) and stayed at a neat place for less than half the cost of the room during the peak theatre season. It was great to just get away. We haven’t done that since our oldest boys were babies! We had the money saved, so no debt was incurred and they knocked an extra $50 off the bill because we had to deal with a loud wedding party on the floor.
March 12, 2010 at 9:37 am
Sorry for the double post. My mouse has been so glitchy lately!
March 12, 2010 at 9:53 am
Melaniesd – my bf and I went to Lunenburg last spring and got an amazing deal at a pretty little boutique hotel for the room and supper, plus a bottle of wine. We had a wonderful view of the harbour from our room and the Bluenose II was just gearing up for the summer, training the new crew so we watched her sailing too. It was a wonderful weekend and we plan to do something along the same lines this year. Maybe down to the valley like you?
Gotta love Canada’s Ocean Playground, even when you’re nowhere near the ocean
March 12, 2010 at 10:00 am
Awww, a refreshing dose of common sense from Gail!
I don’t buy books anymore, I borrow them free of cost from the library. Hmmm, not buying books, I don’t think that would sit well with many authors, but it’s common sense to me. Why spend $30 on a book that will sit on my shelf and can be purchased in the clearance bin down the road for $5, just a thought.
March 12, 2010 at 10:33 am
I am an AVID reader — I can read up to 10 books in a week, but always read at least 1. I could never imagine not buying books, I even re-read several by my favourite authors (a really good book I’ve probably read 10+ times) – it’s like visiting old friends.
Then I found out that the Toronto Library will let you order books online from other libraries in the GTA to be sent to YOUR library — it’s called putting books on hold. Then when they arrive, they will call and you have a week to pick it up. GENIUS!
My book expenditure has probably gone from $300 / year (bought a lot second hand) to about $100 / year (still have to buy the favourites) — sometimes I will purchase an author I loved, and the book may fall short. When that’s the case, I send it to my neice so that she can get some free books (even though it costs a little to send, she loves it). So I’m saving money out of her budget.
The only think I would disagree with on Gail’s post, is the personal trainer part. What a personal trainer offers, you cannot do yourself. The intensity and the push through — are impossible to get without a trainer. Does that mean you should go into debt to have one? Probably not…. unless maybe you’re morbidly obese and have cut the budget to the bone, AND don’t have any other debt. I think it enhances quality of life.
I have a debt repayment plan that will take between 1-2 years. My budget right now is a fluid thing, still working on it. I am considering putting training on it, but will try to cut elsewhere. But if it means it will take the 2 years, instead of 1 — I may do it. Not sure yet…. but with arthritic knees, and the scale busted – I need to do better than I am.
March 12, 2010 at 10:43 am
One more thing to quit spending on is home decor. I moved into a new apartment a while ago and friends always tease me about how sparse it is. However, just because I’m in a new place doesn’t mean I’m entitled to fill it with brand new furniture until I can afford it. I have friends who just bought a house and put thousands on their LOC to furnish it when their old stuff was perfectly fine.
March 12, 2010 at 10:43 am
SimpleSavings, we stayed at http://www.oldlanterninn.com/ and
the restaurant we like to frequent is http://www.theportpub.com
We’ve stayed at the inn several times, it’s awesome so we keep going back!
And the pub – delicious!
As for Lunenburg, we went there for our honeymoon and actually got to sail on the Bluenose II. It’s a beautiful place to visit.
Financial Coach: I love the library’s book order system. We have that in my city too. So convenient. : )
If I really love it, I often will buy the book to have in my small collection.
Tonight I’m going to “An Evening with Alistair MacLeod” to hear a debut reading of ‘The Closing Down of Summer’ – I love this author and best of all – it’s free!
(though I likely will buy the book).
March 12, 2010 at 10:53 am
We’ve already done many of these things
What I find so fascinating is how, after a while, you get used to the new way and the other way seems absurd!
We do go out to eat occasionally – maybe once every month or two but I find now that I don’t enjoy it as much. Or at least I am not drawn to eating a some generic place. I rather wait a bit longer and have a much nicer meal. It might be that we can make nicer food at home
But there are some things that we do spend money on – the things that really matter. We both have a gym membership but we use it 5 or so times a week. We won’t give it up because I exercise way more regularly now that I would otherwise. My one real vice is the lattes – normally only once a week but sometimes I indulge twice!
Sadly people don’t get it. One couple we are friends with I think bears some resentment – they think we can/should be able to do more/buy more. Another friend showed envy bordering on anger when I casually mentioned the student loans are gone, but I know the truth. We MADE these decisions consciously because money is finite and we need to make choices!
March 12, 2010 at 11:03 am
We are in debt. We also want to go to Disneyland while the boys are still young. We have set a date for March 2011. We are putting away enough to have it paid for. Will we still have debt….yes but we are paying that down and we will get to go to Disneyland.
Gail has always said that there needs to be a balance between work and play. I think we have found it. Yes we could go somewhere less expensive or even do the Disney trip for a lot cheaper but they will probably never get to go again so it will be a trip we all remember.
We are learnt to live with a lot less and going for a special spa treatment is just that a treat. Not something I do every month any more.
We have also found fun ways to do things that are not expensive.
Gail does make us all think, doesn’t she….keep up the good work.
