I believe I’m having a change of heart about spending money. I bought a new car, remodeled my bathroom and spent money on a number of home improvement projects on my beach house in North Carolina. On one hand I want to kick myself for forgetting to print a 15% off coupon for my last visit to Kohls’ and on the other I easily shelled out thousands of dollars for big ticket items.
I no longer find myself telling people to hold onto their money or to save as much as they can. I suddenly want to shout “live a little.”
After a lifetime of not spending much money it feels good to loosen the purse strings a little. Okay, maybe more than a little maybe quite a lot. When I shower in my updated bathroom I don’t have to look at dingy, dirty 1950s gray tile and when I hoist my son into his car seat I no longer feel like I’m breaking my back to do so.
The home renovations aren’t a total loss financially. Not only do they provide us with nicer amenities now, but they will also help us sell the house for more if/when the time ever comes to sell them. The car’s value dropped the minute we drove it off the lot, but I feel so comfortable driving it and getting my son in and out of it.
While part of me feels the need to nickel and dime with coupons and sales the other part of me thinks I’ve already saved so much maybe I should put the brakes on my frugality. Perhaps I’ve been too strict with my money. I suddenly feel like a freshman in college who has the freedom to do what she pleases but suddenly finds herself too tempted to attend class everyday and get good grades.
Do you ever wrestle with spending and saving? Do you feel like sometimes you just want to save, save, save and other times you need to splurge and spend?
I feel that way all the time, but “all work and no play” can take a toll on us. I make sure I calculate miscellaneous expenses for some spending room just so I don’t tap into my savings.
I think I need a larger misc expense category. After spending a little I definitely feel like I’ve been keeping the purse strings too tight.
I have a frugalist mentality (use coupons, search for deals, use generic brands, re-use ziplock bags, etc.) but I don’t let it rule my life. Have you ever seen Extreme Couponing–it’s crazy what those people do to save money on groceries. Too much time and effort in my opinion. I believe saving is important but so isn’t enjoying life. There’s nothing wrong with splurging once in a while and rewarding yourself with the fruits of your labor. I don’t want to be one of those people who saves every penny to build a huge net worth only to die (in a raggedly old sweater with holes in it) before I can spend any of it.
Ha! I have an image of a large vault filled with gold coins and there is a miser sitting in a ratty old sweater. No that’s not for me either. I definitely need to do a better job at balancing spending purely for enjoyment purposes.
I think it is important to not let yourself feel as if you have arrived until you are financially free-meaning no debt and the ability to get up and leave a job you don’t like and still be doing well financially. Splurges are nice, but a lifetime of doing what you are passionate about and not being stuck in debt is even better.
Oh I so agree with this sentiment! Keeping the long term goals in mind is so important and a lifetime of doing what you are passionate about sounds like a perfect goal to me.
Erm yes. 🙂
I waffle from one extreme to another.