tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post7442775585070186816..comments2023-08-22T06:13:11.657-07:00Comments on The Inspired Shopper: Saving and Spending: Confessions of a Chronic UnderspenderUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-11584849598325043692017-09-26T19:39:52.469-07:002017-09-26T19:39:52.469-07:00Just bumped into this article, and it sounds like ...Just bumped into this article, and it sounds like the financial story of my life. Profligate 20s, followed by an over correction in attitude that left me with holey shoes and paralyzed with fear over big purchases, until forced to jump. Ordering cheap items off a menu I don't really want, thinking I could be eating soup, boosting my automatic savings anytime I do spend. Eventually realized all saving is deffered expenditure, and should be with goals in mind. I wasn't going to wake up bankrupt. Found I quite like cars, and buying them by negotiating deals. Parting with money for a hard fought for deal is quite pleasurable. 20s profligate, 30s miserly, 40s so far balanced.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17799222665283917494noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-75194647121618792052014-01-05T23:07:22.416-08:002014-01-05T23:07:22.416-08:00Hi Anonymous,
I can relate to your plight. Big de...Hi Anonymous,<br /><br />I can relate to your plight. Big decisions like cars, investments and buying a home are really difficult for anyone, but even more so if you're an underspender.<br /><br />One suggestion is to rope in friends to help give you feedback if you like a particular house or car but aren't sure if it would be the right choice.<br /><br />Practising buying smaller things first before gradually building up to larger things might also help.<br /><br />I guess it is a matter of combining practical knowledge (is the car, house or investment safe and sound? Is it what you want? Can you afford it?) with gut feeling. But if this is really difficult for you, it might be worth seeing a therapist about it.<br /><br />These are just suggestions - I know how hard it can be to make these decisions, hope you can get a handle on it.Inspiredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18021706878347879932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-33840428841783805592013-12-30T18:47:53.222-08:002013-12-30T18:47:53.222-08:00I save and save but have a really hard time spendi...I save and save but have a really hard time spending. I feel it is my security blanket and every time I've invested, I lost my money, my intution does not seem to work for me when it comes to investing, that is why I am so afraid to make any investment even a home. <br />helpless Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-45001402562944842112013-12-30T18:34:43.918-08:002013-12-30T18:34:43.918-08:00OMG, this is me! I am going thru hell with this p...OMG, this is me! I am going thru hell with this problem right now. I need to buy a newer car and I can't seem to do it. I find issues with all of them and I'm simply not motivated. And, I have wanted to buy a place for years, and my parents wanted to help me out finacially, yet, I can't seem to make myself do it. I say it's becasue I don't have steady employment, but it's not just that. When I went out with realtors I would have anxiety attacks, so I stopped. I won't even look online. <br />HelplessAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-73627335308499008902011-11-29T06:17:51.343-08:002011-11-29T06:17:51.343-08:00Great to know! I'll check back with your blog...Great to know! I'll check back with your blog to see when the new version is ready. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-78420600345019896352011-11-28T11:18:09.856-08:002011-11-28T11:18:09.856-08:00Hi there,
I can really sympathise with you! Where...Hi there,<br /><br />I can really sympathise with you! Where the under-investment is concerned, the way the economy is at the moment, it's enough to rattle the calmest investor. I don't know anything about the US financial system, but I remember before the GFC/recession that I was planning to put most of my savings into managed funds - high-interest accounts that are mainly made up of shares - and my gut feeling said not to. The stockmarket crash would have halved my savings almost! They're now in a high-interest deposit account and I haven't been tempted to buy shares. So whatever your gut feeling says, go with it!<br /><br />I feel for your anxiety about the piano, and buying in general. I know that feeling so well. I think it's great that you both bought the piano. Sounds like a really good thing to spend your money on.<br /><br />The thing with buying intuitively is that it's like a muscle, it needs to be exercised. After writing the book I went through a period of buying few non-necessities for a while -- I didn't really need anything -- and when it came time to buy a doona cover, my intuitive choice was clear, but I found it hard to act on, and ended up buying the wrong doona cover. (Luckily I was able to return it!) Sometimes following intuition is a bit scary.<br /><br />A good thing to do if you want to experiment with intuition is to start by buying really small things intuitively. (The supermarket's a great place to start.) As you grow in confidence, you can start to buy bigger things using your gut feeling.<br /><br />Nothing wrong with a budget - it gives you structure - but, hey, budgets can change with circumstances!<br /><br />Anyway, I'm currently updating the book so if you're interested I'll be posting a blog entry when I upload the new version to Amazon.Inspiredhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18021706878347879932noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8643668687976662979.post-25965594755211633242011-11-27T12:25:58.873-08:002011-11-27T12:25:58.873-08:00Great article! I related to your self-description...Great article! I related to your self-description. In my early twenties, I too ran through my money--the very little amount that I had when I was attending college. However, once I became a mother in my mid-twenties and decided to stay at home full-time, a huge change occurred regarding my attitude towards finances. Since I wasn't making money, I felt it was my job to make sure we saved as much as possible. When I was very young, there were times my family had to hunt in order for us to have anything to eat for dinner. My parents climbed their way up to middle class when I reached junior high but still were not able to provide for my college education, which I found is a lot to put on a young person's shoulders. I didn't want my children to feel that burden for themselves. My husband came from a well-to-do family but did not feel much love/acceptance and when I met him, he was a huge fan of Thoreau, very much a minimalist. We currently live in a smaller-than-average house. Our previous goal was to pay it off as soon as possible. We got there a couple of years ago and it was great to see a goal realized. But now I am having great anxiety about investing money. I guess you could say I am that we are under-investors. We have been setting aside money in mutual funds for retirement (401k) and college (529's) for years, but instead of simply adding more for a cushion, currently we keep the amount that used to go into a house payment in our checking account. Well, I recently opened an IRA for myself, but that's it. What if the markets fail and we can't build up enough by the time our kids reach college, if they want to go to college that is--we're open to them finding their own way and want to support them whichever route they take. It makes me kind of frustrated that I can't put the money in a secure account (savings, CD) that would offer us a decent return--that's what my grandpa did and it worked well for him. And I am a little worried to put more into accounts that we're not allowed to touch for a long time. I am not a big fan of the stock market, and as your researcher stated in the article, it really cuts down on options. As far as shopping goes, I am alright with spending an amount that is already outlined in our budget. But I feel kind of sick in my stomach when I need to purchase anything that is not. For example, my husband just bought a piano. We had not specifically set up a category for it this year, though we have plenty in savings to cover it--after several years of hard work and saving, he deserves it, definitely. But when he suggested the idea, I just froze--it takes a little time to make me flexible when an alternative to 'the plan' is made. We do try to purchase organic food, but other than that, I think we keep the costs pretty low. The fashion challenge would really not be much of a challenge for me or my husband--maybe for my kids, though, since they are growing. Thanks again for the article and your thoughts. I need to find your book!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com