March 12, 2010 at 11:18 am
I budget myself a certain amount of “Play Money” each cheque and anything like manis, pedis, movies, and even special dining out have to come from this jar.
Otherwise my biggest “savings” come from clothes shopping…
#1) I don’t go!! Now, if I’m not in the malls I don’t catch the “good deals” but I also don’t spend money on clothes I don’t need!
#2) When I do need something specific, I can buy at a consignment store or Value Village – this allows me to wear designer labels that I would otherwise never be able to afford!
March 12, 2010 at 11:21 am
It’s a question of priorities.
I don’t have fancy clothes, electronics (same dvd player for the past 10 years, TV is 5 years old because the last one hit the bucket etc…). I go to the hairdresser every 8 months or so, and I’ve never had a pedicure, and manicure only 2-3 times in my life.
But I have a personal trainer.
I decided that fitness is something that I really, really need in my life, and the only time I can have it is between 9pm and 10pm at night, after I put my son to sleep and before the gym closes. The only way to get the best out of that hour is to get the help of a trainer to help me focus.. being fit helps me beat depression, have energy and look great, and keep on going with a break-neck schedule.
March 12, 2010 at 11:28 am
I rarely if ever pay for my lunch during the workweek. I always bring my own lunches because they are much healthier than anything I can get from a cafeteria or local take out. Saving this money lets us buy what we want at the grocery store…the food budget is something I am not so sticky about. I like the freedom to buy what I want to eat for each week. I have been doing a lot of reading about nutrition and preventing disease through diet. By saving in other areas (avoiding shopping, buying only what we need at the drug store, etc) we are able to spend a bit more on high quality foods at the grocery store that will keep us interested all week and will be part of a healthy diet. Having carbonated water in the fridge at work is a treat, but it also makes me happy each day and gives me something to look forward to with my brown-bag lunch.
As for nails, I do them myself. I will do my own pedicures. I walk when I can (saves money and is healthy). I do splurge on a gym membership but agree with others that this is a necessity. I always get books from the library and have so many out it is hard to keep up with them all!
Thanks again Gail. I look forward to reading your blog throughout each weekday.
March 12, 2010 at 11:32 am
@Angela
When my kids were young, we went on a trip to Walt Disney World in Florida. We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort. At that time, they didn’t have the newer on-site hotels — the “All-Star” hotels. There are many advantages of staying at a Disney hotel. Everything was paid for ahead of time. If you call the resort directly, you can probably book cheaper with them. Our eldest at the time was 11, and our youngest was 5. I also checked every airline deal and got a great discount on our airfare. We were 8 people travelling.
Also, I don’t know if you have seen the commercials, but Walt Disney World and Disneyland are promoting the “give a day, get a day”. It is where you sign up and volunteer at a place in your own town, and once this is done, you get a free Disney pass for a free day at Disney. I also saw a recent ad for this in Canadian Living. Check out their website for info.
Good luck with the planning.
March 12, 2010 at 12:12 pm
I noticed a big reduction in my spending when I stopped browsing at the mall. Many of my girlfriends still embrace shopping as a hobby, go on twice yearly shopping trips to the ‘big malls’ and ‘outlet stores’ in the next province (we don’t have the same shops in our province). It is hard to join in – not just because of the money thing, but because it isn’t a sport to me … if I need something, I go and I find it and I buy it and then I am done. Two more days of shopping is just agony after that!
As far as buying new gadgets and electronics – we ‘want’ a flat screen, HD TV. And really, it should be ‘OK’ as the one TV we have is 18 years old and still works fine, and the other is nearly 10 years old. Yet it is hard to justify a new TV when the others still work and are just not what we want. Especially as we rarely even watch TV! Oh well, floor models go on sale in April, so we will see what kind of deals may be had.
I am so envious of those of you who have had nearby staycations! That is awesome! It is a great reminder that you really don’t have to spend a bundle to get some relaxation and intimate moments together on holiday. I sometimes wonder about people who spend thousands to get somewhere and when I ask what they did they reply “sleep” …
March 12, 2010 at 12:22 pm
We still get Pho once a week. It happens on a night that we don’t get out of school until 8pm-ish and we get a meal for $20. Plus it isn’t greasy and full of fat (as much as I do sometimes love the McD’s).
I never rent DVDs, I would rather wait and buy them cheap through a ‘pre-viewed’ sale. But I also only buy movies I know I will like. I agree with the whole Blu-ray thing, plus on our ol’skool tube tv it wouldn’t matter anyways.
I’m a cellist, so I don’t get mani’s. I think Im going to get one for my wedding day, and it will be the first mani I’ve had since Grade 8 graduation
One of our main changes with this school year was the stopping of Timmy’s runs in the morning. It has saved us about $20 per week. We also make alot of our own food and rarely buy processed foods. I think what we need to work on is gas consumption…..
Also for those thinking about Disney World. Staying on site is wonderful. If you are planning on just doing DW, you don’t have to rent a car. You can take a disney shuttle bus on site, and once you are there there are disney buses and monorails that take you everywhere. Disney also has specials on all the time if you are not picky about what time you go. Some things that might also reduce the cost are: bring Nalgenes or other water bottles, don’t buy pop/juice. Many meals at Disney can be easily shared like a huge chicken cesear salad. Don’t buy breakfast, just have food at your hotel and eat breakfast there. Disney is great place and is really worth every penny (clearly I’m a Disney Fan)
March 12, 2010 at 12:26 pm
@Jay
Yes, home decor can be a nightmare! We bought our current house 8 years ago, and we wanted new kitchen appliances — the ones we had been using were from the 70s. We ended up staying with the old ones, as the new fridge/stove was approaching $3000 (why do I like expensive things???). I admit we have bought a new fridge 2 years ago, as the other one finally died. The stove…..well, we still have that *lovely* gold colour that really matches the white fridge and dishwasher.
