Continues saving is tiring, you have to constantly think about money and you can become so focused on saving pennies and completely lose the enjoyment of spending money (even the enjoyment of buying nice things for yourself and others). It does feel good sometimes. Has anyone ever said to themselves "screw the saving attitude, I am here to live and enjoy" How do you manage enjoyment and constant pressure to save more and more? How is it different now after reaching 50 and above in comparison to when we were in our 30th
Has anyone ever regretted saving too much money and not enjoying life?
- Thread starter ahlerka
- Start date
RadishRose
SF VIP
- Location
- Connecticut, USA
Never did I ever save too much money. In fact, I don't think I'm capable of it. 
Karen99
Senior Member
- Location
- California
I've always been a saver..but more so the last twenty years..pay yourself first was the thing. I still do that and my savings is something that makes me feel secure. We had years of living paycheck to paycheck and we made it..but I I like having something for a rainy day. It has not stopped me from getting what I want..it's helped.
If we didn't save when we were younger and both working full time, we'd never have been able to retire early, so the saving was easy and well worth it. We still took a couple of long vacations to Hawaii, bought houses, vehicles and land and other things we wanted. We just spent wisely, didn't deny ourselves at all from what we wanted. Like Karen said, you do what's needed to remain secure and self-sufficient, have something for a rainy day and feel comfortable with retirement, not fearful.
I have some savings but not a lot. I am always thinking of how I'd like to spend it. I usually get to a certain amount of dollars then start spending. I don't know why I just do. But this month I am going to try to save again for last month I spent a lot. I'm saving off of a meager disability income, too. So I deny myself what I want a lot of the time. Maybe that is the answer to why I spend when I get to a certain point. Make sense? I hope so.
On somethings I felt I spent too much and others not enough. If I had been more financially savy much earlier in life other than just banking money I could've done even more.
I will say getting laid off/changing jobs several times before I was 30 helped me live underneath my means which is paying off to this very day many DECADES later. I saw too many even in quite prosperous time over spend enslaving themselves to paying bills for stuff they did not need period, the back end of their life now sucks financially and health wise. I took more vacations and had hobbies many others couldn't dream of after they bought the luxury model of everything "sparing no expense".
Over spending is best summed up with the happiest day is the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
I will say getting laid off/changing jobs several times before I was 30 helped me live underneath my means which is paying off to this very day many DECADES later. I saw too many even in quite prosperous time over spend enslaving themselves to paying bills for stuff they did not need period, the back end of their life now sucks financially and health wise. I took more vacations and had hobbies many others couldn't dream of after they bought the luxury model of everything "sparing no expense".
Over spending is best summed up with the happiest day is the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
Lethe200
Senior Member
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area
>> Has anyone ever said to themselves "screw the saving attitude, I am here to live and enjoy">>
Certainly - I felt, and still feel, that way all the time. I'm a spender and so is my DH, LOL. BUT...and this is a very big "but"....we did a lot of financial planning starting in our late 40's. I worked a lot of jobs and learned how pros do the FP process, got some good advice which we took (thank goodness), and learned the most important lesson of all:
Investing and saving has very little to do with good financial planning. True, money gives you options. What it doesn't give you is a STRATEGY for lowering your personal risk profile in order to increase the odds of your achieving your goals.
If you decide not to pay for auto insurance, then speeding increases your risks. Not maintaining your car mechanically bumps those risks higher. Obviously, you can lower your risks by a combination of factors.
Planning can be likened to this. It is a cost vs. value proposition that depends on your own unique factors and personal likes/dislikes. In this auto example, you have options along the way. How much insurance are you willing to pay for? Is it worth spending $$$ to keep the car running as it ages, or will you eventually be pouring more into it than it's worth, considering your time/trouble? At what point do you bite the bullet and go buy a new or (younger) used car? What kind? How much effort do you want to put into getting the absolute lowest price possible, because the car industry ensures it will take you A LOT of time and energy to wrangle them into a few hundred dollars savings.
So, when you look at what is seemingly a simple situation, it isn't simple at all if you're factoring it into a holistic, comprehensive financial overview of your situation, wants and needs.
