Are you a saver or a spender?

It’s a funny thing with me. I’m a saver…but, the more I save, the more I want to save. Maybe it’s that way with a lot of folks.

@partyparty both my friend! What is money, if you don’t enjoy it. My brother has every penny he ever made…but, never has any fun. His son will have fun spending it….Think there has to be a balance!

I’m a spender. I am desperately trying to save now but it’s proving to be a struggle for me.

The minute I walk in the joint…

OK, I actually I have some retirement savings generating in the background.

By nature I’m a spender, but have had the habit of saving ingrained into me since childhood. The saving is reinforced by my dislike of clutter; if I were to buy something, it is just one more object to keep track of.

I’d turn into a spender only to buy things that I thought would make my lady happy; emeralds and gold usually.

I love spending money, but I manage to save (read: not spend) money too. Being an adult is hard =\

Spender – but, like others, I struggle to save.

I’m a spender. I’m also a bit shopaholic.

I pretend to be a saver, but I’m really a spender.

@MissA I suppose it becomes a habit doesn’t it?
@BoBo1946 Very wise words indeed :-)
@stranger_in_a_strange_land Such a lovely answer, many thanks!
@Facade Yes the temptation to spend is always with us don’t you think?
@Doctor_D Yes, shopping is such a buzz LOLL
@ItalianPrincess1217 So you manage to save sometimes do you?

I’m pretty balanced here.

@partyparty Ehhh very little. I get my paycheck and it usually stays in my bank account for a few days before I start spending it.

@ItalianPrincess1217 As long as two days? LOLL
@aprilsimnel Love your answer!! So you spend AND save a little?

@partyparty, yup! Especially when I have a job!

I’m both but I tend to save more than I spend. At least until a rainy day comes along and then I go looking for new toys at Best Buy.

@Bluefreedom A very wise (and maybe rich) flutherer!! :-)

I’m a saver but then comes the home improvements…..bathroom is next and painting house

I hate spending money. It is worse than pulling teeth with me. I was raised to be very frugal, and I never got over it. I refuse to part with anything that can be re-used, and I refuse to replace anything that still works.

My Dad taught me the doodoo rule: Make Do, Do It Yourself, Do without.

I’m a spender…not mega extravagant, but, yep..if I like it, want it, it’s mine!

My biggest frivolous moments are with good food, good drink and cool artsy stuff.

I could care less about expensive cars or jewelry.

What are we saving for anyway…to leave it all to the kids…nope, being of sound mind I am spending my money before I die. lol

I am an extreme saver. I like saving money at every possibility – like turning heating off/lights/ getting cheapest foods etc etc. I like to stockpile my money, but I do spend some of it on things that I want material wise. But things that are more temporary I tend to ignore.

This has been true in video games as well. I used to play a MMORPG where I just used to farm gold and never really spent any of it. It reached the point where I had so much I could buy literally anything, but I still farmed for the fun of it. In other games I tend to stockpile the cash/“upgrade points” and never spend it on upgrades until I know I have plenty to spare. Probably a bad strategy in the long run since I would always have extra lying around doing nothing that could have been used upgrading ma gears.

I know video games don’t compare to real life, but it sort of does in my case as I treat money in the same sort of way.

@Ame_Evil

LOL…you and I would never be a blend…I like the lights on, heat on, all of my creature comforts goin’ on….a good friend of mine broke up with a guy that was OCD about lights and heat…he had plenty of cash but was super anal about every little thing. She would freeze her ass off getting out of the shower, BEGGED him to comprimise at keeping the heat at like 67 instead of 60….the final straw…when he started hovering over her to make sure she burped the ziplock bags ‘correctly’....adios muchacho! hahaha

I am not wasteful but I am not even remotely anal about anything.

I too am a Spender! struggling to save on the side. Balance is key of course, but money shouldn’t lay idle for long :)

Grasshopper, me.
beginning to admire ants i know.

i spend. and it hurts. =(

I spend all of my money. My friends are concerned, and they think I am a shopaholic or something. One time I saw an episode of Intervention about a shopaholic, and I was just as bad as her, aside from all of the debt and stealing. I’m in high school so I have no responsibilities for money, so I end up spending every last dime of each check from my job. I still don’t have a cell phone or my drivers liscence because I spend everything at the mall. Sometimes if I haven’t gone shopping for a while I get all antsy and nervous and have this urge to shop. I seriously think I have a problem….

