Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with spending

Help me not turn into a hopeless Scrooge!

Anonymous — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 07:03:45 -0800

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. (I know this question might seem a bit ridiculous, but please bear with me.)

Here goes. Over the past five+ years I've managed to save up a decent chunk of cash. Around $40,000, to be more specific, with another $20,000 in retirement savings. I'm 26, so this means that in comparison to my debt-ridden friends, I'm pretty loaded. I have this money through a combination of factors - my parents helped pay for my post-secondary schooling, I worked hard at a good job for the last few years, have no car/mortgage/children/debt, and am generally pretty frugal in my day-to-day life.

This should be a good thing, but instead it's causing me no end of anxiety. I'm currently living abroad and teaching English part-time (on sabbatical from aforementioned job). I could have afforded to simply take a year off to travel, but for an anxiety-prone person this seemed like a bit too much free time on my hands. So the goal was to have the chance to travel and see more of the world, with some daily structure. And, presumably, to spend some of my savings on much-deserved rewards.

Instead I'm agonizing over price tags - whether to buy a dress I don't desperately need but like well enough, go out for dinner or eat at home, stay at a hostel when I travel or at a hotel, etc. It's a constant battle between being a total cheapo and the desire to spend in a worthwhile way, an inner debate on whether something will ultimately be worth the money, or a source of regret. The times I do buy anything remotely expensive (or even average-priced, vs. on sale), it tends to be a bit random and sometimes forced. $60,000 isn't crazy money, but it's more than a need day-to-day, and although I'm proud to have amassed this much, the result is that money has kind of lost its meaning for me. Prices feel arbitrary, and thus confusing.

None of my friends are in the same boat - most are living lives of necessary rather than voluntary frugality, given our meagre paychecks, which makes me even more cash-conscious. My savings are basically a secret, and I don't have a good reference point for what constitutes healthy spending.

I also have no specific goal in mind for this money. I'd like to do an MA some day, but not yet. I'd like to put a down-payment on a house, but later. I don't want a car or anything else with a sizable price tag. I'd be happy to invest my savings (and $20,000 is already invested), but the rates are so awful right now that it doesn't feel like I'm doing much of anything.

Any advice for how to be a healthy saver AND spender, or similar experiences? I'd really like my money to feel like a blessing, and not a burden. I know I could try making a budget, setting monthly allowances, etc, but in the past I've had a hard time sticking to rigid plans in part because my natural inclination is to spend less, which makes a budget feel like needless work. (I could also try to find wealthier friends, I suppose, but I'm a far cry from a trust fund baby, so I don't know if that would do much to engender healthy habits.)

No throwaway email, but I will send follow-up comments/responses to question to mathowie or jessamyn for posting. Thanks in advance.

How can I get myself to stop rationalizing bad behavior?

dumbledore69 — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:05:50 -0800

There are a lot of goals that I am working towards, that are easily within my reach if I just stick to some simple routine tasks. However, I always wind up sabotaging myself by making excuses for or rationalizing getting off track, and ignoring the reminders and cues I have created for myself to stay on track. How can I knock it off so I can reach my goals? I have been doing a lot of work lately on some of my goals, mainly weight loss and getting my finances in order (paying off my credit cards and stop overdrawing my frigging bank account).

I know exactly what I have to do, I know exactly how to do it, and I have done both of these things with fantastic success before. My problem is that whenever I become sidetracked with something else that I consider urgent, or stressed out and cranky, I am really good at either ignoring my big picture goals, making rationalizations for not working towards those goals, or even lying to myself or others about my behavior towards reaching those goals.

I think this is one of my biggest issues, and I just do NOT know how to knock it off.

For example, let's use weight loss.

I have lost large chunks of weight before and kept it off for a good amount of time. I know exactly what to do so that I can do it in a way that is pleasant for me.

To lose weight, basically all I need to do is the following:
- Eat breakfast at home instead of on the run.
- Bring lunch & snacks to work instead of eating out or running to the caf.
- Take 10-15 minutes each evening or morning to plan out my meals for the day (and total the calories or WW points).
- Take 30 min - 1 hour most days of the week to do any workout I choose, whether it's a Wii workout or a video or the elliptical at the gym or a walk outside (and I enjoy all of these things!).
- Remember to face the music no matter how the week went and weigh myself & track my weight every week.

There are other things I try to do, sure, like looking at the balance of the types of foods I eat and taking vitamins and getting enough rest, and so on. But these are the basics.

