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Originally Posted by lgslgs
Has anyone else noticed that even on sites where most people strive to be fugal, you can always find a lot of folks who are ready to help encourge somebody who's thinking about spending some "extra" money?
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I often equate saving money with dieting. If you are trying to lose weight and eat healthy all the time and never allow yourself a treat or a favorite food that isn't part of the diet, you are far more likely to fail and give up. People want to do what's right, but they don't want to feel overly deprived. I think that makes perfect sense.
So getting back to finance, just because we are saving for the future, college, retirement, whatever, doesn't mean we can't ever spend anything. As long as I am meeting all my financial obiligations and goals, paying all my bills, not taking on debt and fully funding my investment accounts, I have no problem spending what's left on wants. For us, travel and dining out are things we happen to enjoy.
We currently save about 28% of our gross income, which puts us right on track to meet our financial goals. Sure, we'd get there faster if we saved 30% or 35%, but we wouldn't be happy living that way, so what's the point?
What does annoy/upset me is when people are posting about spending money that they really don't have or can't afford. I frequent a Disney travel planning forum and that happens all the time. A typical post will say "We owe 10K on our credit cards and have 2 auto loans and no savings but we HAVE to take the kids to Disney while they are still young. We're expecting a big tax refund this year so we're going to use it for a trip. Do you think that's a good idea?" Then people will come along and say "Sure, you only live once. The kids will never be this age again. Spend now and worry about the debt later." That I have a problem with.