No credit cards. Cash only. So, no tracking of my purchases, no intel for the powers that shouldn't be.
Banks don't pay any interest so I only keep the minimum balance with them. If they go belly up, I lose very little. And I use a small local bank that will be one of the last to go with CBDC's. And I've already told them if they do go with CBDC's they will no lose me as a customer.
Catchy drum rhythm. Can't understand the lyrics. Can anyone summarize? Do you remember competitions where couples are given a shopping cart and 5 minutes to fill their carts which the sponsor would reimburse?
Extras I have seen others spend alot on; Eating out and delivery. Hair and beauty products. Psychotherapy and Psychiatric sessions. Entertainment subscriptions. Cell phones and service. Clothes. Vacations. Memberships to various clubs including church tithes. Cars and upkeep. IRA contributions.
Extras I have spent alot on; Musical instruments, mostly trombones. Vodka and Beer. (They power the trombones). I eat out about once a week to once a month, depending on how things are going. I only buy shoes and socks and underwear as new items, the rest are used or found. All in all, my low budget life has taught me more and treated me well. I wish I would have been raised with less things, but Mom believed in 'supporting the economy by buying stuff'. Like you, Amy, I am glad just to be in the lower tax brackets.
The entertainment subscription spending blows me away sometimes. It seems that all non work waking hours are wsted with some type of programming on. It feels like some people are watching a fake depiction of life on a box in the corner of the room and are not even trying to live their own.
I failed miserably at musical instruments though I like singing and we do have a piano and two guitars here at the Las Vegas house. About twice a week I splurge on Genessee so I'd guess in America I'm spending maybe $30 a month on beer. That's my most significant true discretionary expense. It's not on days which end in Y though and I'm comfortable with my level.
Everybody chasing the cheapest deal is not necessarily a good thing.
Buying locally produced food if you can afford it is much better than going to a large supermarket. It keeps money within your community and out of the hands of multinationals.
And expensive manicures and haircuts.....it's not my thing, but it's providing a local person with a living.
Exactly regarding all that you said. I am a bit of a foodie who is willing to pay more for higher quality and locally produced foods. My splurging is generally on say salmon roe, or some artisan goat's milk cheese, or some superfood item like blue green algae.
Regarding manicures and haircuts I also agree. I have in my lifetime had exactly one manicure (my then boyfriend paid for it to treat me) and 0 pedicures. Only rarely have I had haircuts which weren't done by me and I have never been to a seamstress or tailor. That said for a certain type of person these things are very important and they are all supporting jobs in the local economy. The same goes for nannies and child caretakers. Who am I to judge?
I agree. Good food is something I will spend money on. At present I get a vegetable box delivered from a local farm, milk delivered, and meat from a small local butcher.
But when i was studying to be a medical herbalist, we had 4 years of money being tight. I had no option but to get everything from Aldi and I pretty much didn't buy anything for myself for the entire 4 years.
It's not fun denying yourself and your kids basic things.
My husband was very frugal. I loved buying unusual fruits and vegetables in our local supermarkets or green markets. Jackfruit! Mamey! Epazote! Queens, NY. where I live is an ethnically diverse community with foods from China, India, Spain, Caribbean--you name it! So I buy the food--but it goes stale when I forget to cook it. I remember my husband holding a slightly shriveled turnip up in the air denouncing my profligate ways. 69 cents! 69 cents! You buy these things but you never cook them! I threw myself on his mercy squirming into the kitchen on my belly whining I repent! I repent! He looked down at me and started laughing. I don't know/remember what happened to the turnip.
LOL I wrote a whole book about cooking with Jackfruit! In Thailand with the three trees in the right season there was more of it than could possibly be used. Sometimes I forget some weird thing in the fridge too!
Both my parents worked. My grand parents didn't live nearby. Nannies were essential! However, make sure you carefully screen. I had one psychotic nanny, another who shut me in a closet and told me I can't come out until I admit I'm bad. (I caved). Another Nanny told me to shut up (crying for mommy after a nightmare about snakes) Shut up! Your mother doesn't love you!" Another told me I was bad because I had a bed full of stuffed animals and was trying to figure out how to get them all to sleep. Years later I see her punishment as resulting from class envy. Did her daughter have so many books and toys? Oh well. The Nannies move on. Or get fired. I get a new one almost every year. Hence fears of rejection/abandonment.