However, I typically start slipping after a month or two. Usually it's little things at first, but then as other things start stressing me out, I turn to food (or excessive spending, on the financial end) to soothe me and cheer myself up.

And I will recognize this and set up ways to keep myself accountable, like setting up bets with friends (I'll pay them $5 a week if I don't exercise 3x) or websites to nag me daily to remember my goals, etc. I have tried SO MANY awesome tools, and had so much great support from my friends (who despite the fact that they would profit from my failure, always encouraged me).

But it doesn't work, because I will just ignore the email reminders or lie about my workout sessions. It's awful, and I really, truly hate myself for being like that. I even lie to myself sometimes about what I've eaten or readjusting my priorities.

But it always comes back down to the fact that I really do not like where I'm at ... I'm 100+ lbs overweight (though I am a bit down from my high weight), still in credit card debt (though I have paid off quite a large chunk of it so far), and I have like no faith in myself to really keep trying because nothing can keep me honest.

And I know the response is often that I must not want it badly enough or I would just do it and stop lying to myself. But it's NOT that I don't want to lose weight & pay off my credit cards badly...I do. I want it more than anything. Failure to do these things is preventing me from starting a family or to feel secure in my life. Not a day goes by when I don't hate those things about myself.

But it's like a different person takes over when I fall off the wagon and just want to be left alone to eat or spend. It's not me, that person has no goals except to get a little fix from food or spending. It's so stupid, but I seriously do not know what to do.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to deal with this?

A little extra cash each month

little_c — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:35:14 -0800

What would you do with an extra $600 a month? I'm about to move into a new position where I work, one that comes with more responsibility and more money.

I'm 26 years old with no kids and no mortgage. I've thought about paying down my student loans more, but not sure if that's the best idea in the short run (either it takes me 20 years to pay them off, or 15.. does it really matter?). I don't really know anything about investing (I have a 403b portfolio through work), or saving for that matter! I've thought about opening an ING savings account...

But I'm rambling.

What would YOU do with that extra money each month?

Economics 101

thesailor — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:10:58 -0800

What is the difference between spending and consuming? And what is the meaning of "luxury goods"? I'm reading a very insightful book called In the Jaws of the Dragon by Eamonn Fingleton, basically about how Western leaders are idiots and that China is set to take over the world. The author talks about how significant East Asian savings will become, comparing it to the Age of Discovery. Then he goes onto say how East Asians are forced to save by their governments through clever policy which "suppresses consumption" but I'm having trouble comprehending the explanation. He writes:

"...there are several ways consumption can be suppressed. Sometimes the increased saving arises in the household sector, sometimes in the business sector. In the latter case often this occurs when artificially induced shortages of luxury goods generate huge profits for oligopolistic local suppliers. Provided such profits are reinvested, they count as part of the national savings rate. This helps explain the paradox that while the macroeconomic data indicate that East Asians under-consume, Western news media often run stories about big-spending East Asian shoppers who think nothing of paying exorbitant prices - far higher than in the West - for Louis Vuitton handbags or Rolex watches. The key point is that while it is easy in East Asia to spend (because prices of luxuries are so high), it is difficult to consume (because big spenders get so little for their money). The larger economic point is that suppressed consumption creates savings somewhere. Exactly where is secondary."

1) I don't think I understand the true meanings of "spending", "consuming", and "luxury goods", which leads to the questions:
2) Why is it easy to spend because prices of luxuries are so high? What is the relationship between "easy to spend" and "high prices of luxuries"?
3) When he says "it's difficult to consume because big spenders get so little for their money, does he mean that "consuming" means spending money on luxury goods?

Many thanks for you help!

Help me avoid spending like a sailor on shore leave

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:09:35 -0800

What are some tips on wisely handling an increase in income? I know - good problem to have. Recently I switched positions and am now making about 150% of my former salary. This is great news, but because of my financial history, I want to be careful about it and use this newfound income smartly.

I'm carrying credit card debt, so my highest priority is to use most of the new income to pay that off. I'm setting the goal of doing that within two years. But even at that rate I will still have a bit more disposable income than I do now. I'm worried that I'll fritter it away because I can - after several years of skimping on the basics, there's a temptation to loosen the purse strings a little and buy more things on impulse, eat out because of laziness, and that kind of thing.

