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Suggestions on How to Spend More Money
03-24-2010, 08:55 AM
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#1
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,880
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Suggestions on How to Spend More Money
Some of us have found that we haven't been spending nearly as much as FIRECalc says we should. So here's a thread for suggestions on how to spend more money without wasting money. That is, suggestions on what to spend it on.
Should you buy a high-end laptop, or will you find that the extra cost is not justified? If you buy an iPod touch, will you really use it? A weekend reading books at a cozy inn might be nice, but your reading light and fireplace at home is pretty ideal. Is a trip to Hawaii worth the airport hassles and cramped flight? Should you upgrade to first class?
What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
__________________
Al
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03-24-2010, 09:05 AM
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#2
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Texas: No Country for Old Men
Posts: 50,021
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 Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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See my avatar.
__________________
Numbers is hard
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03-24-2010, 09:28 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Denver, Colorado
Posts: 6,258
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
See my avatar.
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See mine.
__________________
"It's tough to make predictions, especially when it involves the future." ~Attributed to many
"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is." ~(perhaps by) Yogi Berra
"Those who have knowledge, don't predict. Those who predict, don't have knowledge."~ Lau tzu
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03-24-2010, 09:42 AM
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#4
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
Posts: 38,145
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
Some of us have found that we haven't been spending nearly as much as FIRECalc says we should. So here's a thread for suggestions on how to spend more money without wasting money. That is, suggestions on what to spend it on.
Should you buy a high-end laptop, or will you find that the extra cost is not justified? If you buy an iPod touch, will you really use it? A weekend reading books at a cozy inn might be nice, but your reading light and fireplace at home is pretty ideal. Is a trip to Hawaii worth the airport hassles and cramped flight? Should you upgrade to first class??
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Al, if you are asking those kinds of questions, you have been LBYMing too long!!!! Be careful what you consider "waste".....
Ah, yes, the fine art of LAYM - living AT your means......
Up until now, we haven't yet either! We've let "savings" accumulate. But that's because we are still fairly young and want to have plenty of a war chest for future financial stress - like long-term care needs, or a family member really needing financial help.
But it's easy this year - we are building a house, and furnishing it. That will use up a few years of saved $$$ so far.
Once we get past that, if we are still running below budget, I expect we will:
Travel more (particularly overseas) - we really enjoy that. Upgrade travel experiences as we can afford.
Gift more to charity.
Gift more to family.
Occasionally upgrade a favorite toy or buy a new one. (but not too much of this as I don't care to accumulate "stuff".)
The main point is to enjoy your retired life. So "invest" the extra $$ in that!!!!!
Audrey
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03-24-2010, 10:03 AM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
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Quote:
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What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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You should spend your money on taxes, porn and call girls.
And the rest of it just blow on frivolous stuff.
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03-24-2010, 10:21 AM
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#6
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 1,934
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Aside from travel, all my favorite purchases have ticker symbols.
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And if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know.
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03-24-2010, 10:32 AM
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#7
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Gone but not forgotten
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Sarasota,fl.
Posts: 11,447
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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The best thing I have ever spent money on is family vacations . Once a year we vacation with my daughter ,SIL and grandson and I pick up the check for the whole trip . Next year we are all going to Disney World & maybe a Disney cruise also . To see the wonder in my grandson's eyes will be worth whatever it costs .
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03-24-2010, 10:46 AM
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#8
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 699
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Quote:
Originally Posted by REWahoo
See my avatar.
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See my avatar....
If I'm going to "spend more money" there's 2 general categories:
- Materialistic stuff
- Experiences
#2 wins, hands down.
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03-24-2010, 10:52 AM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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I guess one who is in this situation needs to be careful that they don't start spending just because they can, but because it will enhance their joys of living.
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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03-24-2010, 11:23 AM
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#10
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,645
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No one says you have to spend money. If you are happy and content, why change?
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03-24-2010, 11:38 AM
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#11
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 2,847
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MasterBlaster
You should spend your money on taxes, porn and call girls.
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No way. I retired to get away from all that! 
__________________
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. - Andrew Jackson
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03-24-2010, 11:46 AM
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#12
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: North of Montana
Posts: 2,769
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Relive your youth: sex, drugs and rock'n'roll
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There are two kinds of people in the world: those who can extrapolate conclusions from insufficient data and ..
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03-24-2010, 12:10 PM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Collin County, TX
Posts: 9,296
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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giving money to my parents
motorcycle for DH
Tempur-Pedic mattress
fancy side by side refrigerator
big screen tv
landscaping for the backyard....my personal oasis
I've enjoyed my trips in the past but am not so much into traveling anymore.