One neighbour said she had a “moving in budget” of $10,000 …. and gave me the impression that it wasn’t enough. Our “moving in budget” was a contractor pail of paint primer, and a contractor pail of mixed paint!
I guess it comes down to not caring what other people think. I suspect most people think we’re nuts as the dining room has a treadmill in it. Our table is in the kitchen nook (has great windows!!!), and we couldn’t justify the cost of buying a “formal dining table” that we’d use twice a year.
March 12, 2010 at 12:52 pm
@ Angela:
If you are planning to go to Disney for a vacation I would highly recommend purchasing the Disney Dining Plan…. sometimes if you book directly on the Walt Disney website they have promotions where this could be included in your package at a huge discount (or even free!)….. it is well worth it, believe me! We got ours free with our package and it saved us a ton of money… food anywhere in Disney is far from cheap!
March 12, 2010 at 1:07 pm
@Brenda, that is so true about payphones. When I’m travelling, I just keep in contact over email. It seems like it’s alot easier to find a computer in the hotel lobby or at worst an internet cafe. But when I’m on vackay, I rarely call home!
March 12, 2010 at 1:13 pm
Just as people get used to living a certain unsustainable lifestyle, they can get used to living a sustainable one. You’re right Gail that people would initially be reluctant because it looks like a massive exercise in deprivation, but you replace those spendy things with things that matter. If you can’t afford a family night at the movies, then borrow one from the neighbour and snuggle up on the couch. At least you know the bathroom’s clean. You can even have a kid dress up and be the ticket collector and such. When your kids are older they will remember the “pretend” outing because it was true family time.
This super tight budget that we are currently on has given “make it do or go without” a whole new meaning to me. Like I needed posts to stake the blackberries this year. We can’t afford to buy the “proper” ones, so I sawed branches off the tree that came down in last year’s wind storm and used those.
It’s true that people think we’re weird because we don’t have certain things, or that we can’t just go out and buy stuff, but we sleep well at night and enjoy each other’s company, so we actually are the richest.
March 12, 2010 at 1:13 pm
The only thing on the list that we do is eating out. It mostly comes out of the grocery budget and is really once a week or so. Could be worse, I guess.
March 12, 2010 at 1:23 pm
second the free dining plan at disney. Espechially with kids, because you see the characters at your meals, then don’t have to wait in line all day. September was the cheapest month we went with the free plan.
March 12, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I’ve been bad about eating out at lunch lately. It’s a social occasion at the office, and since (unfortunately in this case!) I like some of the people I work with, I’ve been doing lunch out a few times a week. I have yet to go over my food budget, but I know I could be doing better.
I was about to say “next week I’ll have a moratorium on eating out”, but I’ll be on a business trip, so I’ll be eating out every meal! At least it won’t be on my own dime
Since I’m in classes this weekend, I can at least resolve to bring a bagged lunch to those instead of going to McD’s. It’ll be healthier too!
March 12, 2010 at 1:59 pm
As for vacation…in the next 12 months, I have not one, but THREE vacations planned, with over $4k just in airfare. OMG! But I solemnly swear that I have a nice emergency fund, I’m contributing to my RRSP, and I won’t use a penny of credit.
March 12, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I love the bolded statement “money is a finite resource”. Pretty much sums it up eh?
March 12, 2010 at 2:15 pm
Personally, we enjoy a very good lifestyle that I won’t explain, justify, or apologize to anyone for. We work hard and we feel we deserve all the good things we own. The key part of that statement is ‘own’. Gail’s posting is referring to cash-flow challenged or perhaps ‘future-plan challenged’ which my wife and I are not. We are aggressively hammering our mortgage, have a 5 figure RESP account for our two year old, have a good start on our RSP savings and have a growing emergency account. We like having nice things and good experiences. At the same time, I hate seeing money wasted on things we don’t use. It’s a balance, not a contest.
(Note: Our mortgage pre-payments go into a separate account which we can borrow back at any time, and I consider that part of our emergency funds). I think that’s the same as keeping mortgage payments the same and putting extra into a separate account. The key thing is that should we need to borrow from our prepayments account that we replenish it as soon as possible.
March 12, 2010 at 2:23 pm
PS Reading this over it sounds like I’m angry which I didn’t intend… need more caffeine.. apologies folks.
March 12, 2010 at 2:30 pm
I agree with Geoff on this, I think Gail’s posting is referring to more”future-plan challenges.” Right now we work to travel (our lifestyle choice), so our budget is really part of our plan to save for our upcoming trips. Nothing spoils a great vacation more than guilt about what you are spending!!
And as far as cell phones I always take mine with me for trips. Vacation time is precious and wasting time looking for a payphone seems ridiculous to me. It doesn’t cost much to send one text to the whole family to let them know you are okay!! (Plus in case of emergency everyone already has your phone number.) For longer trips overseas I always get a local sim card which makes texting even cheaper. But to each his own, when it comes to budgets, and what you value!
