Comments on: Splurging Is OK

By: spicoli

spicoli — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 02:37:44 +0000

If I am spending my money on something I really want, I do not think I am wasting it. I do not want to be buried with all of my money so I don’t think that spending is foolish, as long as I think about it first.

By: Dave Barend

Dave Barend — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 14:49:02 +0000

I have just printed this post and taped it to my fridge with a picture of a flat screen TV. I hope my wife gets the message. Odds are she’ll replace the picture of the TV with a brochure for StoryLand.

Great blog.

By: Persephone

Persephone — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 23:07:30 +0000

I splurge on books(within my means, of course!).

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:11:05 +0000

Very good article … I think sometimes people recklessly splurge out of guilt. I see it in my own family sometimes – they don’t have a lot of time to spend with family members, so they substitute that with gifts. I’m aware of this and hope to avoid this when I have my own kids.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:21:23 +0000

I suppose this story illustrates the need for balance and brings home that at the end of the day, what we are really trying to do is be financially responsible.

By: Diane

Diane — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 05:34:44 +0000

Sometimes you really should go with making the memories – especially with your kids, and it can cost a bit.

You had the free tickets – that was great. Once you decide to go, you may as well make the day a great one – $40 is not a high price to pay for that, if its a special event.

I agree that there’s no way to enjoy a day like that when you’re both hungry & thirsty – that would spoil a wonderful opportunity for a great day together.

Special events with my kids are a high priority for me, and that’s not always free or cheap.Sometimes it really IS okay to spend money, be frivolous and enjoy yourself!

By: Beth

Beth — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 03:34:02 +0000

I also agree that a family can have fun without “breaking the bank” by being creative – maybe you splurge on a good meal at the event or spend the money at something to take home with you or a cool photo – whatever makes the experience memorable. Our kids know we are cognizant about costs and I think they appreciate our approach. At their ages, the time we spend together is “priceless” to them – no matter what we spend.

By: Victor

Victor — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 23:17:40 +0000

Excellently written article by someone who understands the concept of self control. They are in control of their finances and are able to accept the times when they need to spend more than normal. Life is not static and being able to adapt and maintain control of the situation (ie. spending money), is a mark of maturity.

As some would say: They were frugal; not cheap.

By: Emily

Emily — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:37:53 +0000

Ditto from me also – set goals for budgeting and set goals for enjoying. We don’t live as close to the last dollar in our pockets anymore because life happens. Or someone calls with a fun idea and we been through some drought times so we say yes – let’s get together and have fun and memories. Balance is key. Good ideas.

By: Ann

Ann — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 17:54:13 +0000

So long as you’re not going into debt or skipping paying “necessary” bills, splurging occasionally is fine… and the memories are definitely worth it!

For years, I remembered going to Seaworld as a very little girl, not because the memories were so clear (I was REALLY little!) but because my parents bought me a stuffed animal whale. His name was Sammy and, when I played with him, I could almost remember parts of the show that he was in. What I remembered was doing something fun with my family and that sea creatures were beautiful and fantastic…. hmmm. Wonder whether that’s part of the reason why to this day I’m fascinated with marine critters? I don’t have Sammy any more but I do still have Smokey the Bear, who I tend to associate with a visit to Pike’s Peak at a similarly young age and I remember the duck boats at Wisconsin Dells and driving to visit my grandparents in Orlando, picking oranges fresh from the tree, chameleons and baskets of orchids hanging from tree limbs. Visiting family half a continent away took a lot of time and expense in the 50′s and was really special.

Splurging occasionally is a great opportunity to create and share memories with family, which I think is important. Yes, I remember being read to, going to my brother’s little league games, stopping on the way back from a Neiman Masrcus shopping spree to pick wild concord grapes and making jam, eating warm tomatoes fresh from the vine with my mom and sitting on the front porch waiting for my dad to come home, but some of the trips are what bring back special smiles and even laughter.

On a day-to-day basis, though I generally wait for a movie to come out on dvd, there are some that you just HAVE to go to the theater and see on the big screen! There are some books and authors that have to be closer than the library, so they reside on my bookshelves. Some tools that you may not use frequently are so handy when you do use them that it’s worth it to save up and buy them to have in your workshop/garden shed.

Depending on what’s going on in my life, splurging can be anything from visiting a fabulous bakery and picking up a special dessert to buying a special tool to planning a trip to a stone supplier in Canada so I can personally pick out stone for my inventory to planning a trip to Scotland to visit a friend of mine. I won’t do it, if I can’t afford to pay cash for it, but it’s definitely worth the splurge!