But good planning means asking yourself the hard questions. This is where a lot of people stumble. Nobody has enough money for everything. So what are your goals, and what are your risks? Can you define them clearly; and accept there is probably a lot more risk in your life than you could ever completely eliminate?
How much are you willing to spend to lower your biggest risks - which might be physical (health), environmental (where you live: high costs, stress, lack of services/transit if you can't drive), social (friends get old and die off; family might not be available to help you), financial (traveling can cost $$$; healthcare costs increase with age even if you don't need a nursing aka skilled care facility; if you need care, how long can you afford to pay for it?).
A good financial plan means you must honestly assess where you are now, where you want to be, and how to get from the former to the latter. It also means you have planned for things going wrong and NOT according to plan, and you have prepared for those bad times as best you possibly can.
IOW, you do not need to skimp on your current life. But you do need to feel you have done some real work on how to manage even if three or four bad luck incidents pile on top of you unexpectedly!
>>How do you manage enjoyment and constant pressure to save more and more?>>
Enjoyment has nothing to do with money and everything to do with a state of mind. If you have a plan and have faced up to your greatest risks - which are really your greatest fears - you really will be able to relax more and feel "in charge", which is all that being prepared actually is.
It has been shown that the greatest enjoyment we receive is from experiences, not from material possessions. You will get greater enjoyment from life in calling up an old friend you haven't seen in a couple of years, and getting together for drinks or coffee, than you ever will from a Bentley Continental GT in your garage. (and yeah, I would really like one of those in my garage, LOL!)
Save as much as you can - have it taken out of your paycheck automatically so you don't need to think about it. Always have a little room in your budget for 'fun money.' Your friends won't think less of you for honestly saying, "hey, can we get together and do something simple? I'm on a budget these days, y'know how it is."
They will know, and a real friend will probably be happy s/he doesn't have to spend too much $$$, either. Grab a bottle of wine or a six-pak, and sit in the park to watch the sunset. Take a hike, go to the beach. Or just sit in the backyard or in your LR and TALK.
You'll remember good times with friends long afterwards, and many times the simpler you keep the experience, the more meaningful it is.
And if you don't have any friends, MAKE SOME.
>>How is it different now after reaching 50 and above in comparison to when we were in our 30th>>
Not much different, nor should it be. You're saving for retirement, whenever that may be, and that's when things change. If you are as focused on enjoying life as it is now, every moment that you can, it's easier to accept that your plans are long-term.
I'm a city gal, never been much for the countryside. But I always appreciated those moments of transient natural beauty that came during my working career:
- being on a bus or railway, and spying a gorgeous sunset through the window.
- walking down a sidewalk and smelling the scent of a fragrant rose or lily as I passed by.
- trees leafing out in spring and the magnolias bursting into bloom.
Here's a tip: those moments happen a little more often in retirement, but they are no more thrilling for my being retired. In fact, when I worked I probably appreciated them more!
Remember, the older you get, the faster time really does seem to go. So don't be too eager to get old [smile]!
Certainly - I felt, and still feel, that way all the time. I'm a spender and so is my DH, LOL. BUT...and this is a very big "but"....we did a lot of financial planning starting in our late 40's. I worked a lot of jobs and learned how pros do the FP process, got some good advice which we took (thank goodness), and learned the most important lesson of all:
Investing and saving has very little to do with good financial planning. True, money gives you options. What it doesn't give you is a STRATEGY for lowering your personal risk profile in order to increase the odds of your achieving your goals.
If you decide not to pay for auto insurance, then speeding increases your risks. Not maintaining your car mechanically bumps those risks higher. Obviously, you can lower your risks by a combination of factors.
Planning can be likened to this. It is a cost vs. value proposition that depends on your own unique factors and personal likes/dislikes. In this auto example, you have options along the way. How much insurance are you willing to pay for? Is it worth spending $$$ to keep the car running as it ages, or will you eventually be pouring more into it than it's worth, considering your time/trouble? At what point do you bite the bullet and go buy a new or (younger) used car? What kind? How much effort do you want to put into getting the absolute lowest price possible, because the car industry ensures it will take you A LOT of time and energy to wrangle them into a few hundred dollars savings.