I'm having a hard time deciding on budget line amounts for things like clothing (I haven't had a new winter coat in ten years, and need shoes), groceries (right now I average around $50 a week, but would really like to spend a bit more so I don't face Rice Days at the end of each pay period), and entertainment/recreation -- right now I spend about $50/week on nonessentials like eating a meal out, having a couple of beers, going to a show or a fair, or renting a couple of movies. I don't own a home, and one day might like to, but saving for that would come after debt repayment. In general I value experiences more than stuff. I really like feeling secure and look forward to an increased sense of financial preparedness.

This new income could make possible things like taking classes, participating in sports that require equipment buys, traveling a little more, etc. I'd like to take advantage of some of that purchasing power to experience things I've missed out on - but how can I do so responsibly and in good conscience? What boundaries should I set?

I'm very used to stretching a meagre budget creatively - but as a result, I know a lot less about managing money that you have enough of than money that's always a teeny bit shorter than you'd like.

I will be setting aside an employer match for retirement, doing a debt snowball, and starting a savings account with auto deposit. What else should I consider? Have any of you managed such a change? What helped you set spending boundaries? How did you determine what was reasonable?

Two-Month Allowance

Anonymous — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:33:35 -0800

I've a boyfriend visiting me for a couple of months soon, from outside the US. Funds on his end are quite low, as he's still a student, so I'll be supporting both of us while he's here. (I'm happy to do it, I've a steady full-time job and I've really missed him since he was last here, a few months ago.) What I'd like to know is, would it be appropriate for me to also give him some spending cash for whatever small things he'd like to get for himself, during his stay? A prepaid card of sorts? And, how should I approach this without making him feel like he's completely dependent on me, even if that might be the reality? I'd like to be delicate. Information that might be relevant or helpful:

* We've been dating for several years, although this is the longest visit so far.
* Neither one of us has any weird spending habits, and we're on the same page when we've discussed various aspects of finances previously.
* I bought the tickets for this flight and his previous one - and he's admitted to feeling a little like he already "owes" me, though I don't share the same sentiment. That's why I'd like to be delicate about the extra spending money issue.
* I'm completely fine with supporting him while he's here. He's a total sweetheart when it comes to helping me around my place. He loves cooking, so I always have help with dinner, he's great about keeping things clean, and we never argue about one person not pulling their weight in the relationship.

I'm probably giving more details than necessary, but I've found that mefi is a curious place and it's good to cover all bases with anonymous questions :)

What it basically boils down to is: how much, and how?

Help me Hivemind: spending money and eating veggie in Japan.

Kirn — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:55:40 -0800

How much spending money do I need for 10 days in Japan? And: help me eat vegetarian while I'm there. I'll be visiting Japan for 10 days from the 8th of June. That's 3 days in Tokyo, 4 days in Kyoto (with a day trip to Nara and possibly another one to Osaka, and a few hours spent in Nagoya), 2 days in Hiroshima (with a day trip to Miyajima island) and finally 1 day in Narita.

I'm trying to get an idea of how much spending money I should take. Flights, hotels and JR pass are all booked already, but I'll pay to get around Tokyo for the first 3 days (subway or trains) and from Narita Airport->Tokyo, as the JR pass is only for the last 7 days. I won't be looking to eat anywhere that expensive, though doing so by accident is quite possible. I'll be looking to take some souvenirs home, but I'm not after anything specific (and unlikely to go for expensive electronics etc.) and travelling carry-on only so space is limited. I'm travelling with friends so we'll probably want to go out drinking some nights, but not clubbing. No specific tourist destinations in mind but we'll be going to see temples, maybe a couple of museums etc.

So: how much spending money should I take?

And... I'd like to make an appeal for advice on eating vegetarian in Japan. I get that this will be difficult and that there's fish stock/flakes in everything - I'm ok with the fish stock/flakes but would like to avoid meat/fish flesh/seafood.

So my second question is: are there any common vegetarian dishes (with or without fish flakes but ideally without) that I can look for in restaurants? Something I can learn the name of and be sure (or at least relatively sure) that I'm getting something flesh-free? (What about convenience stores etc.?)

And finally: if I learn phrases for 'do you have anything without meat, fish or seafood?' and 'can you make it without meat/fish/seafood?', what kind of response am I likely to get in typical eateries? Refusal/bewilderment/misunderstanding/annoyance? (I won't be able to carry on a conversation as I only know a few basic words and phrases, though I will occasionally be accompanied by a fluent Japanese speaker.)

