I would love to live a sumptuous, luxurious life. But unless they are giving those lives away for free at the grocery store, it just isn't likely to happen. While I know that hard work and smart savings/investments will help me achieve a better life, at the rate I'm going I'm not sure it's enough. So I need to up the game wherever I can if I am going to achieve my goals.
Now I use the term "lowbrow" in a sort of tongue-in-cheek way. Basically if it is cheap and simple, I'm there! :-)
This morning I bought some alcohol - namely wine and beer. But no spending on a $7 bottle of wine for Pru, no way! $5 works just fine. And that $5 six-pack - yup, thank you!
I am happy to head to a nice restaurant or wine bar with friends who know wine and have them order a very nice and expensive bottle of wine. I'll pay my share. But kicking back at home on a Friday or Saturday evening with some snacks, well I just want something. And if that something can be satisfied on the cheap, then I need to lean in to that. More money in my pocket means more money that I can save/invest.
The same goes for most aspects of my life (entertainment, food, fun). If it's cheap, I need to try it. If I like it, great-buy it again; if it doesn't work out for me, then move on.
I'm very hopeful that actively adopting this mindset will help me to put more money in the right places. Of course early days here so we shall see. I plan to veer off this mindset occasionally and hopefully fully enjoy those spendy times :-)
Now this month I have the benefit of a tax refund that will be partially put towards overpaying my mortgage and towards investments. (The rest has gone towards shoring up general savings accounts that are not part of this blog.) I should write a check for the mortgage this weekend (yes I do write checks for this...). I'll also schedule a transfer of funds from my bank to the brokerage account. Decisions still need to be made on what to buy. I'll post in a few days (hopefully) of some stock thoughts.
Below are a few links from Mary Hunt of Everyday Cheapskate:
Half-Price State of Mind
Mary's got the right idea here.
This Summer Vacation at Home
If anyone can pull this off, I think they are a star. I'd love to try it this summer (a day here or there) and hopefully be able to avoid focusing on all the *stuff* that needs to be done...at home.
How to Get Fiscally Fit
General, good reminders...
The High Cost of Clutter
This one should be a no-brainer for me but I still seem to be stuck in clutter's clutches. It's a work in progress I suppose.
Have a great weekend!
Pru
Hi Pru, I'm with you on this. In the matter of wine, it's all relative because we all have different tastes. I will not buy a bottle of wine over a certain price, and I'm not afraid to buy a cheap bottle either as sometimes you can have a very nice surprise :-)
ReplyDeleteYes! I am really surprised at how many delicious wines I've tasted in cheaper bottles. So why not drink it? Wine has certainly come a long way in the past 10 years.
DeleteSome people are so snobbish about wine! And other things of course like chocolate, coffee, etc. I have no time for that. I know what I like and what I don't like and that's enough for me. I don't need a price tag to tell me my opinion ;-)
DeleteAgree completely!
DeleteGreat post! I'm going to enjoy the links while enjoying a glass of my "low brow" (and gosh darn delicious!) bottle of $7 wine! (Alas, taxes in Ontario don't allow or it to be any cheaper... sigh!)
ReplyDeleteOh I do feel for you Canadians! But $7 is still great! :-)
DeleteI personally love expensive wines!! Does that make me a snob?!? i don't think so!
ReplyDeletei think i Just know what i like an in my (general) experience, I have found the wines I most often love are the ones with a pricey price tag. such is life!
Hi Anon. I don't think that makes you a snob - you drink what you like.
DeleteBut a better question is would you turn your nose up at a cheap bottle of wine? Just because it is cheap doesn't mean that it is crap. And that goes for lots of goods. There are a lot of variables that factor into the final price. For example, with wine of the various variables there's weather, transportation costs, total amount produced etc. But at the end of the day we should drink, eat, purchase what we like and what is within our budget :-)
Oh yes! You are so wise on what people should do! Great tips.
DeleteThank you BlogReader. If I am wise, that's great but everything I write is just how I think....so it probably won't work for tons of people. Have a good weekend!
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