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The non-frugal mind

July 6th, 2009 at 05:59 pm

I have been raised non-frugal and now I am converting.
I have the tendency of fixing problems by buying stuff or services.
Why? That is the way I was raised and until now, I never had the need to look for a different way. It just never occurred to me there was a different way.

Scary thing is that I am the most pragmatic, less shopaholic and most anti-consumerism of all my friends.
Some frugal things I've always done, because I grew up with them:

- I am 39 and I am driving my third car, and the only reason it is not the second is because a crane truck destroyed the previous one while I was at a red light. I am currently driving the most expensive car I even bought, my $20,000 Honda Civic 2006. I had a baby and got a lot of grievance "you have to get a van now" Why? I had a human baby, not an elephant, he fits just fine on my civic, I would reply.
- I own 8 pairs of shoes average price of $12 and I think it is plenty
- I am not into jewelry, I think I own 10-12 items, all gifts
- I don't buy clothing unless something I own has broken or needs to be retired. I have clothing that is more than 10 years old and still going. I never spend more than $60 on a piece of clothing and my average price is $25 for a good pair of pants, $40.
- I don't tint my hair, and I don't think I will until I grow grays. I cut my hair 2-3 times a year.

All that is natural to me, unfortunately, the following is not, therefore the need to change:

- I had not been to tracking my expenses until now; It took a few months to get used to it. I know I don't spend much on clothing, for example, but I still don't know how much it is.
- I never looked into how much I spend in food; I bought all I wanted and then more and ate out all I wanted too. Mainly lunches though. I am not into fine dining unless there is a big occasion.
- I never looked into how much I spent on household, I bought all I wanted to organize or beautify my home
- I had always solved problems by spending; Buy a how to book, pay for coaching, buy a "solution" be it software, a kit, etc.
- I had never allocated money for upcoming expenses that are not monthly; car maintenance, car registration, aaa memberships, taxes, etc

There are different ways and I am learning

9 Responses to “The non-frugal mind”

  1. Broken Arrow Says:
    1246903549

    I too am not a natural frugal, and I too am learning.... Big Grin

  2. Single Guy Says:
    1246905782

    Perhaps its just me, but I never stress about tracking expenses. I do what I can to keep my expenses very low, and because of that I don't worry about them. I DO compare expenses often (like for utilities and MPGs) so I know if something is out of whack, plus it lets me know if certain techniques work better on saving money. My biggest way to save is to have less wants. When you have less wants, the few times you want to spend don't matter, because you have the money for them. Of course it takes discipline, but its what works for me.

  3. WealthyMe Says:
    1246910757

    Thankfully to me tracking has been a liberation and an eye opener, it has really not been stressful.

    I believe it will allow me to make the strategic changes I need to be less tight each month, more freedom.

    When I get where I want to go, I might track less closely.

  4. whitestripe Says:
    1246918451

    i've been tracking my expenses for about three years now. its comes naturally i think because i am a 'listmaker' anyway. there were a few months were i didn't track, early on, but i've realised i like the idea that i can go back and see what i spent, in say, march 2008.

  5. baselle Says:
    1246943363

    I like to track, but I only started to do so 6-7 years ago when I got a PDA as a Christmas gift. I found out how to make my money numbers go the right way and I never looked back.

    I also track food, which has been helpful in losing weight.

    Like whitestripe, I love the idea that I can go back in time and relive - to May 2007 and tell you what Paris cafe I ate at. That way you spend the money once but enjoy it multiple times!

  6. Broken Arrow Says:
    1246954789

    I track mine on a PDA as well, and for me, it's the only way to go. But I have a strong need to track every cent. I don't like it when things don't balance. That's me though. I know I am being very demanding, budget-wise, but when you get used to knowing everything down to the last cent for years, well, you don't want to go back to anything less. Big Grin

  7. ceejay74 Says:
    1246984323

    I allot certain amounts and make sure I don't go over, and on rare occasions when I do the money has to come from another category. Thus I don't track exact purchases, I just subtract purchases from the matching budget line item and when the money's gone, it's gone till next month or till I save up some more. My budget is "real-time," I guess you would say; once a purchase clears the checking account it's out of my records; I only keep track of current money available and upcoming expenses and income. Works awesome for me.

  8. lizajane Says:
    1247537777

    I love your reply regarding the van for the baby! "Have to's" aren't always really necessary.

  9. Sunshine Suz Says:
    1247607125

    I agree with Bassell...Tracking money is almost like keeping a diary...when you look back at the figures, you remember where you were and what you were doing. And if you buy the same thing over and over, (dog food!) you can see how inflation has crept up.

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