Cautionary Tales

 Recommended reading for all women:

-- Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

-- Evicted by Matthew Desmond (2016)

Read and heed!

Penny Pincher

Gifts to Myself

I have a birthday coming soon.  Every year I make a key lime pie to celebrate.  It's my favorite and I savor it for eight nights.  I believe in 12 days of birthday - like the 12 days of Christmas - but, alas, the pie only lasts for 8.  

Other gifts to myself: 

-- Staying debt free - the benefits are myriad.  I sleep well every night, no stress, no anxiety.  No complaints.  It's the best gift I've ever given myself and highly recommended.  No loans, my credit card bills are paid in full every month.  A save half, spend half budget works for me.

-- Good health - for which I am grateful every day.  I celebrate by going for a brisk walk every morning (weather permitting) about sunrise.  

-- Cheap treats - this year I gave myself a $20 one year sub to a streaming channel.  It was a godfather offer I couldn't refuse.  I get to watch tournament golf, plus movies, the Olympics, tv-reruns.  A gift I'll enjoy daily for the next year.

Celebrate the good things you've done for yourself.  Sleep well. 

Penny Pincher

Budget Busters

Read an article online about increased borrowing to make ends meet.  Mostly credit card spending.  

What caught my eye was a woman bemoaning her increased spending due to rising prices and what would happen if her auto tires needed replacing OR her dog needed to go to the vet.

What???  You're having trouble feeding yourself on your current income, your credit card debt is increasing and you have a dog???   The dog is a budget buster!

Getting personal.  I am a cat lover.  However, where I live pets are a no-no.  I accept it.  I knew the rules before I moved in and have lived for 15 years without a cat.  Today, a cat would be a budget buster.  

Other budger busters?  

-- Smoking.  Glad I quit 17 years ago when a carton of cigarettes was less than half of what it costs now.  I couldn't afford to smoke at today's prices.  Budget buster.

-- Recipes with more than a few ingredients.  A pinch of this, a dab of that, pretty soon you're talking real money.  Budget buster.

-- Subscriptions.  Budget buster.

True story.  About thirty years ago I came home after being away for a couple of months, flat broke and with $5,000.00 in credit card debt.   I asked myself, "Is this how you want to live?"  No!  I bit the bullet and paid off the debt in about a year of skinny living and have been debt free ever since.  My credit card use is paid in full every month.  Some months I don't use my credit cards at all.

What are the busters in your budget?  It's never too late to get smart about spending.

Penny Pincher

Stupid Spending

There's silly spending, then there's stupid spending!

Read about a woman (a shrink?) who blew six figures online gambling.  I call that really stupid spending.   What was she thinking?  Easy come, easy go???

Getting personal.  I look at jewelry I own but seldom wear.  Stupid spending.  Now that I no longer have cable, I bought a $30 Roku for Christmas (a one time purchase) and look only at FREE channels.  NO subscriptions for me.  

I have one online media subscription at an intro annual rate.  It expires next week.  I have already cancelled and will not renew.  I enjoyed it, but was unable to find out what the annual renewal rate would be and I deplore monthly billing.  That's like being pecked to death by vultures on a monthly basis.  Read an article online about a man who cancelled all his subscriptions and saved enough each month to make his monthly car payment.  That's smart spending!

Call me thrifty, call me frugal, call me cheap.  Call me debt free and happy.

Penny Pincher