YO Leebs,
Is your struggling to reach 4 digits per month a necessity of your career/life or do you have a gringotts vault full of treasures due to your thriftiness?
I've been thinking about this a lot over the course of the last couple of days, since I brought it up.
It's definitely not a necessity of career/life - I live well below my means, based on all economic standards/budget breakdowns (example: I spend NOWHERE NEAR 25-30% on housing-related expenses, which is the generally-accepted percentage for those expenses). I save a lot and have a lot pulled out of my check before I even see it, so there's a gringott's thing going on to an extent (that I won't play with for ~30 more years).
To say I 'struggle' to reach 4 digits a month may not be the right way of saying it, either. I could absolutely be more willy-nilly about my spending, or care less about saving various dollars and cents in comparing price per oz. or name vs. store brand in my grocery shopping, etc. but those things add up over time and I'll probably always get excited over a deal. I don't impulse shop or stray much from my list, and try to avoid shopping at places (Target, I'm looking at you) where I know I'm tempted to get random crap. I dunno, I just generally choose not to spend my money. I might go shopping, pick up/try on a top, like it, carry it around the store for a bit, think about whether or not I really NEED it... and probably 80% of the time I end up putting it back. Also of note, I'm doing this at stores like Old Navy so even if I do get it, it's maybe $20. That said, when I go shopping for something very particular, I am willing to spend good money for it (example: Frye boots) because I know I'll have it for a long time and get that value out of it.
It's also helpful that the things I do for fun are "free" once I got over the hurdle of initial investment costs. Yes, I have expensive bikes and I wear expensive clothes/gear when I ride them, but those things are all very much paid for at this point. Now I just get to enjoy them, and outside is free.
Shrug. Not sure what else to say. I don't like a lot of material *stuff* and my parents set a good example of spending wisely and not just buying the next biggest/best whatever just because you want it, especially if you already have things that work.
eta: regarding the pizza man, we've had this conversation and we see very eye-to-eye on this and I know he's setting that example for his kids, too. They don't want for anything, but they also recognize they're not going to get everything they ask for and that adults don't always get whatever they want, either. You save for the things you'd like, and work hard for the things you want to accomplish. Effort pays off. That said, for us adults, it's nice to know that (largely because of how we manage the rest of our lives) we can go out and drop $150 on a nice meal and not stress about it.