March 12, 2010 at 2:40 pm
We gave up our Costco membership and our monthly food and “other” expenses dropped dramatically. So many people we know swear by the deals they get at Costco, then turn around and laugh at how they can’t even go in for milk without spending at least $100.
We continue to have some bulk items we like to purchase from Costco but so far it’s worked out that friends or family have been willing to pick them up for us.
Our dirty little secret: We kept the expired membership card because the one thing that we still do the odd time is go to Costco on Saturdays when they have lots of food sampling going on- we get to look around and have some free snacks, but knowing we can’t purchase anything means we don’t even feel tempted to do more than window shop.
March 12, 2010 at 2:52 pm
I’m definitely not one for getting the latest, greatest gadget or toys. My downfall would be clothes shopping however, but I keep the trips to the mall to a minimum, instead I use that time walking the mall as a form of exercise. On my lunch hour, if I wander away from my desk, I leave my wallet locked in my drawer – can’t make a purchase with no cash in hand. I’ve decided I have enough ’stuff’ and try to be more conscious of the things I do purchase. Unless something breaks (the fridge died 2 yrs ago – got my full use out of it), I don’t need the newest and best ‘anything’. I’ve tried to convince my brother to pick up dvds/movies at the library for free, but they insist on using ROD (Rogers on Demand), which movies are priced at a premium! I brown bag my lunch, and usually try to keep lunches w/ co-workers to a minimum of once/week. Besides, I don’t really enjoy the selection of fast food and eating out more than once in a week hurts my brain when I try to think what I can eat
.
You have to have a thick skin in this consumer driven society; especially when ppl know you have a little more disposable cash than they do. I just keep on truckin’ and count my pennies as they accumulate which makes me sleep well at night. Peace of mind is the goal and also having a F-U account means I have some choices which the crap hits the fan. I live within my means (which works for me).
March 12, 2010 at 2:56 pm
After a lifetime of shopping as a favorite hobby, I’ve pretty much eliminated trips to the mall and I don’t miss it hardly at all. You can get used to anything if you put your mind to it. I don’t even feel deprived, especially looking at all the unused clothes, shoes and purses piled up in my closets. I will not stop buying books, but that’s really my only “entertainment” expense nowadays as I haven’t been to a movie theatre in over 2 years and rarely eat out. I’ve pretty much cut my “want” spending down to the minimum, the rest is all “needs.” It feels good.
March 12, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Anyone planing on going to Walt Disney World should check out http://www.mousesavers.com. My boys are 3 and 6 and have been 3 times already. By checking for deals and using Airmiles I can get a really cheap trip planned! Also check out http://www.disboards.com.
As for buying books?? I read couple books a week and haven’t bought a book in about 20 years except perhaps as a gift for someone. I think buying books is ludicrous.
The “hold” system at the libraries someone mentioned as been a feature of the library system for about 20 years. LOL. Certainly not new!
I also don’t understand buying DVDs except for children. What a waste of money!
March 12, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Oh I also don’t have a cell phone or laptop. Our computer is 6 year old and our tvs are older. LOL. We are for sure not cutting technology in our home. I would rather spend the money on an “experience” like a trip than more stuff.
March 12, 2010 at 3:34 pm
We’ve cut down to the bare bone in order to pay off the debt and get some money saved in our emergency fund.
Dinner out – never happens.
Take-out is getting a pre-packaged meal from the Supermarket Deli.
Clothes shopping only happens when one of us is in dire need of something – like yesterday, my 10 yo son ran out of socks without holes so he bought himself a trip to buy new socks!
Gym Membership – no way. I walk to school and back three times a day – morning, noon to pick up my JK’er, and afternoon. That adds up to a 1 hr walk each day.
Alcohol – nope, except for the odd bottle of cheap wine.
Movie Rentals – the library has a great selection for free
Coffee – make it at home and buy only 10 coffees per month at work.
Lunches – brown bag it.
Kids’ extracurricular activities – cut back to 2 sessions per child per year.
Cell phone – Virgin Mobile pre-paid card – $100 for 12 months. That was the cheapest we could find. Hubby’s is free through his work.
Our one big vice? Diet coke. We both LOVE diet coke and always have some on hand.
We’ll get a better balance of “living life vs saving money” once the debt is fully paid and we have a couple of month’s worth of EF saved up. We’re happy with how we’re living our lives right now and we really don’t feel deprived. It will feel deleriously indulgent when we add back in a few meals and evenings out!!!
March 12, 2010 at 3:57 pm
I have a Rogers cell phone, I had a monthy plan for about $30.00 a month, but I recently changed that to a $100.00 prepaid card, that is good for one year. So, no more monthy fees. I do not use my cell every often, but $100.00 divided by 12 is only $8.33 a month. I work different places everyday, so my family can reach me if they need to.
March 12, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Great “quit” list from Gail. Lots of talk’s going on about Disney World. This is a wonderful vacation place but it’s not a need. Postpone the Disney trip until you’re debt free and have saved the holiday funds. Getting out of debt should come first.
I like the staycation ideas. There’s lots of great choices for things to do at home or nearby.