Thanks very much in advance everyone, and sorry for the many sprawling questions - I'm trying to get the most out of my weekly questions before I go! For what it's worth, I'm a 24-year old male from the UK, travelling with 2-3 guys and 1 girl of similar ages.

How does a consumer-based economy generate wealth?

wastelands — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:21:13 -0800

Economics newb asks: how does a consumer-based economy generate wealth? I hear things like, "70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending." It seems like if this were the case, then money would just be "recycled." How is there a net gain or production of wealth for the country if most of it is a result of people spending money internally? I must be missing something simple...

Mom has uncontrollable spending habits. What can I do?

Anonymous — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 15:14:20 -0800

Mom has uncontrollable spending habits. What can I do? Ok. This has been driving me crazy from a very early age. My mom can't seem to understand that you must pay for things that you buy when you buy them! She has always had terrible spending habits and I am really not sure what I need to do anymore. She insists that since it has worked out for so many years that things will just solve themselves. Can I save her?

Here is alittle bit of her history

Grew up spoiled and parents paid for everything.
Married my dad (a doctor)
Spent money carelessly (understandable since we had it)
Got divorced. Continued to spend money carelessly.
Raked up over 20,000 in debt.
Married again. Husband helped bail her out of debt.
Divorced again.
Raked up more debt.
Sold the house to make a very nice profit (sold before housing collapse).
Bought a smaller house.
Continues to rake up large amounts of debt.
I see no bail out unless she remarries.
(she has had jobs on and off for a long time, but for the most part likes being a house wife)

My observations

My mom continues to spend money on things she cannot afford! No matter what I tell her she doesn't seem to understand that being in debt and paying off just the interest is a horrible way to manage money.

I have been telling her my whole life that she needs to pay for only what she can afford. To live by her means. But she never changes anything! I don't know if its because I am her son or not.

Take 2 weeks ago. She doesn't have a steady job and she decides to repaint the house and hire professional cleaners. Boom $1300 dollars. She buys 2 brand new fold out couches for $400 a pop because they were on sale and guests may come. I tell her she could of bought those for much cheaper but she wanted something "new".

All this spending and no incoming money. She even got a home equity loan for some such amount and I know she is using that money to pay for living expenses and such until her "business" takes off. I really don't see her as a business type or her product making her a decent income in the foreseeable future.

Her retirement plan is to move in with me or my brother. I don't think thats fair but thats beside the point.

Conclusion

At this point it feels like being in a train with the throttle stuck in the full on position. She either goes bankrupt and loses everything, accepts what she has been doing this whole time and learns to live frugally or she changes her behavior now before the wreck.

The question is can I do anything about it or do I just let her crash?

I have tried for 18 odds years for her to listen to me and not spend but she doesn't seem to care about what I say when it comes to spending habits.

There anything I can do to change her spending behavior?
Maybe I can buy a book for her or something...

The reason I know her spending habits is because I live with her at the moment but plan to move out as soon as college is done.

Help me find info showing both sides where they need to compromise

Reverend John — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 08:12:53 -0800

I seem to remember reading about a study which showed a correlation between higher taxes and lower spending, can you help me find it? I believe the argument went something along the lines that when taxes are higher people tend to pay more attention to government spending, and the greater scrutiny tends to discourage waste and unpopular spending.

A corollary was that lowering taxes actually encourages higher spending and creating deficits and driving up the debt.

I'd really like to find this study to see how well supported it actually was and if it would be useful for helping find a compromise between Republicans who are vehemently anti-tax and Democrats who are less inclined towards fiscal responsibility.

Credit cards worth it?

Flamingoroad — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:36:03 -0800

I'm thinking of getting a credit card -is it worth it? I'm 22, in the UK and thinking about getting a credit card -I don't feel I need one (not a big or enthusiastic spender) apart from establishing a credit rating -is it worth it?

I understand the benefits -insurance, cash-back etc but it seems like a hassle -I'm perfectly happy just spending money that I have using my debit card.

However, as credit scores are partly based on duration of credit history I'm thinking I should get a credit card if only to prove to future mortgage providers (perhaps 3 or so years in the future) that I'm responsible with credit etc.

As I've also learnt that cancelling cards reflects badly on credit rating so any card I do take out is hopefully going to last me a long time.