Agree-the more you earn the more you spend. My husband retired last August. I still work FT and earn a good income. But, we are supporting our 24 year old middle child who is a first year medical student and 22 year old youngest who is still in school. Keeping three households going is daunting and stressful. Our youngest does have a part-time job, but also competes athletically in college, so has limited time to work. I know it was our choice as parents to do this and I still think it’s the right thing to do for us. But it doesn’t make the month-to-month bills easier to pay.
I love you! I remember a dream you had about shopping in a mall and worrying about having enough money and getting criticized by your father for spending too much. The Mexican? vendor in your dream laughed at your concern. (2 different dream figures with very different concerns about money). I've got to learn more about money to reduce my anxiety (I will save so much on tranquilizers then)
When I was a child (born 1942) my parents were earning around $100K yearly. Mom (grew up in depression) was OBSESSED with going bankrupt. It seems my child care, food, clothing was going to eat up all of the family savings. I offered her my 25 cents allowance to help pay for my debts. I started therapy at age 19. My mother anguished over my therapy bills ($25 weekly!) "YOU'RE BANKRUPTING ME!" (Oh God. I'm so worthless.)
I keep a monthly Excel spread sheet of all my expenses. I'm saving about $3000? a month. I give $2000/month to my husband's best friend who is 66 in poor health and unemployed. My husband originally listed him as deserving 25% of our savings, but all the money went to me. I am not ready to give away 1/4 of my savings since I may need it to live on.
I spend about $400/month on food (cook my meals don't eat out) I'm a hypochondriac and still attend therapy. Most of my medical expenses are not covered by Medicare (because a lot of doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors opt out) This is the dirty secret of Medicare For All. My chiropractor who has kept me from hip replacement with biweekly fascial manipulation charges me $210. Medicare reimburses him $30 for a 45 minute therapy session. My "drugs" are also not covered. A lot of my lab tests are also not reimbursed. I paid last year over $50,000 out of pocket for psychotherapy, doctors, drugs/supplements, lab tests, etc. Maintenance is about $2000/month. Clothing? I'm not growing so I don't need to buy much. Less than $50/month. I have chronic fatigue. No car. Walk or take subway. Don't eat out. Don't take vacations. My guilty pleasure? Books, seminars--and more books. Substack subscriptions alone are worth $200/month. I will die before reading all the books I purchased. HOWEVER, I know where my money is going. When my friend tried to scare me that Biden would raise my taxes and I would lose value of my 401K--I was not scared. I knew I could afford a tax loss. Biden said he would bail out NY, Trump said NY would get 0 dollars. I need my transportation! Told my friend had to vote for Biden. Never again. YES. NY did get money from him. Was it worth all the mandates, wars, threats of global currency? I'll vote 3rd party this year. If I'm still alive. Dear Raphael I'm not a hamster. I'm a scared mouse begging my doctors/therapists to save me.
I'm thinking of writing about fascia blasting which I have been getting back into for the first time in years in the past week. That's very interesting regarding the medicare reimbursement level being so ridiculously low for the service. The disconnect between offical corporate gov endorsed medicine and real healing and treaatment is growing wider by the year it seems...
Yes--big disconnect. My husband got reimbursed $4000/month for treating anemia due to cancer. Drugs are expensive--funded a lot by our government. Fascia blasting, herbs, chiropractic--not so much. Right now there are bills to make vitamins/supplements illegal so you will have to rely on drugs.
Ashley Black is the big name in this space: she invented a variety of tools which are meant to break down poor fascia connection and rebuild it healthier. She started by trying to break down cellulite those fatty tissue pockets indicate an underlying weak connection between skin and fascia. It is also good for wrinkled saggy skin and scar tissue areas. Mostly the breakdown involves taking a very hot bath or sauna or apply a hot cloth to warm up the targeted area, then using a tool to pressure the underlying connection, while also applying an oil such as coconut oil. I've been wondering if castor oil might be a real winner for cellulite due to its ability to break down fat pockets. The technique involves discomfort and can even cause bruising in early days (which led to a class action lawsuit in 2021 which was dismissed) but the before and after results on the facebook page were quite incredible. Detoxing involves drinking lots of water. I'm trying it again on my face and wrinkled knees...so far so good...
Must be nice to have your in-laws gift you a quarter of a million dollars (just because they can) while people who deliver newspapers for a living (usually seniors trying to make extra money for food and housing pulling in about $19K), get caught in the tax liability trap at 10% (there is no low income range that is not taxed - if your taxable income is $4,000, your tax liability is $400), as well as the self- employment trap at almost another 15%. I've seen it time and again. They, of course, can't pay the taxes when due so they just sit there unpaid and subject to liens. What a System.
