Anyone else obsessed with saving?

[Kendo]

I find that I'm constantly saving since I already own most of the things I want or need (HDTV, PS3, Xbox 360, MacBook Air, iPad, and iPhone).

Some of my friends are in their late twenties or early thirties and don't have a 6 month emergency fund. Even worse, some are still in credit card debt in the thousands.

The one benefit of saving is that I can make a medium sized purchase like an HDTV and MacBook and pay it in full. The negative is that I rarely buy anything because I pretty much have everything I want so all I do is keep saving.

Anyone else like this?

 

[kolax]

I sometimes buy stuff I don't really need. A blender that can hold more, even though I'll rarely ever need one with such capacity.

But I try to save, and buy things in full, such as a new laptop. It's good to have more than one savings account - one that is an ISA, and another that's just money for a rainy day kind of thing, and maybe even another for a future purchase when the time comes.

If I don't separate my savings like that, I end up eating into it more than I intended.

 

[Firestar]

Kind of. I save for everything I want to buy because I don't really have a choice otherwise (well, not buying it, I guess), so I do save, but I have to to get stuff I want.

Once I get some more stuff I want (TV, iPad, iPod Classic) then I think I'll refrain from more big purchases for a while.

Currently, because I have a lot stuff I want to buy, I buy it once I have enough, usually depleting the money I have to spend (although I do have a savings account, but that isn't spending money).

 

[samiwas]

This guy is.

Oh wait....

 

[mobilehaathi]

Anyone else like this?

Yes, part of it is because I don't like to accumulate things, so I prefer to spend money on food/drink/travel. Combine this with having very little time on my hands to actually enjoy any of that, and even my meager salary accumulates while living in one of the most expensive areas of the US.

I'm also quite risk adverse, and part of managing my risk is to save like mad. I've got several months in cash and about 2 years of liquid assets to live on in an emergency.

Oh and I don't (yet) have kids. Kids are expensive; so that saves money.

 

[Shrink]

I'm obsessed with saving, because I don't do any of it.

Maybe if I was able actually to save, I wouldn't be thinking about it all the time.

 

[Happybunny]

I still save I'm now 64 yrs old. €125 per month.

My house is paid off and I have no loans, and live well with in my budget.

 

[Iscariot]

I AM SO OBSESSED WITH SAVING. I saw this guy, ok, THIS GUY at the ATM and I saw his bank balance and he had no savings and he was like almost 30 THATS OLD so I totally CAVED HIS STUPID SKULL IN WITH A BRICK and I took his money and I went to ING Direct with his money and his ID and they were all like "we'll help you SAVE YOUR MONEY" and I was all like "HI I'M *THIS GUY*" and I put it all in a 10 year GIC WHAT A GREAT INTEREST RATE

HES GOING TO THANK ME IN TEN YEARS WHEN HE NEEDS A NEW WHEELCHAIR HA HA HA

 

[Dweez]

Obsessed with saving? No. Do I save? Absolutely.

 

[maflynn]

I wish I was better at it, to be honest. Most of my life I was a spender and while I do put a little something away each pay period I know there's a lot of room for improvement.

Life with kids makes it more challenging as their expenses only increases and puts pressure on my ability to save

 

[kolax]

I AM SO OBSESSED WITH SAVING. I saw this guy, ok, THIS GUY at the ATM and I saw his bank balance and he had no savings and he was like almost 30 THATS OLD so I totally CAVED HIS STUPID SKULL IN WITH A BRICK and I took his money and I went to ING Direct with his money and his ID and they were all like "we'll help you SAVE YOUR MONEY" and I was all like "HI I'M *THIS GUY*" and I put it all in a 10 year GIC WHAT A GREAT INTEREST RATE

HES GOING TO THANK ME IN TEN YEARS WHEN HE NEEDS A NEW WHEELCHAIR HA HA HA

I'm guessing you're a banker.

 

[mobilehaathi]

I'm guessing you're a banker.

I don't know...he didn't drink the guy's blood...perhaps he's new at it.