I bank with Natwest and am thinking of taking out a credit card with them as it would be easy to pay it off each month with my current online banking setup. But there are no benefits/cash back with it. Aren't credit cards desperate for people to sign up? I might not too excited about credit cards but I don't want to miss out on decent benefits like cash-back etc if there's available.

In summary is it worth getting a credit card and if yes, which is the easiest to use, best 'perks' and recommended over the long term so I don't end up dealing with the 'financial clutter' resulting in opening up other cards in the future?

Any UK specific advice/opinion would be much appreciated!
Thanks

Inspire me with your frugality

Anonymous — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:57:16 -0800

Total financial ruin filter: I am terrible at managing my very small amount of money. How did you learn to manage your money better than me? I don’t buy a lot of extraneous crap and I don’t eat out much. But I don’t budget either, and I’m constantly paying for stupid crap like overdraft fees and parking tickets – stuff that has to do with poor planning, also having to borrow from friends to make rent, bouncing checks, etc. Part of the problem is that I just don’t make enough money to get by. I’m going to school to get a degree in a field that offers much better pay than what I get now. I’ve also checked out some web resources about budgeting etc, and am meeting with a financial counselor soon. But I’m worried that the next couple years in school will send me into some horrible crisis that I can’t get out of! It’s even scarier because I have kids.

In the meantime, can you tell me how you personally pulled yourself out of financial crisis? Did you marry someone with better financial skills? Did you start making more money? How did you force yourself to budget and stay within that budget? How long did it take you to change your habit – or, if you were just born with good financial management skills, what exactly do you DO that keeps things sane?

Forgive me if this comes off as chatfilter, but I don’t think it is really. Your real-life stories are a good example to help me make choices about how I can do things better. Thank you!

Help me budget!

DMan — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:25:26 -0800

Given that I have no bills to pay, what percentage of my wages should I save and how much should I take as spending money? I'm a college student about to be home for the summer, and I'm in a unique sort of situation. Due to circumstances I won't go into (beyond saying that my family isn't rich), college tuition isn't a concern and I really don't have any other bills to pay. However, I do need to be saving money to get a start after college, which is why I'm asking this.

I've managed to get a pretty good summer job; I'll get paid $10 an hour and I can work anywhere between 20-40 hours a week--the hours I work are completely up to me. For the purposes of this question, let's assume I work 25 hours a week.

My question is, in your opinions, how much of this should I save and how much should I take as discretionary money? I understand the importance of a budget in that it enables you to not feel bad about spending money if you've planned for it, and I'd like to figure out a budgeting plan that lets me have a bit of spending money while still saving for the future.

So if I work 25 hours a week, that's $250 a week or $500 every paycheck, before taxes. 10% of that will go to my church tithe, leaving $450 for me (before taxes).

What percentage of this should I save, and what percentage should I keep for short-term spending? I'm not really asking for advice on how to invest the saved money since I'll be talking to an expert in that field in a month or so, but if you have any specific ideas about what to do with the money feel free to share.

Thanks in advance!

Information on how people spend their money

Marzipan — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:35:14 -0800

Global consumer spending/expenditure data, beyond government stats I'm trying to find out about what people spend their money on in different countries around the world.

Many countries have government data collections (e.g. the ONS in the UK, Eurostat in the EU, or the data collected by the US Department of Labour/Bureau of Statistics), but these tend to provide data at very topline levels, e.g. 'personal care products and services' or 'entertainment'. I'm looking for more 'granular' data e.g. soap, bath products, certain food types, movies, DVDs, ready meals, holiday flights etc.

It doesn't have to be in the public domain, ie fine if one has to pay for the results. I've tried the websites of various market research companies, but whilst they offer to do these kinds of surveys, none of the ones I tried had a pre-existing survey you could see the results for.

I'm also interested in market research which has tried to understand how people classify different kinds of spending (e.g. do they see it as essential). Has anyone seen anything at all on those lines?

Any ideas, leads, even tangential ones, very gratefully received.

How can I stop caving in to Instant Gratification?

tastybrains — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:25:17 -0800

My impulse towards giving myself instant gratification is ruining my life! How can I train myself to stop lunging for instant gratification and instead remind myself to consider what will be most gratifying in the long term? I have been frustrated with several aspects of my life for quite some time now (years), and I am starting to realize that my difficulty in resolving these things is most likely because I am always going for whatever will bring me instant gratification.

Here are some examples!

