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Saturday, September 3, 2011

Why Aren't You Frugal Anymore?

So asked two of my students who found my not-so-secret blog. The post where I discussed my luxe-on-a-budget lunch at Restaurant August.

First, I should point out that my being LESS frugal than I am normally would be EXTREME frugality for others--not quite in the Amy D. of Tightwad Gazette category, but pretty darn close.

What I said to my inquiring students was this: I had three major financial goals, and I've reached two of them. Goal one was HOUSE. Goal two was COLLEGE for kids. Goal three is retirement, a scary proposition, but the only one left.

Once I realized that, we decided to live it up a little more. Just a little.

Have you reached any of your financial goals?

7 comments:

Shelley said...

I've definitely reached a number of financial goals: houses paid off, money in savings (beginning to invest in stock market), retired from a dreadful job. But, you know, retirement doesn't mean giving up luxuries. The splashing out might be spaced a bit wider is all. On the other hand, the full use of my time and energy for my own purposes and not that of my employer is luxury on a whole other scale.

Duchesse said...

Yes, and considering that I didn't have real goals till my late 30s (except for owning a house), that's an achievement.

Goal: Only 'real' goal left is to not outlive our money, but since we are conscious of what we spend, I feel pretty good about it.

Possible goal: I'd like to leave money to my sons so they could have a downpayment for a house or even a house (depending on where they live), that would be great, but am not going to sit home in ratty clothes to do it.

As you know, I'm the child of a wildly frugal mother (why I love your blog), but don't wish to emulate her, as she denied herself a lot of fun, and that denial did not make her an easy woman to love.

Unknown said...

We have reached one: we own our apartment, no mortgage. We chose to buy an apartment and not a house for that reason (no debts!). Our children are still very young (3 years old) so we have other goals that still need to be reached, mainly their education, and I need to work on my retirement, but we'll get there :)

Anonymous said...

Well, the house is paid off. Still working on college for the kids. Retirement may come before I had planned on it...

Frugal Scholar said...

@Shelley-What a great omment. i'm lucky--I do like my job.

@Duchesse--I didn;t know your mother was frugal! I thought she was an elegant St John lady--though I suppose the two are not mutually exclusive.

@Marcela--I can't believe you own your home already!

@Terri--That's awful. I was living in fear last year, when several people with tenure were let go...

Unknown said...

Well, that's the result of a life of frugality and of 10 years in peacekeeping (nowhere to spend the money on ;)
We are lucky.

Sandy L said...

Yes, I achieved some big goals already. Got educated (a big deal in my family as my mother never got past 6th grade), paid off debts from education. Bought and renovated a home, paid off the home. Bought a second home for mom...paid off home with some of her help, but still renovating it.

Still working on retirement and children's education. I have no idea what to earmark or target for either one, so they are much harder goals to wrap my head around.