I’m a saver because I love to be able to buy and pay for things up front with no worries. I enjoy whittling down debts, buying gifts and being able to take good care of myself and the people I love, all that takes saving and planning.

@jazmina88 Yes, home improvements never end do they?
@YARNLADY Have you never been tempted to go out, see something really extravagant and buy it? Just a treat for yourself?
@Coloma What are we saving for anyway…to leave it all to the kids…nope Love your answer. I can see your aim in life is spend, spend spend LOLL
@Ame_Evil So does saving, even on small items, make you feel happy? What will you do with all your money?
@desiree333 Thanks for your answer. Perhaps one day you will have more responsibilities and will have to save. :-)
@Neizvestnaya Yes, so you save, and then spend. A happy solution all round. thanks

Saver.

@mattbrowne Don’t you ever get tempted to go out and buy something really extravagant? Something you really want?

Everyone is so different in their desires.

A good friend just spent 10k on cosmetic facial treatments/surgery.

I would spend the same 10k on travel and taking time off, screw the face. lol

Someone else might buy a boat or an expensive piece of jewelry.

It’s all good, each to his own.

@Coloma I love your answer. Can’t stop laughing about it :-))))))
So you gain pleasure from spending?

@partyparty

Lol..well…it is more about the pleasure of not having to worry about every dime like I did in my younger years forever. I am really a pretty low maintainance kinda woman, and it is also about simple fun things a lot…like I bought my new cat a brush today and he is in heaven. It isn’t alway’s about some big thing. :-)

@partyparty—It happens so rarely that I could count the times on my fingers. One time I was driving alone on a two day, 500 mile trip and it was my birthday, so I bought a beautiful windchime at a tourist stop.

@partyparty Hopefully or I am in trouble!

@partyparty Let it gather dust whilst I collect more and only buy small essental things

@Coloma Yes a tiny purchase can make you feel good. The simple pleasures can sometimes be the best.
@YARNLADY And did your small purchase give you pleasure, or did you feel guilty?@desiree333 Yes maybe one day you will become a saver. Thanks
@Ame_Evil So whoever inherits are going to be extremely rich? What about you, and the here and now?

@partyparty Pleasure – then and now.

@partyparty – Don’t I ever get tempted to go out and buy something really extravagant? Not anymore. I did when I was 35 or younger. Of course I indulge in a treat once in a while, but the extremely extravagant stuff actually gives me an unpleasant feeling. I could afford it, but know that I’d feel bad afterwards thinking what a waste of money.

I rely on satisficing which is a decision-making strategy that attempts to meet criteria for adequacy, rather than to identify an optimal (expensive) solution. Here’s an example. I’m an audiophile which means my stereo equipment does have to be really good and meet above average standards. But at some point another 5% improvement would cost 50% more. And another 3% perhaps 80% more. And so forth. I also learned that in order to enjoy great sound we actually need to train our own hearing which means our brains get rewired. If people can’t tell the individual instruments from an orchestra apart for example it will limit their experience. Same for visuals. We need to pay attention to details. This way a 4-star hotel can be more impressive than a 5-star one. Improving our senses doesn’t cost money. It requires time and ambition. And it’s a lot of fun.

@mattbrowne Wow I love your answer. As a musician myself I can understand where you are coming from. Never thought of it like that. We learn something new each day. Many thanks

I am a bit of both. I spend more then I save.

@Frenchfry I hope you don’t get in to debt :-)

It feels good to save, however i love spending money on things that i want. At the moment we’re not saving any money, everything spare that we have we put into our home loan (we pay more than double, close to triple, the actual amount of the instalment every month), and the rest goes to making our home our home (we only bought it in Dec 09, so we’re still making it ours slowly but surely).
We don’t really save cash in a separate account, because we want to invest in property and businesses, rather than put cash aside. So we’re planning for our retirement while having fun along the way.

@NaturallyMe Sounds like a sensible way of doing things. Bricks and mortar always make more money. Good luck.

@partyparty Thanx. :)