having a social life while saving money??

[NW-Bound]

OP is out socializing . . .

Friday night after work meetup. I remember doing that when I was her age and working like a dog during the week.

Unlike the geezers who stay home on a Friday night and socialize on ER forum.

Hey, I still remember that it's Friday today. Every day is the same.

 

[Amethyst]

Bwah hah - little do you know. I have been known to sneak a look and a comment on one of my threads while out...Intermissions do exist...

Unlike the geezers who stay home on a Friday night and socialize on ER forum.

.

 

[jkern]

Try the envelope method. Take out a specific amount of cash each month for recreation and entertainment. Once it's gone, you stop spending. In time you will learn what gives you the most entertainment value for your buck. You don't want to blow your wad the first day on something you really don't care about and sit on your hands for the next 29 days.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

I keep a spreadsheet of our entertainment total cost including gas and tips, and a fun factor. We're retired and probably go out most days, so I find it kind of a math challenge to see how much fun we can pack in for a minimum $$ outlay.

 

[MarieIG]

Bwah hah - little do you know. I have been known to sneak a look and a comment on one of my threads while out...Intermissions do exist...

 

[kgtest]

Bwah hah - little do you know. I have been known to sneak a look and a comment on one of my threads while out...Intermissions do exist...

Bahaha. Hey it's 5 o'clock somewhere. Get off my lawn.

 

[MarieIG]

Friday night after work meetup. I remember doing that when I was her age and working like a dog during the week.

Yes, the singles at my office do that as well.

My Friday nights as a single revolved around dancing.

By the time I was working long hours, I had kiddos at home so went straight home (barring a surreptitious quick date with DH).

 

[Amethyst]

I remember being so tired by the end of the work week that I fell asleep on a date. In my 20's, yet! It was embarrassing, but what can you do?

 

[healthyandfun]

The original Your Money or Your Life book by Dominguez and Robbins contains a plan to track and evaluate spending to reach goals. It is a bit to slog through (I read the tracking spending part five times) and follow at first, but after about six months it helped me to be conscious about my spending and make sure I was spending on what was important to me. I continued to follow it for twenty years and have been retired for five. I credit this plan and following it daily with my ability to retire. I developed frugal living skills and socialized regularly. I learned that there is a less expensive way to do everything! Recommend the tracking spending portion of the original book. (The investing part is very dated).

 

[travelbug_ali]

Unlike the geezers who stay home on a Friday night and socialize on ER forum.

Hey, I still remember that it's Friday today. Every day is the same.

but I’m home early on a sat so that means I’m responsible right?? or getting old? lol

 

[Dtail]

but I’m home early on a sat so that means I’m responsible right?? or getting old? lol

Possibly both or you ran out of money.

 

[EarlyBirdly]

"The marketer strives to "create value in the eyes of the consumer". That means they want you to buy something that you didn't even know you wanted!"

And I might add, something you don't even need....

Here's a funny anecdote:

My buddy really liked Thunderbirds and bought a used 1994 to restore. It was a really clean car and we took a ride one day. I looked down at the stereo system and noticed a two position switch that said " Premium Sound - ON/OFF".

" Cool " I said..." You have Premium Sound. " YUP! " my buddy replied. "That's an excellent feature to have isn't it ?" "Yup!" . " So, how often do you use this switch? Do you have those days where you feel you just don't deserve Premium Sound so you flip it to the OFF position?"

He looked at me puzzled for a second and then we both had a long laugh at the absurdity of American Marketing and the American Consumer in general.

 

[aja8888]

but I’m home early on a sat so that means I’m responsible right?? or getting old? lol

I think you are doing fine (not getting "old" ). And coming here for information and maybe some guidance that will help you in the future is a good thing.

 

[Tiger8693]

I also congratulate the OP on recognizing the need to start thinking about her future!

This also makes me feel really good about how I have influenced my DD's. I have always told them how I wish someone had stressed to me the importance of paying myself first, and taking advantage of employer matching as the fastest return on investment you can have. To me, not contributing to at least get the full match, is giving away part of your annual pay!

My oldest has six figure 401k at 29 (not a high salary person either - maybe $60K), and her recent DH is in that six figure club as well (although higher salary). They also have continued to "have fun" while doing so (currently in Miami for the weekend visiting a college friend) so to the OP, it is possible! Keep listening to the "old geezer" advice here, and start paying yourself asap!

