I had some friends visiting from Massachusetts last week and we had a wonderful time! These are the kind of friends who have been in my life for what seems like forever and no matter how mad we get at each other, all is forgiven over a glass of wine or a really good meal.
This friend of mine has a pet peeve bigger then Big Papi’s ability to score a home run in clinch situation. My friend refuses, absolutely refuses to pay for parking. He would rather walk across a bridge, 2 miles in the rain than fork over $5 bucks to park his car.
We jokingly talked about this while driving to go on a hike last week. My honey and I were trying to figure out how to get to a hiking spot we have done many times but we wanted to park at the summit of the hike (where parking is free) vs at the base where parking cost $7.00. Somehow I knew my friend would understand.
I hate shelling out good money on poopy bags for Fenway. It seems such a silly thing but why spend money on squirling away poop? I hit the jack pot over the winter when my honey and I were doing some clean up at her parents and we scored 2 boxes of unused bags that are the perfect size to take care of Fenway’s business. I think I even did a happy dance when I tucked them into the car. I should have plenty of bags on hand to get me through 2017. Yeah!
Mother Fran thinks spending money on bottled water is ridiculous. Why spend money on something you can get for free? I have to agree with her on that. Besides all of those empty bottles are such a waste.
My honey only orders tap water at restaurants. It is so much cheaper to drink beer, cider, wine, and soft drinks at home then when out to eat. I agree with her in theory however beer on tap is yummy. I used to go out for drinks pretty routinely and dropping $20 was no big deal. I pretty much don’t do this anymore but will order beer/wine with dinner and do it with a smile!
Writing this post got me thinking about what other people dig in their heals and refuse to spend their money on? I put out a call for help to my friends and family to get their input and this is what they told me:
Food related:
- Fresh herbs because growing them is so easy
- Lunch at work
- Going out to eat because cooking at home is cheaper
- Tomatoes at the grocery store (especially when they taste like plastic) – I added that last part!
- Starbucks
- Fast food
Household related:
- City trash bags
- Bottled water
- Stamps
- Dry cleaning
- Coffee
- Books that I can get out of the library for free
- Books for my tablet
- Diapers
- Clothes that shrink
Fee related:
- On-line shipping fees
- ATM fees
- Taxes
Other
- Taxis
- Manicures
- Getting my hair cut
- Air for my tires
What do you hate to spend money on?
Spending money is a personal thing and what might drive me crazy may not even faze you.
At this point in my life I have modified my spending so dramatically that the me of 10 years ago might not recognize herself. I still enjoy a little retail therapy but now I either wander around the stores and leave empty-handed or I shell out $14 buck for 2 pairs of pants and 2 shirts. That is retail therapy in my little blue kayak!
10 years ago I didn’t have a clue what I wanted for myself. I hadn’t taken the time to figure out what was important to me and what made me happy. Now I know myself better and I don’t want to spend my hard-earned money on the above items while neglecting the important things.
Now I am seriously ok with earning less than before because I am happy. Trust me, happiness is NOT overrated. Now I spend my money funding my retirement, funding my health savings account, saving for a car, and having my upcoming Alaska vacation paid for before I even think about packing my bags!
You see I don’t want to work until I die. I want to enjoy my life. I don’t need a lot but I do need to be prepared for a long and prosperous life. You see, my mom is quickly approaching 90 years young and she is my role model for living the good life. She has no debt, money in the bank and a loving family that pretty much dote on her! She didn’t get that way by fritting her money away on bottled water! Check out some money lessons I have learned from Mother Fran here!
If you don’t know what is important to you, what makes you happy, what you want your future to look like, then keep throwing your hard-earned cash out the window on stuff.
As they say… you can’t take it with you. But if you have done your homework and have figured yourself out, chances are you know where your money needs to go to and you will put it there with a smile on your face while sipping on tap water from your sink.
Lake Girl
