This is really more about financial stress rather than adulthood. I was constantly on the verge of being broke until I became an adult and started working and (eventually) got a well paid job. Somewhat pedantic, I know, but financial stress is not an integral part of adulthood.
I have enough that I shouldn’t have to worry. The issue is that I grew up poor so not having enough is a constant worry that has followed me all my life.
It’s not thinking of finances because you don’t have enough … it’s thinking of finances because you want to be more responsible and thoughtful of how you use your money.
I have a friend who joked with me and said … ‘You aren’t cheap … you’re frugal’
In North America … being called ‘cheap’ is almost an insult as if to suggest someone is always tight with their money or doesn’t want to pay for things or constantly never wants to pay full price for things
Being ‘frugal’ is more open meaning that just means someone wants to save money and be mindful of their spending.
Oh, cheap is definitely an insult. It has connotations of making cost the top priority , as opposed to value. Booking airline tickets for a family vacation, sorting by cost, and sending a family of four a spirit airlines personal item only back of the plane seats that don’t recline next to the toilet flight with four 15 minute layovers is cheap. Booking tickets through the website for a small Icelandic airline and rooms directly through the hotel is frugal. Cheap is lowering costs above all else, while frugality is avoiding unnecessary expenses.
Start there. If it’s not clearly a no, repeat multiple times over several weeks and one can quickly learn when to spent time thinking about these things.
Being an adult doesn’t mean you’re only entitled to buy stuff you need. Don’t forget to treat yourself or others once in a while if you can afford it and it’s something you really want.
A neat trick is to wait ten minutes … or walk away from something and go back to it later. If you truly need it, you’ll still want it. If you didn’t need it, you’ll forget about it.
Constantly thinking of finances
Don’t forget
Closely followed by:
Later followed by:
This has been in this closet and hasn’t been used for 10 years.
I better hold on to it. I might need it.
You weren’t supposed to buy and then forget it. You were supposed to forget about it before buying.
This is really more about financial stress rather than adulthood. I was constantly on the verge of being broke until I became an adult and started working and (eventually) got a well paid job. Somewhat pedantic, I know, but financial stress is not an integral part of adulthood.
I have enough that I shouldn’t have to worry. The issue is that I grew up poor so not having enough is a constant worry that has followed me all my life.
It’s not thinking of finances because you don’t have enough … it’s thinking of finances because you want to be more responsible and thoughtful of how you use your money.
I have a friend who joked with me and said … ‘You aren’t cheap … you’re frugal’
I don’t understand the joke part. That’s sound very normal to me.
In North America … being called ‘cheap’ is almost an insult as if to suggest someone is always tight with their money or doesn’t want to pay for things or constantly never wants to pay full price for things
Being ‘frugal’ is more open meaning that just means someone wants to save money and be mindful of their spending.
Oh, cheap is definitely an insult. It has connotations of making cost the top priority , as opposed to value. Booking airline tickets for a family vacation, sorting by cost, and sending a family of four a spirit airlines personal item only back of the plane seats that don’t recline next to the toilet flight with four 15 minute layovers is cheap. Booking tickets through the website for a small Icelandic airline and rooms directly through the hotel is frugal. Cheap is lowering costs above all else, while frugality is avoiding unnecessary expenses.
Start there. If it’s not clearly a no, repeat multiple times over several weeks and one can quickly learn when to spent time thinking about these things.
Being an adult doesn’t mean you’re only entitled to buy stuff you need. Don’t forget to treat yourself or others once in a while if you can afford it and it’s something you really want.
A neat trick is to wait ten minutes … or walk away from something and go back to it later. If you truly need it, you’ll still want it. If you didn’t need it, you’ll forget about it.