Why do people do this to themselves? Dig themselves into a hole that they can't get themselves out of? Why do people do it? Live way beyond their means? [sigh]
Why must you have a bunch of things? It frustrates me to the point that my head feels like exploding.There really is no need in my own frugal opinion to have 15 designer handbags. No need to have the biggest plasma screen on the market. No need for a huge vehicle with shiny rims. There's really no need to have a closet busting at the seam with clothes. It's amazing to me that folks get caught up with buying things that their friends and neighbors have. Keeping up with the Joneses. Crazy silly.
The latest thing that has gotten under my skin? The fact that this housing "crisis" happened. Now if the old approach of requiring 20% down on a home were still in effect, our country wouldn't be in the mess its now in. Seriously. That's what I think. Why did people (and you see how I'm not pointing fingers here) make loans accessible to people who didn't have the funds to pay for a home? When people have 20% saved for a home? You KNOW that these folks seriously want a home. They've saved money for years to get those funds. YEARS. So this shows their dedication to a dream of owning a home. [sigh]
The Hubs and I did save for years to own a home. Years. We were serious. And we moved to where we're at now because the cost of living isn't so astronomical. We've been able to purchase a spacious home. We got the biggest bang for our buck here. Our neighborhood, which I've raved about before, is just the kind of neighborhood any parent would want their child to grow up in. It's not exactly where I want to live (I'd prefer to live near my family), but it's a place where we can afford to live. Maybe one day we'll be able to live near my family in California. Maybe one day. But right now we can't afford to go that route. We're living within OUR means.
But for us? Now that the financial market is so volatile, my biggest change will be to put more into our savings. Stash stuff away. I'm not moving banks. I'm not worried about covering our mortgage. I'm still going to do activities with the kids. I'm just going to spend less on myself (my $tarbuck$) and shift that little bit to savings. A small change but a conscious one.
What about you? Has your family re-evaluated its spending with the way our economy is going? Do you live within your means? Are you adjusting your spending habits based upon what's been happening on Wall Street?
No comments:
Post a Comment