Comments on: What Kind of Spender Are You?

By: Joining Pentagon Federal, Real Estate, and Investing

Joining Pentagon Federal, Real Estate, and Investing — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 15:03:51 +0000

[...] What Kind of Spender Are You? [...]

By: Jerry

Jerry — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 15:57:34 +0000

I’m not a metrosexual but I do like having some nice clothes now and again. I do like to spend some of my income on clothing but I never spend beyond my means. My wife and I are extremely frugal which leads to finding all kinds of deals in all sorts of places. Living this way has been insurance for our budget and we’ve been able to pay off our consumer debt by being frugal in all areas that we can.
Jerry

By: cheryl

cheryl — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:17:14 +0000

A similar mindset and outerwear experience- we cook great food at home, seldom eat out, love to travel and we both dislike shopping – the experience and wasting money and time. In 1994 a friend told us about some Polartek (fleece) pullovers on clearance – marked down from $50 to $17 – so we bought four- we canoe, kayak, camp, hike and generally stay outside a lot – they are still our ‘go to’ outerwear – we are in North Florida so three or four months of the year we are living in them . Our daughters would even ‘forget’ their coats so they could borrow ours- family favorites. One of the four has mysteriously disappeared but the other three still look new.

By: Jon

Jon — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:36:12 +0000

If you talked to my wife and kids, they’d say I’m frugal or thrifty at best (other adjectives may come to mind). However, my actual spending habits are a bit of a mix of extreme frugality and frivolity. For example, I spend the absolute minimum on clothing required to get the things I must have. I shop the clearance racks at Target all the time, and occasionally hit the thrift stores for bargains, too.
On the other hand, when it comes to food, I don’t pinch pennies too much. I do use coupons and sales to get the best prices I can on things, but I refuse to live on beans and rice. As a “retired” chef, I love to cook tasty, nutritious meals at home, and I use high quality ingredients. Could I survive on a low budget for groceries? Yes. But I absolutely refuse to compromise, when I don’t need to, on that area of my life. My dining out budget, in contrast, is quite low. I see no need to pay inflated prices for things I can prepare more economically and which taste better at home, unless I’ve made a conscious decision to have a special evening out with friends.
I’m also a miser when it comes to home furnishings. We bought our first new furniture in 14 years this fall. If a piece of furniture ain’t broke, I don’t replace it. Most of the things we have in our house we bought second hand. No need to impress people; if it’s functional and in good repair, we’re happy.
On the other hand, my wife and I enjoy traveling on our motorcycles. We spend a fair amount of money maintaining them and buying riding gear, and on the travel expenses, as well. We’re paying for the experiences, the memories, and the time with our friends.
I could go on with more examples, but the point is that I’ve set priorities for what is and is not important to me, and my budget seems to follow them.

By: Linette

Linette — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:34:55 +0000

I love finding bargains on stuff I will use for years to come. I too, have a Columbia jacket I found for cheap and it was used. I have no plans on trading it in, although I have bought a few other over coats for other occasions, all for very very cheap.

By: Erik

Erik — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:45:30 +0000

I definitely need to keep my spending in check. I am good about not spending small amounts here and there, but I am bad when I go to the grocery store without a plan or to Target without a purpose.