 

[Mr. McMac]

I've been saving 50% of my salary for the past 30 years. I'll be retiring in 2 years 2 months when I'm 62 with a decent amount of money. House is paid off with a legal apartment which pays the property tax, insurance, etc.. I seriously can't wait not to have to work anymore

 

[And]

Yeah, I'm a saver. I can't help it! To be honest I used to live from month to month and decided one day to sort myself out and started saving and have reaped the benefits. I have relaxed a bit now but still save for everything I buy (imac next purchase if the specs are right - hoping for SSD on base model. I can dream. If next update doesn't meet this requirement, I can wait. That's the thing with the saving, you have to be able to wait.)

 

[puma1552]

I'm obsessed with saving, because I don't do any of it.

Maybe if I was able actually to save, I wouldn't be thinking about it all the time.

Driving a $50k+ M-roadster is probably part of the problem, I would venture to guess.

 

[heehee]

My goal is to make as much money as possible so I don't have to save.

 

[Shrink]

Driving a $50k+ M-roadster is probably part of the problem, I would venture to guess.

True - it never met a gas station it didn't like. And at a current $4.20 a gallon getting...shall we say... less than Prius mileage, it does run up.

However, the cost of the car was remarkable. The sticker was 65K, and was 3 model years old when I bought it. Here's the best part...only 6,000 miles on it, and after some pathetic dickering on my part, (not including trade in) I paid $30,000 for it.

I realize that's not exactly a giveaway, but it's a lot of car for 30K.

However, you are right. If I were driving a $20,000 car, payments would be cheaper and so would gas.

BTW: All upkeep was covered, up to two months ago.

 

[puma1552]

Ah, that's not too bad then...I was under the impression you bought it new...my apologies.

Would love an M Coupe (or even a Z4 coupe) myself but my past experience with BMW has steered me away if they are out of warranty.

 

[soloer]

I've been saving 50% of my salary for the past 30 years. I'll be retiring in 2 years 2 months when I'm 62 with a decent amount of money. House is paid off with a legal apartment which pays the property tax, insurance, etc.. I seriously can't wait not to have to work anymore

Wow, how do you manage to save 50%? That's very impressive regardless of your salary.

I wouldn't say I'm obsessed by any means. Concerned is more like it. I was an impulse buyer a large part of my life, and living check to check just sucks.

 

[Shrink]

Ah, that's not too bad then...I was under the impression you bought it new...my apologies.

Would love an M Coupe (or even a Z4 coupe) myself but my past experience with BMW has steered me away if they are out of warranty.

Thanks, no worries, mate. I never could have afforded it new, no matter how much I didn't save.

As far as out of warrantee goes...for routine maintenance I plan on using a local garage with mechanics trained in BMW servicing...but not the dealership!

 

[likemyorbs]

Hellz no. You only live once, so what if you get in a little debt? Just have fun and try to live remotely within your means.

 

[Apple fanboy]

I can never understand why people don't save. People who buy things on credit just pay so much more. Unfortunately we live in a have now pay later culture. I've lived on really poor money but have always lived within my means. I paid of my mortgage before I was 35 and have never had a loan or credit card. I never went to university and have never earnt more than an average salary. I save as much as I can, and if I need or want something I have funds available.

 

[mgguy]

I invest more than I save, though I do both. I bought S&P500 index funds and various diversified mutual funds, including international, when the stock market was at its lowest points over the past couple of years. The more it went down, the more I bought. Also max out on 401 and 457 retirement options. Not doing too shabbily, but not yet part of the 1% crowd.

 

[Demosthenes X]

I've always been pretty good about saving. I started moving 25% of each paycheque into a dedicated savings account back in August - I should have done it years ago - but I'm still pretty happy with where my savings are at.

My long-term goals with my savings are a good-sized downpayment on a house or condo, and to pay cash for a new car when mine eventually dies. And of course, to save enough to occasionally upgrade my computer.

 

[Melrose]

I've always been excellent with money, to the point of obsession.. and mostly because I had no choice but to be that way.

Lately, however, I've started being less uptight mentally about it and don't have as much stress, feel better being more generous, and still have enough at the end of the month. I'm making much more now, but how much one makes doesn't necessarily have a bearing on the stress one has about it. I've tried to just lighten up about my finances all the way around.

I drive a nice car, have a nice computer and stuff, but it's only because I'm smart with what I make. Not anal or mingy, just smart.