Worst Justifications for Spending You Have Ever Heard

[gamecock43]

when I'm gone, this is worth a lot.
Wow. that quote just brought me back. I just burst out laughing because that quote absolutely sums up my mom.
I think she tried to use it as a guilt trip, like, "you see what I am sacrificing now for you to have later?!" but now I just think of her saying it and I smile. It is just quintessential mom.
LOL. I think I'm going to write that down so I can look at it and laugh.

[cptacek]

My grandma is that way. she had my dad and uncle build her a two car garage with an extra storage room, and it is all filled with crap. She has one half of my dad's barn filled with crap. her house is filled with crap. and it is dirty, messy, moldy, stuff like old newspapers and things people left in the rental houses she has.

My sister cleaned out her big deep freeze filled with meat one time about 10 years ago. Threw it all away. Before you get on our case, the lid wouldn't close because the frost on the inside was too thick, and she found frozen pig's feet from the 60's!

My dad and uncle cleaned out her house one time because my grandpa was still alive but sick with parkinson's and couldn't get around very well. There was a path to the bed and a path to the living room. They found a box with over 500 pairs of old panty hose (they stopped counting at 500. There was more).

[rennigade]

i cant take it with me, so I may as well spend it now.

or, i may be dead tomorrow.

[Hot dog]

what is it with moms and dolls my mom did the same we have so many dolls and have no idea what to do with them

[disneysteve]

"I have the money now so I'm going to spend it."

"I'm spending it now because I may not be able to afford it later."

The first I heard just today. Someone told me she might be going on a cruise in August. A bunch of her family is going on this cruise next year. Rather than hold on to her savings and join the family, she decided to go this summer because she has the money now.

The second came from a family member who gave out unusually generous holiday gifts last year. When we asked about it, she said that she wanted to give it while she had it to give. Makes no sense at all, but she seemed to think it did.

[sakigt]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I'm a physician in a poor area. I see patients every day who tell me they are having trouble affording their meds but the vast majority of them smoke, many of them drink alcohol and lots of them buy lottery tickets every day. Maybe if they stopped doing those things, they would be better able to afford their meds.

Unfortunately, lots of people do not make their health a priority in their lives. I'm not saying that is true of the majority, but it does describe a significant number of people.

Im applying for Pharmacy school this year so hopefully in 4 years or so I will have your problem

Where do you draw the line between justifying your services and lecturing on budgeting?

Once I was a cashier at a grocery store and some lady was ranting to me that the groceries were too much and that she would have to turn off her lights. Of course, I ignored her and kept ringing stuff up. She stopped me and said "Dont you care that my kids arent going to have electricity because these groceries cost too much???"

I looked into her cart and looked back at her. "Well mam, if you removed the bakery cake, soda and snack foods out you would probably save $30 or so." She of course, scoffed at the audacity of this 16 year old, paid, asked for my manager's name and left.

The customers behind her made me feel a lot better about the situation, but I may have gone too far. That reaction is fine for a 16 year old, but what about a professional?

My tongue may be red by the end of my work days

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by sakigt

Im applying for Pharmacy school this year so hopefully in 4 years or so I will have your problem

Where do you draw the line between justifying your services and lecturing on budgeting?

Once I was a cashier at a grocery store and some lady was ranting to me that the groceries were too much and that she would have to turn off her lights. Of course, I ignored her and kept ringing stuff up. She stopped me and said "Dont you care that my kids arent going to have electricity because these groceries cost too much???"

I learned long ago that little that I say has any impact on my patients' behavior. People will keep doing what they want to do. That doesn't mean I never make a comment, but it really depends on the patient. If it is someone I have known for years and have a good relationship with, I'll say something like, "Just think how much you'd save if you quit smoking." They'll nod and say I'm right, but then go on blowing $12/day on cigarettes like they always have.

[ScrimpAndSave]

These are seriously GREAT!

[rob62521]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I learned long ago that little that I say has any impact on my patients' behavior. People will keep doing what they want to do. That doesn't mean I never make a comment, but it really depends on the patient. If it is someone I have known for years and have a good relationship with, I'll say something like, "Just think how much you'd save if you quit smoking." They'll nod and say I'm right, but then go on blowing $12/day on cigarettes like they always have.

You are so right, Disneysteve. My mom smoked for over 60 years. Her doctor gave up on telling her to stop. During the last couple years of her life she was in and out of the hospital and she lied to the doctors and nurses...the last day of her life, as I sat in the emergency room with her, I overheard the nurses talking about her. They were scoffing at the story my mom told them that she had a cigarette once in a blue moon. She reeked of cigarette smoke and her hands were badly stained with nicotine. When I said something to the doctor when she was out of earshot, he said they all lie about it. She even lied to herself. She kept saying she was out of breath because of the humidity or heat, not because of her smoking. Somehow she conveniently forgot she was diagnosed with COPD.

[cptacek]

I have to pay for <blank> so that my kid can get into college. For example, horse back riding lessons. Unless the kid is trying out for polo, they don't need lessons.

[rob62521]

Come on, cptacek, they have to learn to "network", right? OK, that was typed tongue in cheek, but that's what I've also heard to go along with that statement.

[LuxLiving]

"It might not be on sale again!"

Yeah, right!!

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by LuxLiving

"It might not be on sale again!"

Yeah, right!!

I love when commercials advertise "lowest price of the year" and it is January.

Or when they say "lowest price ever" and it is a brand new item.

[rob62521]

I'm also partial to, "And only three easy payments of ______."

[ScrimpAndSave]

These are hilarious!!!

[rob62521]

And I forgot...you are watching an ad on television and they show the product and it's only $19.95...and then they add, "But wait, we'll throw in _________" for a total value of $54.00 or a bigger amount. I guess the justification for that would be, "Can't pass up a deal like that." when it should be "If it's too good to be true, then it really isn't true."

[Tim_1983]

Originally Posted by rob62521

And I forgot...you are watching an ad on television and they show the product and it's only $19.95...and then they add, "But wait, we'll throw in _________" for a total value of $54.00 or a bigger amount. I guess the justification for that would be, "Can't pass up a deal like that." when it should be "If it's too good to be true, then it really isn't true."

It's not throwing it in if you have to pay more! Throwing it in should mean free.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Tim_1983

It's not throwing it in if you have to pay more! Throwing it in should mean free.

"Free" is also a very misused term. To me, free means I get something for nothing with no out of pocket cost and no strings attached. But that isn't how the word gets used in advertising.

"Order now and we'll also include a free whatchamacallit." Well, that isn't free, it is included in the price. The company priced their product knowing that they would "throw in" that extra item.

Cell phone companies do this all the time. Mine advertises that we get "free" long distance. It isn't free. We pay $130/month for our service that happens to include long distance. I'm quite sure if long distance wasn't included, the service would be cheaper, so we're paying for that "free" long distance.

[stressedmama]

"Everything is soooo expensive. I can barely afford food and gas anymore."

Next day the same person says after attending a Dave Matthews Concert, "Well I had to go. Who knows if they will ever be in town again."

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by stressedmama

"Everything is soooo expensive. I can barely afford food and gas anymore."

Next day the same person says after attending a Dave Matthews Concert, "Well I had to go. Who knows if they will ever be in town again."

This reminds me of folks who refuse to cancel a vacation that they clearly can't afford because, "We'll lose our deposit." So instead of being out a couple hundred dollars, they take the trip that costs a couple thousand dollars that ends up on their credit card at 20% interest.