March 12, 2010 at 4:22 pm
I’m new to this site. I really enjoy reading all the replies and love Gail’s show. We were in debt big time but that is now all paid off including the mortgage. Just this past Dec.
We are trying to live on one wage now. One income to pay all the bills, and one for all the savings (RRSP,(Very behind on our RRSP ) future car purchase, maint for house, EF, and our son is getting married next year, so we want to help him with that. ) We want to see if we can do this because then, when we retire, we will already have the skills to live on less. This should be a very informative year …….
March 12, 2010 at 5:23 pm
My problem is that I have cut out most of the non-necessities in my life, and I have been wrestling with debt for, oh, seven years now. Every few months, I get angry and bitter about having to live like someone that makes thousands of dollars less than I do, and I find myself rebelling. Suddenly I can’t stand hanging around the house any more and I’m sick to death of cooking and cleaning, so we go out for dinner a few times. Or I really just WANT the fancy skin cream that makes my face feel so nice and silky. The irony is that I’m wearing clothes that are falling apart from over-use, but buying pints at the bar or going to a concert is just another cost to absorb and I won’t think twice about it when I get into those moods. I have no idea how to deal with these moments of frustration, and it happens over and over again. And I still have 53 months of debt repayment to go.
March 12, 2010 at 5:57 pm
Geoff, I always seem to agree with you on this sort of topic.
I love the “no explanation, no justification, no apology” mind set.
March 12, 2010 at 6:11 pm
I think that staying out of stores is key. Shopping has become the number one recreational activity, and it shouldn’t be. If you’re mindfully buying things that you can afford, that’s one thing. But if you’re just spending money to relax or unwind you might need to find a new hobby.
March 12, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Kim – Gail always advocates balance in your life. You can’t just go cold turkey giving up every single fun thing in your life, of course you are rebelling! Don’t beat yourself up about it, that will just bring you even more down. Maybe you need to factor in a few pints at the pub each month so you’re not depriving yourself completely.
Another thing Gail says is you should be able to get out of debt in 3 years – 36 months – the fact that you have 53 months remaining is a little worrisome. Are you really that far in debt, or are you including your mortgage and/or car loan? If it’s going to take you 4 1/2 more years you might want to seek professional help because debt fatigue is definately what you are experiencing, and it won’t get any easier!
March 12, 2010 at 6:47 pm
buying my bread at cosco saves me abou 100 a year just on bread… I buy the acient grains best price I can find it on sale about 349 and thats when its on sale. at cosco its 5- for a pack of 2 so I love that plus yes there are times I go and get extra’s but the more I shop at cosco the more I eye shop and less I acutally buy.. it used to be i couldnt make it out of there with out spending 100 but now thats just fine for me my next vacation is a drive back home in july saving 150 a month for that just because of the things I might want to do while im there its only going to cost me 120 for gas but my sister does love going out for dinner and dancing when im back home. as for BIG vacations well none in the near future I need to ajust my planned spending for.. but ill probably just set aside the 150/m for the future. ahhh to dream the dream.. I love being in control
thanks for all your support have a great weekend all!!
March 12, 2010 at 6:54 pm
@Geoff – don’t stress too much about other people’s opinions of your spending habits. If you sleep well at night and aren’t sending yourself or your family up the creek with your spending then there isn’t a need to justify it.
I am probably in a similar situation — I only have a mortgage (never borrowed extra & have made accelerated pmts) and no kids, car or much else in terms of required expenses so I have found reading the above I am in the (what seems to others) unsustainable life.
But… me and hubby both have good work pensions plus rsp’s, a 6-8 month emergency fund and a house fund (for when stuff needs to be fixed). So I don’t need to justify why I am going on multiple vacations this year (2 saved up for already even though we haven’t gone yet) or why I do have a new TV and blue-ray player (old TV died in 2008 and blue-ray was x-mas gift to each other in 2009).
This is the ultimate perk of budgeting and being out of debt — there is very little hanging over your head controlling what you can spend your money on.
March 12, 2010 at 9:37 pm
@SimpleSavings: thank you for your advice. Part of the reason that I can’t get out of debt in 3 years is because I’ve included my student loan, and technically a student loan isn’t consumer debt. But to me, if I owe the money to someone then it’s debt, so I lump all of it together in my calculations. I agree that I will have to find a way to introduce more balance into my life without extending my repayment period. I loathe to get a part-time job because I am already away from home so much. But I may have to suck it up and try. The idea of introducing more misery into my life isn’t very inspiring, but neither is keeping this up.
March 12, 2010 at 10:03 pm
Just before christmas we noticed our 3 year old TV had started to delaminate (which means the screen is pulling away from the LCD lights), and has left a long thin green line going half way up one side of our screen. I must admit, for the first few days it drove me absolutley nuts…but now 4 months later I don’t even notice it. When friends come over though they all say why don’t you replace your TV and that the line would drive them insane. I don’t want to spend $1000 for a new TV that has one little problem that I don’t notice anymore….it does not make sense to me at all. We can afford to replace it outright, but why?? Our friends have always thought that we are cheap skates and I love it. Im not out to prove anything to anyone and if I don’t want to spend that $1000, but rather keep it in my savings for a rainy day…well really am I really a cheap skate
March 12, 2010 at 10:41 pm
It can become fun trying to cut corners and live less expensively. I have a ladies book group that I challenged to re-gift for our Christmas party this year… everyone had something that suited everyone else in the group and we had a blast! One gal didn’t have any goods as she had just moved from the Uk to Canada, but made fresh mincemeat tarts with baking supplies she had on hand!!