I am quite overweight. It really is a big problem, and I *know* this and I *know* how to eat right and I *know* how to exercise in a way I find enjoyable, and I *know* how to lose weight. But when I am tired and hungry and grumpy in the morning, I know a couple of doughnuts to go with my coffee are going to cheer me up & perk me up right away. Thus, I justify getting myself what I think I *need* to feel good right then over what I know I *ought* to do to improve my overall life. I will rationalize it out by saying things like "Well, one day isn't going to make or break me" or "Well, TODAY I really need to be focused at work so I don't want to get to work feeling all craving-y and deprived."
I'm paying off some credit cards I racked up in college & the two years immediately following college. I truly want to pay them off as fast as possible, I know why they are evil, and the balances make me feel sick, just sick. And yet, when I see something I want, if it will cheer me up, I will buy it because "it's only $20, what's $20?" or "well, I would just buy it next paycheck anyway" or some other excuse. Needless to say my balances don't get paid down much when I keep making excuses to spend more money on stuff I ultimately do not need. But I cannot seem to resist my drive to have what I want when I want it!
I have a good job and I am very lucky to have my job and my awesome boss and my awesome coworkers and to work for the awesome company I work for. I really truly appreciate this opportunity especially because I have a lot of flexibility in terms of what I do with my own position. And yet, despite all this, and despite the fact that I actually feel GOOD when I am doing work, I can't seem to resist the impulse to chat with friends in the background or browse amusing sites or ... er ... post questions / comments to Metafilter. And I know how to resist these things, I can add sites to block to my Hosts file or use Temptation Blocker, and set up regular breaks instead of making the day one big mashup of work & break. But I can't seem to just ignore my urge to check my buddy list or my favorite sites when the urge strikes.

I cannot go on living like this. I know in part why I do it - I am depressed and I am always on the hunt for a little burst of feeling good. So, yeah, the doughnuts and the new shiny store-bought whatevers and the internet amusements make me feel good for a few minutes, maybe an hour, maybe a couple of days. But never in the long haul.

How do I discipline myself and/or REMIND myself not to cave into instant gratification? How can I get my life back under my own control?

Lifestyles of the rich and stupid?

jdroth — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 14:29:39 -0800

What are some of the stupid things rich and famous people have spent their money on? I know about Michael Jackson and his ten AIBOs, for example. What are some other examples? Actors, politicians, athletes, past and present — tell me about their excesses. [This is lazyweb research for a future article.]

LCD HDTV Prices: Buy now or later?

logovisual — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 10:35:29 -0800

What do I need to know about current LCD HDTV prices re: buying a set now or later? I'm in the market for a new TV, and obviously there's no point in a new TV if it's not going to be an HDTV. I've done enough of my homework to know that for what I can spend (under $1000, preferably under $900; I'm in my twenties in New York City at a low-paying job, what can I say) my options are all going to be sub-32", LCD panels, with more than likely a maximum of 720p HD (which is going to be fine for my needs for the next couple of years; I like movies and games, but my next system's gonna be a Wii not an XBox, and I'm not plunking down the cash for a next-gen DVD drive yet). I am also somewhat knowledgeable about what kind of brightness and contrast ratios to look for, what sort of inputs I'm likely to need, etc. etc.

What I don't know anything about is pricing: prices have obviously gone down lately (especially due to the holidays), but are they poised to drop further? Could the upper end of my price range start buying me a larger or higher-res screen sometime in the next three or four months, or do we look to be at a stable price level right now?

I'm probably looking at name-brand-ish sets here, rather than Best Buy store-only-brand kinda stuff, though I haven't heard any complaints about, say, Westinghouse sets which are consistently cheaper than most brands. If you have any personal experience with brands that give the best bang-for-buck ratio or resellers to track down or avoid, I'm open to that kind of stuff too.

Spending more for less

aburd — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 09:16:34 -0800

How is our government education funding spent? This has been bugging me for a while. We spend $12,000 per child on education, more than any other qualified nation outside of Switzerland, and yet our results tend to be much lower than these other nations. I see the schools in my area looking dilapidated and I know that they never have enough books while teachers are not getting rich either.

So where is this money going?

