Comments on: Monday Motivation

By: Charger (Not)

Charger (Not) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:44:09 +0000

I always hated owing money and every dollar that I owed a credit card company was a dollar I couldn’t use to invest or save. My motivation was and still is building a nest egg for the future.
My uncle always said that tomorrow isn’t promised to you and you have to live in today. Of course, he has consumed and spent all of his life and will probably never be able to retire.
Frugal tip: I developed interests in things that were free or relatively inexpensive and healthy, like going to the beach, biking, rollerblading, checking DVDs out from the library rather than buying them or renting them, shopping at second-hand clothing stores or only buying from the clearance racks.
After a while these things become a way of life and they don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of anything.

By: Jasmine

Jasmine — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:00:01 +0000

Coupon clipping can also be done online and it alleviates the headaches of having to cut along the dotted lines. Check out smartsource.com or valpak.com and you can print only the ones you want.

By: Frugalista

Frugalista — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:10:34 +0000

Savvy-Financial independence would be a beautiful thing.
Coco-You summed it up. Sometimes I feel like I’m working to keep other people doing ok.
Tianna-Feel you on being frugal to pay for past spending. I’m in that mode now.
Twiggers-It’s taken Wonder Woman’s strength for me not to ask you if you are selling any of your designer bags on Ebay. EVERYTHING. If I reach my financial goals though, an LV bag will be mine!

By: Twiggers

Twiggers — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:08:44 +0000

Well for me it is necessity as I have had this ‘aha’ moment of realizing that I cannot live in debt anymore. I want to be able to go into a store and know that I actually have the money in my bank account to pay for it. I want to stop impulse buying! I figure having to save up money to pay cash for something will definitely reduce that! I really want that freedom!
That said, when my debt is done I will probably go back to spending…BUT the key thing is that I WILL NOT use credit cards. I will buy those $300 jeans or newest ‘IT’ bag with cold hard cash. In addition, I will also be mindful of my spending….I will save for retirement and vacations…and then spend the leftover!

By: Tianna

Tianna — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:34:19 +0000

Frugality is a new lifestyle choice for me. The motivation-sheer need. I make money but most of it goes toward paying off my past. I feel uncomfortable or embarrassed by it. It is the manifestation of what I say I hate about “young” people today- the instant gratification lifestyle. I am my parents’ child. Spend today and worry about tomorrow tomorrow. As I get older, I realize that it is no way to live. The brief high I get on buying whatever whenever is long outlived by the debt it creates and the joy is definitely outweighed by the thought that I am not not financially independent and two paychecks away from….. So, sheer need. yes, necessity dictates frugality.

By: Coco

Coco — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:30:42 +0000

Motivation for frugality?…hmmm – I guess I just like keeping some of the money that I work so hard to earn.

By: savy

savy — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:12:06 +0000

I’m frugal for a number of reasons. 1 – I don’t like to be wasteful as it pertains to anything. Therefore, I don’t like wasting money (paying more than I have for something or paying for things I won’t use). 2 – The more money I save (meaning not spend), the more money I can save (savings accounts or investments) which puts me that much closer to my goal of financial independence.
Being frugal is a bit of a game to me (yeah, I’m a nerd). I like my somewhat extravagant standard of living so it’s a challenge for me to see how little I can spend while maintaining the same standard of living.