Spending for happy: What purchases give you most joy?
I’m usually so focussed on spending less money in general, that it’s actually really liberating to think about spending more money in some areas, and to make cutbacks in others without affecting my overall happiness. My question is, what purchases do other Homies consider to have the highest happy-for-money rating? What can we spend proportionately MORE on, to make sure our money’s working for us, and where can we cut back without noticing even a dint on our happy-ometer?
Meal Planning to save money, time, and cut back on take-out
My husband and I realized we had a bit of an addiction to convenience food and take-out, and it was costing us more than we were happy about. I did what any reasonable woman of the world with an internet connection would do and I went to Pinterest. After a couple different meal planning experiments, I’ve found a way to kick our take-out addiction!
One-lowsmanship, money anxieties, and being a work in progress
There is a great article that John Cheese wrote about what growing up poor does to your brain. It’s pretty dead-on. One of the things is that when you have extra money, the desire is to spend it RIGHT NOW before some disaster happens and you have to use it to take care of that instead. For years, that was me. And then, after lots of soul searching and hard lessons, I went so far the opposite direction that my cheapness probably qualifies as a mental illness.
How do I find a financial advisor for non-rich folks?
My brand new husband and I are muddling through figuring out our money and I thought that seeing a financial adviser would be a great idea. I started looking for fee-only financial advisers in Los Angeles and I found that by and large, these folks are for rich people. One even said they won’t talk to you if you make less than $200,000 per year. I feel like professional help is in order, but who do I get it from?
Should we get divorced but stay together?
When my husband and I weren’t married I had “zero” income. Now that we’re married and I’m on his healthcare and I’m trying to continue my education I’m realizing that my low/no income healthcare was far better than actually being insured. And now I’m worried about me receiving enough aid to finish school. Has anyone else thought about just getting a divorce on paper in order to reap the financial benefits?
Stolen keys, ID, and phone? PSSHT, I got this
I woke up to a phone call from my husband at 6:30 one morning and the not-so-exciting news that his keys, wallet, and phone were stolen from work. His wallet, of course, had his ID and Social Security Card in it, along with a debit card and the one measly credit card we had. I knew I was in for an annoying morning, but I felt fine: our bank shuts down cards the minute you say “stol–” and we had the foresight to opt into our phone company’s insurance program so I knew that would be handled as well.
Should you talk about money with people who have different financial priorities?
I have a friend who often makes remarks about having no money. “We can’t afford to buy fruits and vegetables.” “I hope you’re not getting sick, because we can’t afford a visit to the doctor.” “We can’t make it to your place for game night because we can’t afford the gas.” It’s true that they don’t have much, raising a family of three on just a teacher’s salary. But it seems (to me) like the money they do have is spent frivolously or unnecessarily. I don’t have a problem with people indulging when they have the disposable income. But I’m getting more and more uncomfortable. Commenting about being poor followed by showing a link to a costume jacket that he hopes to purchase frustrates me. Should I speak up and say something, or just chalk it up to different priorities?
The four-hour trip to the bank that reminded us about what was REALLY important
All the while we were dating, my (now) husband and I kept or finances completely separate, but after a long talk about money, we decided we at least needed access to each other’s bank accounts. My husband banks at Navy Federal Credit Union, and the nearest branch is four hours away. When we finally did make the trip to his bank, it was one that would change our lives and forever change our priorities.