Bad Spending Habits Revised...

Whenever my friends get into debt, who do they call? Me. Why? Because I save money like it stopped printing last week. This is not to say I don't get out and enjoy my little luxuries every once in awhile, but I definitely don't overdo it... It's sad when you see your friends going out and spending money they don't have... stuff they could do themselves like hiring a maid versus cleaning up after their own shit... or taking some beauty time to do their own manicure and pedicure (besides, you would do your own manicure and pedicure BETTER than a salon because they aren't always interested in doing a quaity job but rushing you out of the chair for the next client - it's all about volume)

I always tell people, "Spend within your means." But what defines a person's means? Salary. What do you get paid per hour? How much money are you receiving for an hour of your time? To me, you should at least have as much time having fun as it took to make the money to engage in it. For example, I make $8.50 an hour at my tutoring job. If I go to a restaurant where my meal will last an hour and cost about $8.50, then it was a good deal. If I spent $8.50 and I didn't get to enjoy it for an hour, then it wasn't a good trade... I spent more time making the money to enjoy the food than the actual time I'm spending enjoying it! If I spent an hour there and the meal was $4.25, then I've doubled the value of my dollar! This is where I assign value... Obviously, the more you make per hour, the more you can reasonably justify spending on luxuries and necessities.

The second thing I always tell people is to cut corners where they can. If I went to McDonald's 3 times a day and each trip cost me $5, I would be spending $15 a day or $450 a month. If I could substitute just one of those trips by cooking at home a plate of spaghetti (around 50 cents a serving, if that), then I save $4.50 a day or $135 a month! If I cut back on 2 meals at McDonald's a day and substitute it with a spaghetti lunch (50 cents) and a taco nite ($6 for 4 servings - $1.50 a serving) then I save $8 a day! That's $240 a month! Just in savings from food! When I tell this to people, they are appalled that it can add up to so much! Even if you just opted to not super-size it, that's 40 cents x 3 times per day x 30 days = $36 a month... just for a super size! With $36, imagine 4 new books a month, or a cute new top, or some new porn haha :P

Either way, bad spending habits can be changed with a little restraint and a little logic. If we can make better financial decisions, then we can stay out of debt, keep good credit ratings, avoid interest payments, and put away a nice nest egg or savings account for that new car, that new house, that new dress, that new toolset, that new video game, that spa facial, or whatever your heart desires :)