This is so beautifully said and absolutely true. I see so many people who seem to think that once they have the money, then they'll be happy. Why can't they be haappy now? If they are not in pain, or hungry or thirsty, what is preventing them from happiness in this moment?
Happiness is other people. If you lack community, lack support, feel you have to compete for your worth, can't trust--how can you be happy? Our capitalism pits us against each other. We are living in a dysfunctional society/family where everyone feels they must compete for love. The psychopaths and narcissists can climb to the top.
I was pondering a similar related thread with my husband this morning. I have no idea if this land idea is going to pan out, or even who this mysterious foreman is, but from a purely mafia perspective Ka would certainly rank higher in some hierarchy than brother Tee would, despite having earned much less over his lifetime. Why? Because my husband Ka has shown an element of restraint and self control which makes him more trustworthy. Brother Tee has literally said in court filings that he's a junkie who can't control his actions when under the extreme influence of his addictions. Such a person would be useful for low level manual labor or things which involve a high level of risk, but would you really trust him?
I don't think you are being cynical at all. Those with psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies often end up at the top especially in business or finance. You often have to go back to childhood to even find the signs of it or try to pry behind the closed doors of sexual perversions.
My husband's fondness for alcohol for instance is known by the Thais. This brings up an interesting point: brother Tee, despite being a yaba junkie, does not care for alcohol and almost never drinks it. Those two have had fights over this stuff. My husband retains an upper hand in part because being a drunk in the forest is not an arrestible offense per say. Ka also can, like me, get off the sauce without suffering for it. Prying that bottle out of his hands when he's actively drunk is a challenge though!
We tend to judge most harshly that which we don't do or have struggles with. It's always protecting our own egos
No credit cards. Cash only. So, no tracking of my purchases, no intel for the powers that shouldn't be.
Banks don't pay any interest so I only keep the minimum balance with them. If they go belly up, I lose very little. And I use a small local bank that will be one of the last to go with CBDC's. And I've already told them if they do go with CBDC's they will no lose me as a customer.
frugality is a competitive sport. never realized i was on the olympic track
this brooklyn couple are really lost in the supermarket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZw23sWlyG0
Catchy drum rhythm. Can't understand the lyrics. Can anyone summarize? Do you remember competitions where couples are given a shopping cart and 5 minutes to fill their carts which the sponsor would reimburse?
That was GREAT! I never heard it before! Thought I knew The Clash but missed this one. Thanks much for posting it!
Extras I have seen others spend alot on; Eating out and delivery. Hair and beauty products. Psychotherapy and Psychiatric sessions. Entertainment subscriptions. Cell phones and service. Clothes. Vacations. Memberships to various clubs including church tithes. Cars and upkeep. IRA contributions.
Extras I have spent alot on; Musical instruments, mostly trombones. Vodka and Beer. (They power the trombones). I eat out about once a week to once a month, depending on how things are going. I only buy shoes and socks and underwear as new items, the rest are used or found. All in all, my low budget life has taught me more and treated me well. I wish I would have been raised with less things, but Mom believed in 'supporting the economy by buying stuff'. Like you, Amy, I am glad just to be in the lower tax brackets.
The entertainment subscription spending blows me away sometimes. It seems that all non work waking hours are wsted with some type of programming on. It feels like some people are watching a fake depiction of life on a box in the corner of the room and are not even trying to live their own.
I failed miserably at musical instruments though I like singing and we do have a piano and two guitars here at the Las Vegas house. About twice a week I splurge on Genessee so I'd guess in America I'm spending maybe $30 a month on beer. That's my most significant true discretionary expense. It's not on days which end in Y though and I'm comfortable with my level.
Life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured...
Guilty! :(
Love that the vodka and beer power the trombones!
Survival, and that's it. And maybe some Chippers and Milk for the girls, maybe.
Everybody chasing the cheapest deal is not necessarily a good thing.
Buying locally produced food if you can afford it is much better than going to a large supermarket. It keeps money within your community and out of the hands of multinationals.
And expensive manicures and haircuts.....it's not my thing, but it's providing a local person with a living.
Exactly regarding all that you said. I am a bit of a foodie who is willing to pay more for higher quality and locally produced foods. My splurging is generally on say salmon roe, or some artisan goat's milk cheese, or some superfood item like blue green algae.