I’ve also managed to take 14 people to the movies, including popcorn, cupcakes, arcade money and $5 lootbag gift cards by sticking to a budget ($200, which we had saved up ahead of time) by buying discount passes through our local Costco!
Interlibrary loans are also a great way to find hard to find books or DVDs – may have to wait, but doesn’t cost you a penny if you return your items on time!!!
March 13, 2010 at 2:31 am
Good tips here, thanks Gail. I have gotten so much better with spending since watching you on CNBC. My last struggle is eating out………..I need to get serious about meal planning.
March 13, 2010 at 11:01 am
My question is, now that I am consumer debt free we have some planned spending we want to do, we need to build up our emergency fund and we need to play catch up on our kids RESP’s. If I focus all of our extra cash into the emergency fund it will be two years or more before we can start looking at the planned spending or RESP catch up.
Gail you give a guideline on getting out of consumer debt in three years or less, do you have a guideline of how long it should take to build up the EF? I would like to set aside 30K
A friend of mine put an EF into perspective. She is a stay at home mom and her husband recently went through a bout of prostate cancer. They are now in a debt hole they are trying to get out of. It can happen to anyone at anytime.
March 13, 2010 at 11:54 am
RE: Disney world
The dining plan doesn’t always mean cheaper meals… Because our eldest daughter was over 10 when we went, she counted as an adult. For the week, our family (of 4) would have had to pay about $1200 American for a week of meals. And that is only 2 meals a day plus one snack. And usually you have to book your restaurants in advance. We brought our own snacks, one duffel bag on the plane filled with granola bars, bottled water, dried fruit, which we ate in the line-ups for the rides. Then we did the little fast food kiosks where ever we happened to be, and found we could get nutritious salads and meals for under $10 per person. We figure that all in all we spent about $900 and saved $300 at least by doing this, because we got 3 meals a day plus snacks.
Certainly, with the Canadian dollar being up, now is the time to go. And if you’re flying, I highly recommend checking out your nearest US city. We flew out of Syracuse, NY vs. Ottawa which was HALF the price. $1200 American, vs $2400 Canadian, and our dollar was at par at the time. Even our travel agent was amazed. It also makes a huge difference which day you fly in and out of. A friend just booked a trip, and saved $700 just by changing her day from a Saturday to a Monday…
Just remember, that kids are much cheaper under age 10…
March 13, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I have found a way to have my cake and eat it too! And I will share it with you right now….
Love to eat out as a treat? ASK FOR RESTRAUNT GIFT CERTIFICATES FOR BIRTHDAYS/CHRISTMAS! It solves the problem of how to go out without messing up the budget.
Mani’s Pedi’s and haircolourings are the same with a loving gift from your significant other for Valentine’s, Anniversaries, etc…. just make sure he knows which salon/spa you like best to get the GC from (He’s a hero for getting you someting you’ll love and you don’t have to look like a bad gal for blowing the entertainment budget on yourself).
Want family entertainment? Ask grandparents to get pool-passes or climbing gym memberships for the kid’s special occassions… or video rental GC’s movie passes or whatever entertainment is your thing.
These ideas make the special things like eating out, salon , entertainment, etc more of a treat because they were a gift, AND solve the problem of people not knowing what you want and getting inapropriate, clutter-gifts for you out of desperation.
This “experience” based gift-giving strategy has worked wonderfully for our family, and kept the budget out of credit for such luxuries.
March 13, 2010 at 3:49 pm
@ *pol, Thanks for the idea! My daughter is only 1 1/2 years old and already she has more toys than I can deal with. I love the idea of asking for a pool pass for her B-day or such as she only plays with about 5 of her toys, LOL.
I’ve also started knitting so I can give my sisters one of a kind gifts/mementos for their babies to wear as I know they have more than enough toys as well. It also means more to them (my sisters) and myself than for me to get a cheap toy from Walmart for their kids.
March 13, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I have really gotten into the whole saving mindset lately. I have decided to be proactive in not spending on items that you can get for free (eg books, videos, etc). I borrow books from the library and I watch TV shows on the internet instead of buying the box sets. I borrow movies from friends and family and go for bike rides on sunny afternoons instead of going to the mall. I am very lucky with my current job and that I work away from home and get free flights, meals and accommodation while at work. I save a lot of money a month by not having to buy groceries. I also know that this job isn’t going to last forever, so I am practicing saving now, so its not such a shock when I come back to the real world. Borrowing books from the library has already saved me over $100 in a few months. You really just need to focus and do your budget. Pick and choose what you need and want. Cut where you can on unnecessary items for your cell phone bill, etc. Use coupons on things your regularly buy and when items go on sale (eg toothpaste, deodarant), get a couple more (if its in your budget). I find that this works well for me and I feel a sense of accomplishement when I am able to save!
March 13, 2010 at 4:29 pm
I forgot to mention a way around not having a Costco membership for friends/family that don’t have a membership. A lot of times you can go in and purchase a gift card. The person using the gift card doesn’t need to have a membership to use the GC. Plus, since it is a specified amount, they can try to stick to that amount or save some for the next time!