 

[daylatedollarshort]

We went out to a couple of pubs with friend for drinks and dancing this weekend. We ate a healthy meal at home before we went out, there wasn't a cover charge for the band and we just bought an appetizer and a couple of beers so it was a fairly cheap night out. Our other weekend events were a garden visit (free entry with membership in another American Horticultural Society garden) and a bus tour of a sea bird colony with a biologist (tax payer supported activity via public parks, free parking with our parks membership, and a small charge for the bus). The garden and colony tour were outdoors but actually both were located in urban areas. We consider it fun for being old geezers but actually we probably did the same kind of activities in our 30s, too. I looked around and there were people in their 30s at all the events, though probably more at the pubs than the garden or bird colony.

 

[rk911]

if you’re not debt free curtail your entertainment till you are. after that budget and stick to it.

 

[PointBreeze]

Delayed gratification

wow, you all are giving me a lot to think about.

I think the honest answer might just be....the things I prefer to do are expensive.

I'm going to add up my "fun spending" for may and post it here, maybe tomorrow. then maybe I can come up with a plan for the rest of june.

Every time I was tempted to do something expensive, I always compared it to up to 40 years of financial independence. When making that comparison, almost nothing expensive was worth it

I did have a budget, and kept to it diligently. Now that I’ve FIRE’d, I am so grateful I did.

 

[DonnaZ28]

To find inexpensive things to do, go to Meetup.com and search for groups in your area. You should be able to find a group doing something that interests you, and that doesn't cost a lot of money.

You need to track your spending and compare it to your income in order to stay the course.

 

[Canopybowstars]

We’re in an early-retirement forum, so let’s think about the opportunity cost of every dollar spent at the club in our 20s and what that could have been in our 50s. At just 6% interest it’s a factor of 10. That $40 bar tab could have been $400. If you want to retire early, it its important to you, learn the magic word “no.”

 

[rpguy4]

Here's a book reco that may help : Playing with FIRE by Scott Rieckens - How far would you go for Financial Freedom. It's a quick and easy read. It really boils down to making changes in your spending habits, budgeting, and having a plan to follow to achieve your financial goals. Reading the book may give you inspiration.

 

[mickeyd]

LBYM, especially during your accumulation years. When you finally retire and look at your accumulated stash you will see that all of those years of LBYM have paid off and you no longer have to be so thrifty. Anyway, that is how it has worked at this address.

 

[rk911]

LBYM, especially during your accumulation years. When you finally retire and look at your accumulated stash you will see that all of those years of LBYM have paid off and you no longer have to be so thrifty. Anyway, that is how it has worked at this address.

X2...big time!

 

[Rianne]

At 30 we were poor, in debt, DH did not have a 'real job" yet. But, he finished his PhD and I had Bachelor's from a good university. Jobs started slow and steady. Gradually, getting bigger paychecks.

OP reminds me of my niece. It seems being CHEAP is cool these days. Name brands are out, second hand stores are in. Many kids are foodies, so watching the TV chefs helps them learn to cook and avoid fast food or restaurants. Cool kids go to Aldi. Niece just graduated from college and watches her $$ like a hawk. Wants to retire early, like her aunt and uncle . Sure, blow that dough every so often...go for it. But keep the cheap on your radar. You can travel, eat and party cheap these days.

 

[FIREarly]

Exercise is an excellent hobby that is good for you, helps you live longer, feel better, look better, and is done on your terms.

-Signup for gym
-Excercise
Optional:
-Get training certification
-Train someone else so you are learning and the gym is paying for itself
(do so legally by starting a company)

 

[kgtest]

At 30 we were poor, in debt, DH did not have a 'real job" yet. But, he finished his PhD and I had Bachelor's from a good university. Jobs started slow and steady. Gradually, getting bigger paychecks.

OP reminds me of my niece. It seems being CHEAP is cool these days. Name brands are out, second hand stores are in. Many kids are foodies, so watching the TV chefs helps them learn to cook and avoid fast food or restaurants. Cool kids go to Aldi. Niece just graduated from college and watches her $$ like a hawk. Wants to retire early, like her aunt and uncle . Sure, blow that dough every so often...go for it. But keep the cheap on your radar. You can travel, eat and party cheap these days.

+1. At 30, I maybe had 10k saved in a 401k. At 32 I got married...now at almost 38 have 2 kids. You see, time does fly when you are havin' fun! Now we are well on our way to 500k. It starts adding up quick.

Then the pressures are on to put kids in activity A, and sport B and then oh we have an extra coach for sportA we pay for, and a mentor we pay to help with Activity A...oh and we get the kids to sports in the Escelade etc etc. aand we buy them the nicest equipment. Oh, and we pay for that expensive prep school because public school is for the peasants. Really isn't much room left for mom and dad. But we manage.

I have no idea what I blew my money on before kids...but I hope to be reminded someday. Ahhh, someday. FIRE!