FSAfilter: help me spend $250 on useful medicines/ vitamins before the end of the year.

netsirk — Tue, 12 Dec 2006 10:00:49 -0800

My Flexible Spending Account (FSA) has about $250 left on it to be used by the end of December - it's use it or lose it, so I'm looking for ideas on the most useful things I can spend this money on within the next 3 weeks. I am potentially interested in stocking a basic medicine cabinet items that would be useful for a baby/ small child. The baby is due to arrive in March, and I have little experience or knowledge regarding what medicines may be good to have on hand in the future. Baby asprin, sure, but are there other perhaps not so obvious good-to-haves?

I'm also considering stocking up on other basics for adult use, like good quality vitamin C tablets.

My FSA covers standard pharmacy purchases, like throat lozenges, theraflu, ibuprofen, vitamins, bandaids etc.

I do not have any prescription medications that require filling, and I have fully used up my annual dental benefits.

How do I stop judging my significant other's spending habits?

onepapertiger — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 07:44:51 -0800

How do I stop judging my significant other's spending habits? (more inside) Yesterday, my boyfriend bought this god awful shirt. It's this drab olive, shiny button down shirt that looks like what those South American guys wear when they go clubbing. We got into an argument over it. It was my fault because I feel like he wastes money and it offends me to see him spend money on something so hideous. He defended the purchase saying that he was tired of the clothes he had and that it was only $30. He has more clothes than I do and I can't explain this entirely, but I felt offended that he said he was tired of his clothes. I love those clothes. I think he's gorgeous and that all the clothes he has make him look wonderful. I have specific memories of things he wore and I am fairly attached to the things he wears. Then he went and bought this horrible shirt.

He and I live together. I was scared about moving in together, but I love him and we've been together for a long time.

I know. It's just a shirt, but I cried about it. I hate that shirt! It looks horrible. It makes him look skeazy. I don't share the idea that $30 is a small sum of money. I think $30 could go for charitable purposes or into his savings account. I think $30 is a lot. That morning, he said he was going to take this class that cost $400. The same class is offered at the nearby state university for $300. He wasn't overly concerned about the difference in cost, until it turned out that the private university's tuition didn't cover the cost of materials and the state university covered materials.

I can't spend $10 on a shirt without really, really thinking it over and to me, there's no such thing as just $5.00. There is, however, just $2.00, but even then, it sort of depends on what I'm buying. Here's something else that irks me: He has a broken down car that we never use that he bought a parking space for, at $150 a month. He's a paralegal temp and averages about $40K-$50K a year. He ended up on a sixth month project that might be extended. His job steadily brings in money and there hasn't been one time in a year and a half that he hasn't been working. He works a lot. All the time. I regularly don't see him until 8-9 pm in the evening.

I know when couples move into the partnership phase where they share spaces and their lives, they do argue about money. All of the money I earn is my own. I have a savings account and an IRA. He's older than me, has no IRA and just got a savings account started. He's not saving aggressively enough, in my opinion. I try to keep my opinions to myself. It's his money, his life, his choices. I don't want to later be blamed for trying to influence him in ways that he resents later.

I hate myself for this, for judging him, because I adore him. He's a wonderful man, he holds up his share of the rent and it really isn't any of my business how he spends his money so long as he holds up his share of the rent. But I'm really worried about him and how he spends unnecessarily. He doesn't use or need the car at all (We haven't used it for more than eight months now), it's in need of repair and to me, $150 is a lot of money.

Here's my question: How do I let him just do whatever he does and not get annoyed or offended by how he spends money. We're not engaged or married, so I just don't feel like it's my business or my burden to bear. And I want to stay in this relationship, whether or not we ever get married or not. I just don't know how to not take his spending personally.

Help me save money without killing my husband.

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 15:11:02 -0800

What's the best way to save money when you have a financially irresponsible spouse? We've been married 3 years. I knew before I married him that he wasn't good with money, but I overestimated my ability to keep his spending in check.

We don't have kids, we rent, and we have a 12 year old car that's on the verge of collapse. After two years of trying to run our own business, he's gotten a good job with the state, which will make us a two-income family for the first time since we got married.

The problem is, it seems the more money we have, the more our spending increases. I struggle to keep to a budget, but to him, a debit or credit card is like free money and he'll slap it down for whatever strikes his fancy at that moment. I always end up being the bad guy.

If we budget correctly, we could be saving $400-$1000 a month. How do I manage this? I'm thinking of just opening a personal savings account of my own and transferring the extra money there so he won't have ready access to it, but I feel bad about it. Is there a better way to handle this? In all other aspects he's a good person and I love him, but I'm afraid that if I don't have a well-thought out plan we'll never be able to buy a house, etc.

