Comments on: Sacrifice Without Deprivation

By: Minimum Wage

Minimum Wage — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:48:42 +0000

Another PF blogger (1stMillionAt33?) posted a link to a $149/yr gym membership (24 Hour Fitness) available through Costco.

Apparently they get only so many memberships to offer, they were sold out at the time, but it’s a great deal when available.

By: Cortni

Cortni — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:36:23 +0000

I agree that cutting back on big expenses does help your budget a bit more than smaller expenses, but I was just trying to point out some small ways to cut back that can add up for people who either can’t or don’t want to move. 2 years ago we moved from the over-priced real estate empire of Seattle to a more affordable city and I agree- our finances definately have been more abundant since then!

By: Marina

Marina — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:30:37 +0000

I hear you Cristi, $1250 for rent is mind boggling for me too but if you want a 2 bed room place in San Francisco then $1250 is a bargain. Check out http://www.housingmaps.com/ if you’re interested. And if you think buying a place is the way to cut expenses then think again… that same website will show you the cheapest place to buy (and this is a studio mind you, not a 2 bedroom place) is $325k. If you want to compare oranges to oranges then the cheapest 2 bedroom place you can get is about $495k.

All this brings me back to the original article and cutting expenses. If I really want to further cut my housing expenses then I think I need to move away from San Francisco. That would have a real impact on my long term wealth accumulation (unlike cutting back on Starbucks). Like the saying goes “Don’t sweat the small stuff”, well I think the same applies to your budget. If you want to make a big impact then you have to make hard choices about the big items in the budget.

By: Maxine

Maxine — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 13:32:44 +0000

I love this article and the concept. True, you don’t have to deprive yourself because then you become resentful and you are unhappy. Just enjoy the things that are important to you on a lower scale and cut out what’s not necessary and doesn’t contribute to your happiness.

By: Cristi Smith

Cristi Smith — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:42:47 +0000

I actually loved this article. I have read the comments, both posted and sort of posted and I just feel the article was suggesting good ways to start out for people that want to do better but don’t want to go the way of the cave people. Sort of like a weaning from debt. I don’t personally like coffee so for me I can save alot! lol. Not everyone is going to want to save the exact same way. That is why we are always learning. I also agree that while I want to save and do better I don’t want to be miserable and hateful doing it. Life is too short to be unhappy. Figure out ways to cut spending in your life that works for you. But that might not work for someone else. I find paying over $1000 in rent to be outrageous but then I live in the midwest in a modest ranch style house 3 bedrooms that we paid about $62,000 for (borrowed alittle to fix it up) and we pay about $400 a month mortgage. So paying even $1250.00 is mind boggling!

By: Marina

Marina — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 00:00:27 +0000

That’s a good article Cortni and I am a big believer in keeping control of your spending. However, I’d hate for people to think that cutting their Starbucks from 3 times a week to once a week is going to make them rich. What has worked for me is looking at the biggest expenses first and seeing if I can cut those down. For example, rent is my biggest expense (except for taxes) so I recently moved and cut my rent from $1650/mo to $1250/mo. My new place is a bit further from work and a bit older (1970s vs. 1980s) but that extra $400 of post-tax money/mo in my pocket made the move a no-brainer. If instead I’d focused on cutting down Starbucks I’d only have cut $40/mo.