I want to become one of those people who dislikes buying things and enjoys saving. I'm a real spendthrift right now, but I'd really like to shift my thinking so that paying bills and saving money create pleasure, and buying things other than those expenses creates discomfort or boredom.
Currently, going out shopping will get me out of the house when nothing else will, even if it's "shopping" for cleaning supplies and I only spend ten dollars. I get a sense of relief when I make purchases and then the pleasure of looking at, say, those shiny bright new bottles of household cleaner and sponges, even though I don't neccessarily need them is pleasurable. I also feel like I have achoeved or accomplished something when I buy stuff...
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posted by windykites
on Jan 24, 2013 -
32 answers
What are your best tips for saving money in ways that don't impact your quality of life and don't require much effort?
I'm talking about things like: cut the dryer sheets in half, get twice as much out of a single box, impact on quality of laundry = 0, effort = nearly 0.
posted by bq
on Jan 14, 2013 -
57 answers
I've noticed that mineral oil marketed to those who will use the oil on butcher blocks is much more expensive than food grade mineral oil that is marketed to those who will use the oil as a laxative. I buy the cheaper version, thank you very much. Are there other items out there where one can save a buck or two by purchasing the more cheaply marketed version of an item?
posted by starkraven
on Jan 9, 2013 -
56 answers
Starting from scratch at 45 years old, what's the best strategy for saving money & planning for old age?
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posted by anonymous
on Nov 10, 2012 -
11 answers
I would like exposure to the Vancouver (BC) housing market in my investments, without buying an individual unit of housing. Can this be done?
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posted by ripley_
on Oct 4, 2012 -
5 answers
Household finances: My SO and I have started to give ourselves "allowances" to put an outer limit on our discretionary spending. Have you done something similar? What did and didn't work? Any thoughts on the specific questions inside?
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posted by 5845(f)(1)(D)
on Sep 12, 2012 -
23 answers
Not asking for specific investment recommendations, but general "conventional wisdom" on how best to sock away money for a down-payment on a house.
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posted by drpynchon
on Aug 4, 2012 -
7 answers
Is it worth it to contribute to my small company's John Hancock 401K, given the high expense ratios and no employee match?
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 21, 2012 -
6 answers
Are there any online banks that allow recurring automatic transfers to another bank?
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posted by zazzles
on Mar 26, 2012 -
18 answers
Hey Mefites! Please help me become more financially responsible. I don't think I live particularly extravagantly but I don't even know how to start budgeting. I live pretty much paycheck to paycheck. I feel really bad about this, and could do with some ideas about how to build up a money-tracking and budgeting plan from scratch.
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posted by Ziggy500
on Feb 29, 2012 -
26 answers
When I save MS Word docs, a lot of my spacings between words are being eliminated. In just about every sentence, it happens at least once! To be clear, instead of something like "and the", it will say "andthe". Could it be a faulty flash drive?
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posted by Eiwalker
on Feb 22, 2012 -
10 answers
I got a large bonus this year
which will probably never be repeated. After taxes, it was 26K. I don't have any immediate needs (no medical issues, etc), and I know next to nothing about investing. Given this economy, what should I do with it? Stocks? Bonds? Saving account? IRA?
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posted by anonymous
on Jan 3, 2012 -
19 answers
Help me catalog my youthful correspondence so that when I grow old and wither I may smile at a time well-spent but long-gone with those I love -- 21st CENTURY STYLE!!!11!!
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posted by Chipmazing
on Nov 25, 2011 -
5 answers
Please help me curb shopping impulses and addiction. Please share with me ideas on how to resist impulses to buy.
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posted by BlueMartini7
on Nov 14, 2011 -
20 answers
We were recently in the market for a house, and managed to put together a decent down payment. Then we decided not to buy a house after all, although it's a possibility down the road. Now that we're out of the market, what's the best thing to do with the money until we need it (at least a year from now, possibly multiple years)?
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posted by captainawesome
on Oct 11, 2011 -
10 answers
I just spent a lot of time writing something and now it is gone. Please please help me.
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posted by mrfuga0
on Oct 1, 2011 -
13 answers
Ok so I'm overseas for awhile, horrible internet; is there a way store webpages automatically so I don't have to reload them next time? I view page, what i see is saved?? Is it possible?