Flexible, low-fee payment methods in Europe?

chudmonkey — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 23:32:16 -0800

Suggestions on handling/spending money in Europe? I'm headed to Europe for an extended trip soon. I'll be gone about a year, and I'll be mostly in the UK, France, Spain, Sweden, Holland, Germany, Italy & Greece. I'd like to see Russia and maybe some less-developed eastern nations as well.

I realize the Euro has really simplified things, but I'm just curious as to good ways to handle spending that don't involve a lot of different transactions and currency conversion, etc. I'll need to be able to do things like secure hotel rooms, maybe rent vehicles, and just generally spend money on food, supplies and touristy stuff.

Should I just take my regular Canadian-issued credit cards with me and pay them down as I go? Are traveller's cheques still used these days, and are they a good idea? How about debit cards? How much physical cash am I going to need to handle? How can I best avoiding paying banks all the money I want to spend on my trip?

Tangentally, what steps should I take to protect myself against theft or other financial losses while travelling?

Thanks for any suggestions or anecdotes you can share.

How can I keep my mom from losing her house?

Dean Keaton — Mon, 20 Feb 2006 08:33:46 -0800

My mom is bad with money. She has asked me and my brother to help her with her financial situation, and my brother wants to have power over her financial accounts at her bank. She does not gamble or have drug problems, she just lives beyond her means and we can't stop her unless we have control of her assets which she has agreed to. She currently holds two known mortgages on the home and we want to be able to keep her from putting on any more against it. I know this sounds unusual and we love her very much but if something doesn't happen she will lose her home which would be a fantastic loss (We have another brother who is mentally retarded and we feel it would be especially hard for him to cope with). My mom is a widow and relied on my dad to do all of the financial planning, and since his death my mom has been working full time while recieving aid from the government. She owes two months backpay to most bills. I will be meeting with a financial planner within the month, but how can (and should) we agree to move her assets over to another name to prevent future overspending? How does one begin such a process, and how much money should we expect to spend? When I want to look for a financial planner where should I go or look?

Once again, we have tried many times to have her help herself. It doesn't work. She lives beyond her means and this is something we have all agreed to do.

How much do you spend in a semester's time?

limeonaire — Fri, 16 Dec 2005 10:43:06 -0800

Two-part question about money and spending per semester: first part for college students, second part for those in the post-collegiate working world. College students: How much do you spend in an average semester on expenses other than housing, tuition, and books? (I.e. money spent that doesn't go to your university in some form. If you don't live in on-campus housing, pretend you do by leaving out your housing/cooking/utilities expenses.) The expenses I'm interested in getting a feeling for are a combination of incidentals (eating out, shopping, entertainment) and unavoidable regular expenses (toiletries, cell phone bill).

Post-collegiates: How much do you currently spend in the same categories in the same period of time, i.e. approximately 3.5 months? (Bonus: About how much did you spend per semester when you were an undergraduate?)

I raise this question because as a current college senior, I had my first paying job this semester, albeit one that pays approximately $3.20 an hour, and as I was looking over my bank account activity for the semester...I found that I'd managed to spend a very significant chunk of my meager earnings.

So my recent review of the semester got me wondering how much others in a similar situation are spending, and how much those who are out of college (making "real" money) spend in the same amount of time.

Note: I'm not casting a value judgment on how much people spend (or don't spend), and you shouldn't either when answering this question. Whether you spend $200/semester or $2,000/semester, I simply ask that you refrain from castigating those who spend significantly more or less. Spending levels can be a very touchy subject for some, I've noticed. I'm not interested in hang-ups or value judgments—I just want the facts, whether that means an itemized accounting of your spending or a semester total.

National Budget Spending... Where is all the money going!?!?!

Botunda — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 13:00:16 -0800

Is there someplace to find a easy to understand breakdown of the U.S. National Budget? I was talking to my G/F and her Dad last night and we were talking about paying all these taxes and where the majority of those dollars went. I was saying that alot went to the defense budget and they countered that it went to social services (gee Repub/Dem converstation?)

I do not want to start a political flame war here!!

I just want some actual numbers that show where the money is going either way!

If it's in a pie-chart form or some other graphical way is fine. I like the purdy colors.

kthxbye

P.S. Also, if there is also some place showing the current spending to past spending would be a bonus!