March 13, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I am so glad to have read all of your blogs here today. I started with Gail’s Budget Tools back in August of 2009. I must admit, a little tough to start, but surely broke bad spending habits in no time at all!! Everyone’s tips and advice have surely put thoughts into my head to think of new ideas like staycations!!
I have lived on money jars since August and find them extremely helpful! I will be out of consumer debt by Christmas of 2010. Watching Gail’s shows have really helped see how we do abuse credit, let alone the interest we pay!
I also quit smoking 3 months ago for a number of reasons, however, the main one first was that I had to realize that I could no longer afford it (sad, eh? should have been for health reasons). It is amazing how much more I can put towards debt now! It wasn’t a easy task and still struggle from time to time, but surely it is a win win situation of a richer life and healthier one too!!
I am so greatful to have watched her shows and learn from every participant in them. It takes a lot of courage to publicly admit you need help, but I believe Gail’s shows has helped a lot more people than she may realize.
To all those who have just started – please stick to it and don’t get discouraged. Unexpected expenses may come up, change in job may adjust your income, but try to adapt to thechanges and you will see that it is an important part of success!
March 13, 2010 at 7:25 pm
A timely post Gail. I love reading all the responses with great tips and sucess stories!
For us, saving money has become a bit competitive! We have a group of friends who share tips – we all have started to cut coupons and read the grocery flyers carefully then stock up on good deals. We have $20 dinner nights where we have to get creative and make dinner for four adults which will also include leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s a fun social event and good challenge!
We had a contract phone with Bell for years – thousands of dollars wasted!!!! We now have pay-as-you-go cells which is really all we need!
If we travel to the US, we stop at a 7-11 and pick up a phone with 20 minutes for $9.99 for emergencies! We also buy the VOX America cards for $10 at Canada Post – 250 minutes of calling to or from the US!
We eat well, play hard and enjoy life – but we sure don’t waste money anymore!
Thanks again Gail!
March 13, 2010 at 7:39 pm
We gave up our Costco membership last year. Yes there are a few things that were either much cheaper there, or you simply couldn’t find elsewhere. The problem was, we’d go in for $20 worth of that stuff and come out with $200 worth of other stuff. Once or twice a year I go with a friend who has a membership but for the most part we’ve just dropped it from our lives.
Good suggestion about the gift cards though. That would allow us to go and get just the couple of things we want and nothing else. We normally have no trouble sticking to a list, but that place is deadly.
March 13, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I was quite amused by this blog today.
Just this morning, my husband mentioned about upgrading the TV in our bedroom to a bigger flatscreen. We have a 13 inch colour TV that is about 12 years old. My response, “Why? This one works perfectly well! We have a 27 inch TV in the living room so go watch that one if you want a bigger screen.”
March 14, 2010 at 12:49 am
I joined the cell phone plan of a family member; I pay $10/month for the cost of the additional line on their plan, and I get essentially unlimited calling. I don’t bother with a land line.
I found a local play house that primarily uses volunteers for staff. I go to two or three shows or movies per month in exchange for ticket taking, seating patrons, and a few minutes of cleaning up afterward.
I found two local beauty schools where a hair cut is less than $10 and manicures or pedicures are about $5.
My family does a lot of gift certificates for holidays and birthdays. I usually receive spa or clothing or iTunes certificates.
I borrow movies and books from the library instead of buying them.
Most of my furniture came from parents and grandparents down-sizing their houses. I bought three pieces of furniture out of everything in an entire apartment.
My clothes, which need to be very professional in my line of work, come from sales and thrift stores and hand-me-downs, and of course, gift certificates. I learned how to do basic tailoring for myself.
I started planning meals, and I shop once per week. I can plan to have leftovers on days when I know I won’t be in the mood or have time to cook. The money I save on food goes towards loans and savings.
My last big area of savings was to carefully examine my loans and refinance some of them. My actual payments are unchanged, but I was able to reduce the interest and the loans will be paid off several years sooner.
March 14, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Hello Gail!
First of all, I just want to say that I love your show! I am in the U.S., and watch it every Saturday night (or DVR it to watch later).
Anyway, I am completely frugal at heart, and love reading about others who have found ways to save money.
Here are a few we have found to cut out luxuries from our budget…while still enjoying them:
I love Bikram Yoga, and periodically a place in downtown Houston offers classes for free at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings
I purchase all books from half.com
I use frequent flyer miles and mycokerewards.com to get magazine subscriptions that I Love (such as O Oprah, Martha Stewart, and Real Simple)
I never pay full price for anything
I unplug all electronics when not in use
I turned down the temperature on my hot water heater
Check out my blog–every Friday I do a Frugal Confessions Friday where I post about someway that I have saved money, and others share their stories as well!
March 15, 2010 at 2:53 am
I forget who was mentioning the second-hand books. When I was single, I read a lot, I would buy a lot of books both second hand and new. A few times a year, I would trade in most of those books at the second-hand shop for credit, and that helped a lot.
I’ve always had a cell phone, since I moved around a lot when I was younger, and often it wasn’t reasonable to get a land line. Now that there are cheap voip plans, and my cell phone bill recently ballooned, it’s starting to look a lot better to switch to pay as you go.