Regarding manicures and haircuts I also agree. I have in my lifetime had exactly one manicure (my then boyfriend paid for it to treat me) and 0 pedicures. Only rarely have I had haircuts which weren't done by me and I have never been to a seamstress or tailor. That said for a certain type of person these things are very important and they are all supporting jobs in the local economy. The same goes for nannies and child caretakers. Who am I to judge?
I agree. Good food is something I will spend money on. At present I get a vegetable box delivered from a local farm, milk delivered, and meat from a small local butcher.
But when i was studying to be a medical herbalist, we had 4 years of money being tight. I had no option but to get everything from Aldi and I pretty much didn't buy anything for myself for the entire 4 years.
It's not fun denying yourself and your kids basic things.
My husband was very frugal. I loved buying unusual fruits and vegetables in our local supermarkets or green markets. Jackfruit! Mamey! Epazote! Queens, NY. where I live is an ethnically diverse community with foods from China, India, Spain, Caribbean--you name it! So I buy the food--but it goes stale when I forget to cook it. I remember my husband holding a slightly shriveled turnip up in the air denouncing my profligate ways. 69 cents! 69 cents! You buy these things but you never cook them! I threw myself on his mercy squirming into the kitchen on my belly whining I repent! I repent! He looked down at me and started laughing. I don't know/remember what happened to the turnip.
LOL I wrote a whole book about cooking with Jackfruit! In Thailand with the three trees in the right season there was more of it than could possibly be used. Sometimes I forget some weird thing in the fridge too!
Both my parents worked. My grand parents didn't live nearby. Nannies were essential! However, make sure you carefully screen. I had one psychotic nanny, another who shut me in a closet and told me I can't come out until I admit I'm bad. (I caved). Another Nanny told me to shut up (crying for mommy after a nightmare about snakes) Shut up! Your mother doesn't love you!" Another told me I was bad because I had a bed full of stuffed animals and was trying to figure out how to get them all to sleep. Years later I see her punishment as resulting from class envy. Did her daughter have so many books and toys? Oh well. The Nannies move on. Or get fired. I get a new one almost every year. Hence fears of rejection/abandonment.
Agree-the more you earn the more you spend. My husband retired last August. I still work FT and earn a good income. But, we are supporting our 24 year old middle child who is a first year medical student and 22 year old youngest who is still in school. Keeping three households going is daunting and stressful. Our youngest does have a part-time job, but also competes athletically in college, so has limited time to work. I know it was our choice as parents to do this and I still think it’s the right thing to do for us. But it doesn’t make the month-to-month bills easier to pay.
I love you! I remember a dream you had about shopping in a mall and worrying about having enough money and getting criticized by your father for spending too much. The Mexican? vendor in your dream laughed at your concern. (2 different dream figures with very different concerns about money). I've got to learn more about money to reduce my anxiety (I will save so much on tranquilizers then)
When I was a child (born 1942) my parents were earning around $100K yearly. Mom (grew up in depression) was OBSESSED with going bankrupt. It seems my child care, food, clothing was going to eat up all of the family savings. I offered her my 25 cents allowance to help pay for my debts. I started therapy at age 19. My mother anguished over my therapy bills ($25 weekly!) "YOU'RE BANKRUPTING ME!" (Oh God. I'm so worthless.)
I keep a monthly Excel spread sheet of all my expenses. I'm saving about $3000? a month. I give $2000/month to my husband's best friend who is 66 in poor health and unemployed. My husband originally listed him as deserving 25% of our savings, but all the money went to me. I am not ready to give away 1/4 of my savings since I may need it to live on.
I spend about $400/month on food (cook my meals don't eat out) I'm a hypochondriac and still attend therapy. Most of my medical expenses are not covered by Medicare (because a lot of doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors opt out) This is the dirty secret of Medicare For All. My chiropractor who has kept me from hip replacement with biweekly fascial manipulation charges me $210. Medicare reimburses him $30 for a 45 minute therapy session. My "drugs" are also not covered. A lot of my lab tests are also not reimbursed. I paid last year over $50,000 out of pocket for psychotherapy, doctors, drugs/supplements, lab tests, etc. Maintenance is about $2000/month. Clothing? I'm not growing so I don't need to buy much. Less than $50/month. I have chronic fatigue. No car. Walk or take subway. Don't eat out. Don't take vacations. My guilty pleasure? Books, seminars--and more books. Substack subscriptions alone are worth $200/month. I will die before reading all the books I purchased. HOWEVER, I know where my money is going. When my friend tried to scare me that Biden would raise my taxes and I would lose value of my 401K--I was not scared. I knew I could afford a tax loss. Biden said he would bail out NY, Trump said NY would get 0 dollars. I need my transportation! Told my friend had to vote for Biden. Never again. YES. NY did get money from him. Was it worth all the mandates, wars, threats of global currency? I'll vote 3rd party this year. If I'm still alive. Dear Raphael I'm not a hamster. I'm a scared mouse begging my doctors/therapists to save me.