Oh...and see my avatar... 
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There's no need to complicate, our time is short..
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03-24-2010, 12:21 PM
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#14
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: East Nowhere, 43N Latitude, NY
Posts: 9,037
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
...What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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Mediterranean cruise Summer 09
Sealy CA King size 3" pillowtop mattress from Santa in 2009 to replace my waterbed, after 4 years of nagging by some man I know 
Beachfront condo on Gulf Coast in January 
Airline tix (today!) to Orlando for upcoming April trip
5 "girly" summer dresses (on sale of course)
48 shares of CELG at $44 per share
Any and all gas money to get out of the house  now that Spring has sprung 
__________________
"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
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03-24-2010, 12:24 PM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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We were just informed that our kids will get absolutely no financial aid for college. That's $50K+ per year new spending. Would you like to help?
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03-24-2010, 12:24 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 2,049
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Add on to the house. With the cost overruns, and fixing the shoddy construction, you'll spend a lot of money in no time.
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03-24-2010, 12:25 PM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Oregon Coast
Posts: 16,483
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LOL!
We were just informed that our kids will get absolutely no financial aid for college. That's $50K+ per year new spending. Would you like to help?
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Welcome to the middle class: too poor to afford the tuition and too rich to get help...
__________________
"Hey, for every ten dollars, that's another hour that I have to be in the work place. That's an hour of my life. And my life is a very finite thing. I have only 'x' number of hours left before I'm dead. So how do I want to use these hours of my life? Do I want to use them just spending it on more crap and more stuff, or do I want to start getting a handle on it and using my life more intelligently?" -- Joe Dominguez (1938 - 1997)
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03-24-2010, 12:27 PM
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#18
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At The Cafe
Posts: 6,873
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TromboneAl
....
Should you buy a high-end laptop, or will you find that the extra cost is not justified? If you buy an iPod touch, will you really use it? A weekend reading books at a cozy inn might be nice, but your reading light and fireplace at home is pretty ideal. Is a trip to Hawaii worth the airport hassles and cramped flight? Should you upgrade to first class?
What have you spent money on that you felt was worth the expense?
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BTDT, emphatically no to the first question, the better quality laptop is well worth it, and yes, yes, yes to the second; the iPod touch is, well, I’ll try to avoid spamming for Apple and its relationship with Amazon/Audible: the apps. are amazing, you can store things for later when you might be offline and don’t need to have the monthly charges connected with the iPhone; the free app for finding free wireless works sometimes, I may spend four or five bucks on the more powerful wireless finder. psst, buy through Amazon; oops, that might negate the purpose of spending more. And as some of us have said before, buy the full monty Vitamix.
I, too, hate the poor lighting in hotels/motels; the little lights that attach to the Kindle are okay but I also want a brighter room. BTDT also, bought some good lamps for home. I just bought the audio version of Haruki Murakami’s “What I talk About When I Talk About Running” for iPod on sale for $4.95, makes me want to get on the next plane for Hawaii, but I don’t think I could do First Class, it would be culture shock.
I used last year’s excess to fund January and February expenses. If I don’t change my ways, I will be four months ahead next year. One obvious solution for me is to pop for taxicabs more often. I’ve probably done that only a couple of times in the last five years. I really shouldn’t continue fighting my way off the bus while carrying two bags of groceries and bullying high school kids who enjoy sitting on the exit steps; doing that cuts into my Zen attitude. Also, I could opt for lots of fun stuff involving day trips; I hated to spend $6.20 on fare to Oakland the other day, there is a lot of there there, I need to give myself permission to go back and shop at the bookstores, hop on the ferryboats, etc. Cheap habits are hard to break.
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03-24-2010, 12:33 PM
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#19
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
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Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Washington, DC
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Get that big TV Al - that's a start. Maybe you should buy a nice suit and a leather briefcase and stop by some expensive restaurants at lunch  This is the first year DW is essentially retired and we are spending quite a bit less than I had budgeted (so far). My intent is to put the extra in a "mad money" fund that we can tap for extravagances or hard times
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Idleness is fatal only to the mediocre -- Albert Camus
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03-24-2010, 01:03 PM
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#20
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Rio Grande Valley
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moemg
The best thing I have ever spent money on is family vacations . Once a year we vacation with my daughter ,SIL and grandson and I pick up the check for the whole trip . Next year we are all going to Disney World & maybe a Disney cruise also . To see the wonder in my grandson's eyes will be worth whatever it costs .
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Yeah - I've been thinking of that too. Taking family members on a nice vacation somewhere.
Audrey
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