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posted by rmathew1
on Aug 5, 2011 -
10 answers
I got funded to do an MA in London, but I still don't know how I'm going to afford it. What jobs could I do that will allow me to study and live without insane financial stress?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 22, 2011 -
5 answers
I've got a PDF (a magazine). I'm trying export some pages from this PDF (my article), as a separate PDF. I'm on a Mac (10.6.7). This seems like it should be easy, but I can't print my selected pages to PDF (it's grayed out in the "Save to PDF" drop-down), nor can I find any options to save-selected-pages-as or export-to. My searches have only turned up now-obsolete, non-functioning programs like PDFlab and PDFsam. What am I missing? Should I just print out the pages and scan them back in?
posted by finnb
on Mar 24, 2011 -
10 answers
How should I best plan for my future when I'm at my potential peak earnings, and the job outlooks don't look great a decade out?
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posted by TheOtherSide
on Mar 24, 2011 -
14 answers
i want a financial advisor who helps me create a personal budget and who also helps me with investments and financial planning. Who does that??
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posted by Kololo
on Mar 4, 2011 -
7 answers
Blogs featuring tiny baby nursery spaces for design inspiration as well as space saving baby stuff ideas?
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posted by citystalk
on Mar 3, 2011 -
10 answers
What's the best Roth IRA to invest in? Does Fidelity waive the $2500 deposit if you sign up for monthly withdrawals?
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posted by modoriculous
on Jan 31, 2011 -
7 answers
Say you're in your mid-twenties and suddenly have around 50k you want to start investing/saving. How would you go about doing it?
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posted by torietorie
on Oct 21, 2010 -
18 answers
What's a good way to automatically sock money away with a bank account (in the US) if you're doing everything yourself?
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posted by crapmatic
on Oct 19, 2010 -
13 answers
Looking for software or an app that will allow me to track expenses via SMS, but that will also allow me to track how much money is left in my account.
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posted by reenum
on Aug 23, 2010 -
3 answers
What is the best way to get a second generation iPad when it comes out in exchange for my current one?
The most cost effective way would be the best.
posted by antgly
on Aug 10, 2010 -
4 answers
I suspect I may not love my wife any more. But I also suspect that I (we?) may just be bored after four years. I'm relatively sure that my recent near unemployment and her recent malaise are contributing factors. What do I (we) do?
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posted by kaogahiroi
on Aug 7, 2010 -
32 answers
How can I start saving and investing money under the unstable circumstances of my career path and the state of the economy?
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 17, 2010 -
7 answers
I want to save or print out the answers that were given to a Metafilter question that was asked yesterday. I tried highlighting and copying to word but nothing showed up except the poster's names. What do I need to do to be able to save this information for the future?
posted by Flacka
on May 21, 2010 -
13 answers
How do I deal with social situations when someone points out why I am so quiet? How can I come up with some face saving replies.
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posted by inquisitive
on Feb 15, 2010 -
47 answers
Anyone know of a program or utility that'll put monitors, but not the computer, into power saving mode?
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posted by aerotive
on Jan 10, 2010 -
17 answers
What's the best way to save money for the express purpose of later giving it to someone else?
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posted by Vorteks
on Jan 5, 2010 -
11 answers
Help! My job requires me to interview people. Lots and lots of people. I've been printing out my (standardized) questions, and the cost is getting out of hand. How can I mitigate the wallet damage?
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posted by Willie0248
on Dec 10, 2009 -
24 answers
I rule at saving money, and suck at the alternative. Please help this frugal girl learn to spend her hard-earned cash without experiencing fits of anxiety.
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posted by anonymous
on Dec 2, 2009 -
34 answers
Have you ever used one of those companies that bargain down your medical bills, then take part of what they saved you as payment?
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posted by El Curioso
on Sep 22, 2009 -
0 answers
I'm starting my first day as a college frosh tomorrow. I want to take full advantage of everything the college experience has to offer-- like student discounts! But repeated Googling has failed me; I can't seem to find a directory of local business or events that offer student discounts! I live in Arlington, TX. Can the hive-mind point me towards any comprehensive directories for student discounts in the area?
posted by ShawnStruck
on Aug 23, 2009 -
9 answers
What is the difference between
spending and
consuming? And what is the meaning of "luxury goods"?
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posted by thesailor
on Aug 20, 2009 -
5 answers
My 7 year old son has developed a passion for money. He enjoys collecting unusual coins and bills, spotting bargains at the grocery, playing 'store' and (yikes) making bets for cash. His favorite character is Mr. Crabs. Finance is not my specialty *snort* so any suggestions for age appropriate sites/activities that revolve around the wise use of filthy lucre will be appreciated.
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posted by maryh
on Jul 21, 2009 -
26 answers
