If you have significant debt

[Anonymous]

Most of my salary goes toward essential bills. I afford myself the luxury of yoga classes and I paid to join a running group and taekwon do
Otherwise I am very frugal

[Anonymous]

Maybe the kids could do some work; grocery packing for tips, yard clean up assistant or summer camp assistant for some money so that they could get guitar lessons. ?
Good luck.
My son is 10 and he'll be doing some grocery packing on Saturday afternoons.

[Anonymous]

Maybe the kids could do some work; grocery packing for tips, yard clean up assistant or summer camp assistant for some money so that they could get guitar lessons. ?
Good luck.
My son is 10 and he'll be doing some grocery packing on Saturday afternoons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, i'm constantly having to deny myself things I want and it can get depressing. My kids want so much..... Ice cream, clothes, toys, guitar lessons, sleepover camp, trips, electronics, you name it. But I just have to keep my eye on the goal.....retirement and college and savings.

Why do they want so much? My kids are 8 and 10 and rarely ask for anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know where you people live, but family vacations to Europe is not the norm where I grew up nor where I live now. Nor are ski lessons. You cannot become victim to peer pressure.

I grew up here and this was the norm and I live in nw dc and it is still the norm.

I grew up in upper NW DC and attended privates, and this was definitely the norm as well. My husband and I are very comfortable but cannot provide that lifestyle for our family with our joint income. I do feel badly about it because I know there is a whole group of people that are able to; in fact, sometimes I don't want to keep up with people I grew up with because they are all living that lifestyle (homes in upper NW, country clubs, kids in privates, designer clothes and fancy cars, trips, etc.) and it makes me feel badly. I know it's irrational as we work very hard and have done everything on our own while many of the folks I grew up with have trust funds and significant help from parents/grandparents, but I still feel that way. It's like being back in high school!

[Anonymous]

You could be me PP. I know how it feels.