So, when you look at what is seemingly a simple situation, it isn't simple at all if you're factoring it into a holistic, comprehensive financial overview of your situation, wants and needs.
But good planning means asking yourself the hard questions. This is where a lot of people stumble. Nobody has enough money for everything. So what are your goals, and what are your risks? Can you define them clearly; and accept there is probably a lot more risk in your life than you could ever completely eliminate?
How much are you willing to spend to lower your biggest risks - which might be physical (health), environmental (where you live: high costs, stress, lack of services/transit if you can't drive), social (friends get old and die off; family might not be available to help you), financial (traveling can cost $$$; healthcare costs increase with age even if you don't need a nursing aka skilled care facility; if you need care, how long can you afford to pay for it?).
A good financial plan means you must honestly assess where you are now, where you want to be, and how to get from the former to the latter. It also means you have planned for things going wrong and NOT according to plan, and you have prepared for those bad times as best you possibly can.
IOW, you do not need to skimp on your current life. But you do need to feel you have done some real work on how to manage even if three or four bad luck incidents pile on top of you unexpectedly!
>>How do you manage enjoyment and constant pressure to save more and more?>>
Enjoyment has nothing to do with money and everything to do with a state of mind. If you have a plan and have faced up to your greatest risks - which are really your greatest fears - you really will be able to relax more and feel "in charge", which is all that being prepared actually is.
It has been shown that the greatest enjoyment we receive is from experiences, not from material possessions. You will get greater enjoyment from life in calling up an old friend you haven't seen in a couple of years, and getting together for drinks or coffee, than you ever will from a Bentley Continental GT in your garage. (and yeah, I would really like one of those in my garage, LOL!)
Save as much as you can - have it taken out of your paycheck automatically so you don't need to think about it. Always have a little room in your budget for 'fun money.' Your friends won't think less of you for honestly saying, "hey, can we get together and do something simple? I'm on a budget these days, y'know how it is."
They will know, and a real friend will probably be happy s/he doesn't have to spend too much $$$, either. Grab a bottle of wine or a six-pak, and sit in the park to watch the sunset. Take a hike, go to the beach. Or just sit in the backyard or in your LR and TALK.
You'll remember good times with friends long afterwards, and many times the simpler you keep the experience, the more meaningful it is.
And if you don't have any friends, MAKE SOME.
>>How is it different now after reaching 50 and above in comparison to when we were in our 30th>>
Not much different, nor should it be. You're saving for retirement, whenever that may be, and that's when things change. If you are as focused on enjoying life as it is now, every moment that you can, it's easier to accept that your plans are long-term.
I'm a city gal, never been much for the countryside. But I always appreciated those moments of transient natural beauty that came during my working career:
- being on a bus or railway, and spying a gorgeous sunset through the window.
- walking down a sidewalk and smelling the scent of a fragrant rose or lily as I passed by.
- trees leafing out in spring and the magnolias bursting into bloom.
Here's a tip: those moments happen a little more often in retirement, but they are no more thrilling for my being retired. In fact, when I worked I probably appreciated them more!
Remember, the older you get, the faster time really does seem to go. So don't be too eager to get old [smile]!
Last edited:
Lon
Well-known Member
- Location
- Central California
No, My saving habit was a good choice because it's paid off for me. It's comforting to know that I will never be a financial burden to anyone or anything.
Underock1
Senior Member
- Location
- Suburban NJ
:lofl:
Now to answer the question. We were savers right from the start. There was never "too much money" to save. We saved $2,000. before having our first kid. We saved $2,000. to put a down payment on a house which we bought for $!8,700.:what1:
This was over fifty years ago of course! The luckiest thing that ever happened to me was to have a friend who was selling mutual funds when they first came out. Being an unambitious type,I figured I would rather have my money work for me. Our first priority was to get out of debt. Once we did, we never went back. We always lived simply. Not poorly. Simply. We enjoyed the good things in life. Our kids, each other, flowers, birds, the Fall trees. Butterflies really are free.