I have money, but this is where I cheap out

[Anonymous]

We could qualify for $1.5 mil house, but bought $500K one.

We drive Hondas and Toyotas. We buy them new, but drive them for 10-15 years. No luxury cars for us.

We don’t eat out a lot, we cook at home mostly.

We don’t own any designer clothes or expensive jewellery. I occasionally get pedicures and regular haircuts/coloring that are not cheap.

We spend a lot on travel, DC’s private school, sports and tutoring. We spend a lot on good quality food. We have cleaners but that’s because I don’t have time.

[Anonymous]

Drive cars for 12+ years - and they show it
Spouse is the master of airline and hotel points - we spend way less than one would think based on where we go
Cheap on clothes - poshmark, etc

On the other side
Nice house and private school

[Anonymous]

Public schools, house bought 23 years ago fully paid off. Don't spend much on travel because DH doesn't like to leave home (I'm starting to travel more without him).

[Anonymous]

Everything. There are very few things where you need to pay full price and even fewer of those you must buy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Food. We eat out maybe 2-3 times a week, and even then it's pretty basic (wings, Chinese). I also am vigilant about not wasting food and we eat simply at home unless it's a special occasion - lots of pasta, soup, sandwiches. I do splurge on sourdough from our local bakery - $7 a loaf!

We share a car and it is a non-luxury brand.

Clothes. I will occasionally get a nice dress from Nordstrom but only for a wedding or similar. Day to day my family wears clothes from TJ Maxx, Target, and Walmart (esp the kids). We also don't buy clothes that often. I do have a LOT of shoes - my weakness - but nothing designer. I've been using the same handbags for years.

Our house. We bought a small and not updated house and I have no interest in moving or expanding our existing space. Our mortgage is $1600 a month and we live in an excellent school district.

I do have cleaners. I consider it worth every penny.

I spend a lot on makeup (Dior, Chanel) and perfume. And I will get a professional massage/facial every month or two, which I recognize is a total splurge.

We do spend on vacations/travel.

Combined we make a very comfortable HHI. (Low-to-mid six figures.)

Both my DH and I are spenders by nature but I manage the finances, and just approach it as I would a small business. I put on my MBA hat to manage our finances and recognize that I would much rather have cash in reserves than have had a bunch of BS experiences and things.

Off-topic but are bakeries still even a thing? Or do you mean the bakery section at Whole Foods?

No, I mean a bakery. Local, non-chain, only makes baked goods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Everything. There are very few things where you need to pay full price and even fewer of those you must buy.

This/
You don't have to be rich to realize that so many things aren't worth the money or even time. Let's not assume that poor people want things and would buy them if they had money. I wish there was something I liked so much that I'm willing to work extra for it.
I grew up in the world with few possessions. Life was all about experiences and people around you. I want that back at my older age, not crap.
Very surprised when people still talk about jewelry or luxury cars.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clothes...I don't buy new clothes. I have had most of mine for a decade. I toss them when they break a zipper or get holes. When I do buy clothes, I tend to shop Sam's.

Vehicles...I drive a 14 year old truck with plenty of rust and dings. Not going to upgrade for a few more years/until it is unreliable.

I clean my own house and my 12 yo mows the lawn.

I'm an avid bargain shopper when I need something, and use FB Marketplace, etc. to save substantially on certain items. I try not to buy things I don't need -- but if I know I am going to need something, I will purchase ahead if I find a deal.

I'll pay by check or cash rather than pay a 3% credit card fee.

I always fly coach and stay in cheap hotels. Personal comfort just isn't a huge deal to me.

Curious what “I have money” means in this thread.

NW of a few million, HHI $400k in my case (PP you quoted). I have some very expensive tastes as well (food, own five horses, travel a lot.)

Not to threadjack but please let me know how you have five horses on that HHI!! Do you board? I’m struggling to pay for one at $350k.

PP here: I do board (other people’s horses!). I own a boarding barn. A couple are retirees that have earned a good retirement (one is over 30 yo but still in good shape), one is leased out and actually makes $$. I only have one show horse. The retirees are in some ways more expensive to care for though, like elderly people they have special needs.

[Anonymous]

Can the pp who likes to buy and get bargains for others please tell us where to get deosner purses for pennies? Are they reps? Where? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can the pp who likes to buy and get bargains for others please tell us where to get deosner purses for pennies? Are they reps? Where? Thank you!

I think she meant “designer”. As in illegal knock offs from china.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll go out of my way to save 5 cents a gallon on gas.

DH, sitting on $10M in assets, drives 10 miles for Costco premium gas (more than 5 cents savings, but still).. I use this to my advantage.

I remember in my first - and only - year in BigLaw, a partner telling me how she'd driven 25 miles to save $10 on a baby carrier. I couldn't believe it. She must have made $1000 an hour.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I furnished and nicely decorated my 5,000 sqft house for under 10,000 dollars. Very proud of it.

Right? Who TF ARE these people that are so ignant about money? "But I have to spend this much , or else I've nothing to complain about..." GTFO.

What do you mean? People spend 10 times of 10k to furnish this size house. It takes a lot of discipline, perseverance, creativity and imagination to achieve the same effect through thrift shopping, DIY and only a few really nice pieces, to achieve a similar result with a small budget. How is it tone deaf?

+1

PP here. I agree. I think there are many show offs in this area, and they are boors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Everything. There are very few things where you need to pay full price and even fewer of those you must buy.

This/
You don't have to be rich to realize that so many things aren't worth the money or even time. Let's not assume that poor people want things and would buy them if they had money. I wish there was something I liked so much that I'm willing to work extra for it.
I grew up in the world with few possessions. Life was all about experiences and people around you. I want that back at my older age, not crap.
Very surprised when people still talk about jewelry or luxury cars.

+1

People who still talk about jewelry or luxury cars do not seem very refined to me - just the opposite.

[Anonymous]

I refuse to buy cereal or soup unless it’s on sale. I make cookies and muffins from scratch. I only buy Diet Coke on sale - if I run out between sales I drink tea. I make my kids bring water bottles everywhere and I won’t buy bottled water unless it’s seriously hot and it’s a necessity. We use generic / store brand for most things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'll go out of my way to save 5 cents a gallon on gas.

DH, sitting on $10M in assets, drives 10 miles for Costco premium gas (more than 5 cents savings, but still).. I use this to my advantage.

I remember in my first - and only - year in BigLaw, a partner telling me how she'd driven 25 miles to save $10 on a baby carrier. I couldn't believe it. She must have made $1000 an hour.

For some people it’s about the chase and the thrill of the bargain. I see this in consulting partners and highly paid sales people - they just love to win. My time is the most valuable thing to me and I value my time at $60-80/hr depending on the task. If I can hire out a job less than that, I will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Clothes and handbags. I cannot roll my eyes more at luxury handbags in particular. Such a scam.

Stone jewelry because the lab-grown ones are as or more beautiful and come without the horrific human rights abuses. I actually have a hard time looking at the gigantic diamonds some people wear because of the blood history behind them.

Expensive sunglasses. Luxottica has a monopoly on the market and you aren’t actually getting anything unique.

I can tell cheap clothes from a mile away, they don't fit well and materials are synthethic (not elegant and not good for the environment!). Purses don't have to be designer, but those cheap Target purses are not fooling anyone.

DP here. I don’t think my cheapest purse is “fooling anyone” - I just don’t see it as a reflection of my self worth or net worth.

another DP. Money spent on a purse is absurd.