I'm thinking of writing about fascia blasting which I have been getting back into for the first time in years in the past week. That's very interesting regarding the medicare reimbursement level being so ridiculously low for the service. The disconnect between offical corporate gov endorsed medicine and real healing and treaatment is growing wider by the year it seems...
Yes--big disconnect. My husband got reimbursed $4000/month for treating anemia due to cancer. Drugs are expensive--funded a lot by our government. Fascia blasting, herbs, chiropractic--not so much. Right now there are bills to make vitamins/supplements illegal so you will have to rely on drugs.
What's fascia blasting? Sounds like I should try it out if I can do it myself without paying!
Ashley Black is the big name in this space: she invented a variety of tools which are meant to break down poor fascia connection and rebuild it healthier. She started by trying to break down cellulite those fatty tissue pockets indicate an underlying weak connection between skin and fascia. It is also good for wrinkled saggy skin and scar tissue areas. Mostly the breakdown involves taking a very hot bath or sauna or apply a hot cloth to warm up the targeted area, then using a tool to pressure the underlying connection, while also applying an oil such as coconut oil. I've been wondering if castor oil might be a real winner for cellulite due to its ability to break down fat pockets. The technique involves discomfort and can even cause bruising in early days (which led to a class action lawsuit in 2021 which was dismissed) but the before and after results on the facebook page were quite incredible. Detoxing involves drinking lots of water. I'm trying it again on my face and wrinkled knees...so far so good...
Must be nice to have your in-laws gift you a quarter of a million dollars (just because they can) while people who deliver newspapers for a living (usually seniors trying to make extra money for food and housing pulling in about $19K), get caught in the tax liability trap at 10% (there is no low income range that is not taxed - if your taxable income is $4,000, your tax liability is $400), as well as the self- employment trap at almost another 15%. I've seen it time and again. They, of course, can't pay the taxes when due so they just sit there unpaid and subject to liens. What a System.
This is so beautifully said and absolutely true. I see so many people who seem to think that once they have the money, then they'll be happy. Why can't they be haappy now? If they are not in pain, or hungry or thirsty, what is preventing them from happiness in this moment?
It's all in the mind...
Happiness is other people. If you lack community, lack support, feel you have to compete for your worth, can't trust--how can you be happy? Our capitalism pits us against each other. We are living in a dysfunctional society/family where everyone feels they must compete for love. The psychopaths and narcissists can climb to the top.
I was pondering a similar related thread with my husband this morning. I have no idea if this land idea is going to pan out, or even who this mysterious foreman is, but from a purely mafia perspective Ka would certainly rank higher in some hierarchy than brother Tee would, despite having earned much less over his lifetime. Why? Because my husband Ka has shown an element of restraint and self control which makes him more trustworthy. Brother Tee has literally said in court filings that he's a junkie who can't control his actions when under the extreme influence of his addictions. Such a person would be useful for low level manual labor or things which involve a high level of risk, but would you really trust him?
I don't think you are being cynical at all. Those with psychopathic or sociopathic tendencies often end up at the top especially in business or finance. You often have to go back to childhood to even find the signs of it or try to pry behind the closed doors of sexual perversions.
My husband's fondness for alcohol for instance is known by the Thais. This brings up an interesting point: brother Tee, despite being a yaba junkie, does not care for alcohol and almost never drinks it. Those two have had fights over this stuff. My husband retains an upper hand in part because being a drunk in the forest is not an arrestible offense per say. Ka also can, like me, get off the sauce without suffering for it. Prying that bottle out of his hands when he's actively drunk is a challenge though!
We tend to judge most harshly that which we don't do or have struggles with. It's always protecting our own egos
This speaker at a Jordan Peterson ARC conference - totally relevant to this subject and your comments. See what you think. 14:33 min
https://m.facebook.com/Ruslankd/videos/craziest-god-moment-from-jordan-petersons-event-nobody-is-talking-about/1734803793706436