Comments on: Having A Plan Allows Me To Enjoy Spending Money

By: Harei

Harei — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 23:06:29 +0000

The difference between spending without care and following a planned spending is the difference between being in the dark regarding our hard earned cash and possibly falling into debt prison, or rather being in control of our money and spending under that control. The magic word is budget, and I must admit over the years rising from the ashes of all my out of control spending disasters, I have learned the hard way and slowly turned into a budgeting freak. And as you say here, it’s not about not spending, it’s about spending responsibly and rather not over-spending my way to financial ruins.

For years I used Excel on my computer to implement my good budget, and I perfected it and made it my saving cash bible, but recently, a friend told me about this cool, little free personal budgeting online utility, and I used it for about three months now and it is too good to be free. For those interested in a quick and easy path to financial health via good personal budgeting, Out Of The Dark (OOTD) is worth a look. It’s simple and easy to use, very functional, totally anonymous, no poking into your personal identity or bank accounts, and all for free with tons of help and a vibrant users billboard too.

OOTD can be found at:
http://www.myexp.org/OOTD_gate.php

Happy budgeting

By: The Success Professor

The Success Professor — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:43:47 +0000

Excellent article. It is so easy to get on one side of the spectrum or the other. I’ve naturally seen many people who spend far more than they should, but I’ve also seen people who feel very guilty after any small purchase. Balance is needed and you make good suggestions.

My wife and I tend to spend money on travel rather than things. Even there, we are frugal and tend to be able to do a lot more than others for a lot less because we are wise with our spending.

By: Colin

Colin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:08:07 +0000

I try and budget myself to a maximum of £7 a day of frivolous / non-essential spending (about $14?). I like your idea of if an object comes to more than your budget doing research – then waiting to buy. I would just buy it and forget about the budget – but that is probably why I am overdrawn!

By: Accelerated Mortgage Program

Accelerated Mortgage Program — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 23:39:58 +0000

amen to that… before i made a spending plan/budget, i wasnt ever to save anything and i felt like i wasnt going anywere (probably because i wasnt). Just remember to stick with it!
-KeLLi

By: Parrot Bluetooth

Parrot Bluetooth — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 10:04:04 +0000

Lexmark X9575 is indeed a very useful gadget particularly when you wanted all the functions viz copy/scan/fax/print. Yes indeed a comprehensive budget planning helps you to spend in a right proportion to your income and also only for useful aspects. This certainly reduces your irrelevant expenditure making you left with more money which is the result why you live happily as you feel relaxed all the time. As Thomas Huxley says: “Economy does not lie in sparing money, but in spending it wisely.”

By: Livingalmostlarge

Livingalmostlarge — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 20:26:03 +0000

I am married to Mr. Scrimp and I’m Mrs Save, but I definitely spend way more than my DH. I enjoy spending money and having a nicer lifestyle. Sure saving is great, but I want bang for the buck! I mean honestly what’s the point of buying something cheap to replace later?

Or why not buy something expensive, wii when it came out, for the hours of pleasure we’ve gotten? Sure it was and is pricy and the games $50, but I cannot count the hours of fun we’ve had with each other and our friends.

My mom says spend while people are alive to enjoy it, you can’t from the grave. She’s never been big on debt but she does believe in living well.

By: Eric

Eric — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:49:57 +0000

Can you explain your $100/day rule? I think I might know if it has anything to do with paralysis by analysis.

We are in pretty good shape with debt, our only outstanding now besides the house is one car. I have had trouble with spending, more specifically, not spending — it used to kill me to spend anything extra. My wife, OTOH, has been more of a free-wheeling spender. Over the years I’ve become more comfortable with spending while she’s gotten better at a little delayed gratification. I feel I’ve finally gotten to the point where you are, NCN.

We found and started using You Need A Budget a couple months ago and love it. The freedom of knowing where our money goes and having a well-thought-out plan for our money for the month is a wonderful thing.

By: The Happy Rock

The Happy Rock — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 19:08:18 +0000

I am Mr. Cheap, but being married to someone who is willing to spend money for quality experiences keeps us both grounded! It works out awesome that way.

I agree that being debt free and having a plan is much more fun that being in debt and doing whatever we want. The cool part is that you have the freedom to do more things and when you buy/do them you can feel totally positive about spending the money. There is no waiting for the credit card bill or feelings of regret.

By: Foxie

Foxie — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:41:08 +0000

I find myself on the opposite end of the spectrum from most people — I’m a big saver, and have a hard time spending. It’s caused little money spats between my husband and I, but we’re working on something of a compromise so we can still spend a little and enjoy life without ignoring what we want in the future. Of course, I’ve never had a problem spending my alloted $50 of fun money each paycheck, but it’s the bigger things I get hung up on. (Like my recent handbag purchase, or things I really like such as tattoos. Irresponsible to some, life’s little pleasures for me. )

By: Propecia

Propecia — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:21:09 +0000

I have to admit I haven’t had much practice saving money. I am a big spender, although I am still young and don’t have too much responsibility yet. This summer I am living in New York City and I love it. However, my lifestyle here is very expensive. For the first time I had no money in my account and had to get by until my next paycheck. Eating out is definitely the cause of this. I spend all my money on food. I need to start cooking dinner for myself and bringing lunch to work. If not, I won’t be able to eat at all.