As for movie tickets, my boyfriend and I have been cashing in our Airmiles for free passes with popcorn and drinks, and there is also the option to cash in for free movie rentals at blockbuster. That really helps when our entertainment budget is tight.
March 15, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Just wanted to mention to those defending their right to have gym memberships: Gail said cancel anything that you are NOT using. If you have using your gym membership (and aren’t overpaying) than it’s a totally valid expense. If you have the most expensive cable package but don’t watch tv, you obviously need to downgrade or cancel. If you’re paying for a gym membership but don’t even know where the locker rooms are located, cancel it!!!
March 15, 2010 at 2:03 pm
I agree with Gail. We have 4 children and we always do the “staycations”. Utiliziling your community resources (you pay your taxes for) is a great cheap way to entertain the family. Trips to the library to take out movies and books is a great way to save, swimming and skating at your local rec centre is great family fun and very inexpensive. Tobogganing in the winter and a walk to the local conservation area are great ways to have some family fun and also educational for the kids. I have learned in the past through spending money on lavish vactaion that my children at a young age are just as thrilled to spend a day at cobourg beach as they are to go The Gulf of Mexico. It is your time together as a family that is most important. In this busy era family time is something that suffers greatly so why not enjoy with the least financial stress possible..in time our children grow up, go to school and have more needs at that time you can take the trips but teach them to contribute and save and they will appreciate it that much more!
March 15, 2010 at 2:05 pm
Something else I have learned through having a cell phone I need for my job. Take 1/2 hour once a month and phone your cell phone company and try to negotiate better deals, they always seem to have a “new deal” every month that ends up saving a great deal of money, but make sure signing a new price plan doesn’t bind you into a longer contract.
March 15, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I have fallen “off the wagon” with eating out and books are my passion. I am restarting the eating in though and I think I will love it as I am sick of unhealthy foods.
I also negotiated two work days at home to save on gas, parking, etc.
Can’t give up those books – but now for birthdays, etc. that is what I get for gifts.
Fortunately, we are debt free and can enjoy the fun. But our favorite tag line is “what would Gail say?”
March 15, 2010 at 11:22 pm
You are getting through Gail!!!!
I love hearing loved ones quoting Gail-isms, it is music to my ears! My mom was telling me that to control her shopping now, she “drops her bag at the door to have a look around” her own house pretending she is you and what you’d say. She says it puts it into perspective that she has enough stuff. See also says she hears your voice asking her if it’s a want or a need, and if a purchase is in the budget. That is amazingly powerful stuff!
Also, my sister and her husband are now on a budget (including their his and her allowances). For the first time in their marriage they agree that debt is bad for the relationship and budgetting might just be the answer to their problems. It was your worksheets that helped make it real and do able- they are trying to quit their unsustainable life!!!
March 18, 2010 at 3:00 pm
The posters who said they traded in their airline miles for movies got me to thinking about my miles. I travel quite a bit for work. We live in Southern California and I have enough airline miles for a week at a posh San Diego resort during spring break! Because San Diego is only an hour drive, I can pack groceries and we will save by having little picnics at the beach. Thank you all for the awesome ideas and inspiration! I was beginning to feel the need for a get-away and this is a local spot we can stay at for FREE!!!
March 19, 2010 at 2:10 am
[...] V-O points out that if you can’t live within your means, maybe you should Quit Your Unsustainable Life, but you already knew that didn’t [...]
July 14, 2010 at 8:00 pm
[...] Quit Your Unsustainable Life – I think Gail has been reading my mind! var a2a_config = a2a_config || {}; a2a_config.linkname="Links Worth Sharing"; a2a_config.linkurl="http://www.simplyfrugal.ca/2010/03/links-worth-sharing-15/"; a2a_config.show_title=1; Leave a comment [...]
May 20, 2011 at 9:34 am
Business Hosting…
[...] Read the rest of this excellent post here…. [...]…
January 23, 2012 at 2:06 am
My husband is our wage earner. I work from time to time to contribute but I do not have a lot of education (unlike my husband who is a translator) and can only find temporary jobs. He would like me to go to school or something but I think the kids, the debt and our daily lives are important. I do have wishes like new couch, fixing the house, and so on but whenever we start to get out of debt, he needs a vacation. He has gone on trips to Japan and recently spent $2000 on a trip to Paris (which was not taken because his passport was declined). And to make matters worse, he did not buy insurance so now we are out the $2000. I know that I harbour resentment for that because every time that he will not give me money for groceries or gas for the car I bring it up. He also thinks that since he works, I have to take care of everything in the house (including the kids). He has a lot of outside interests and spends a lot of time with friends and acquaintances. I am forever at home with the kids or just taking care of things. Again, I harbour resentment because I do not want to spend money and go places because I know that we cannot afford it. I also resent the fact that I buy all of my clothes at second hand stores and he buys brand name because he will not wear other people’s things. He also has an appreciation for the finer things in life where as I was brought up poor and have an unhealthy respect and fear of being as poor as I was when I was a kid. I never buy things for myself out of fear and guilt. I buy stuff for the kids and try to do my best by them. But I am forever forgetting about myself and fall into depression often (I have been taking anti-depressants for years). And because of my depression I feel like I am a drain on him emotionally and in a way feel guilty for saddling him with a horrible person for a wife so I believe he deserves the single vacations and extra things and expensive clothing. After all, he is the wage earner.