And to tell you the truth, I probably wouldn’t. There are some weeks when I’m shocked by how much money is still in my account, and others when I’m wondering where it all went. I know the great majority of it goes to paying bills, but a lot of it just…goes. I don’t mind spending money, but it would be nice to have some idea what I spent it on.
I know for a fact (because I just got the receipt) that I spend $50 on iTunes the other morning downloading songs for our New Year’s Eve party that I will probably never listen to again (I only play the music of people who died during the year, and let’s just say Lena Horne, Ronnie James Dio, and Jimmy Dean are not in heavy rotation on my iPod) – but if you asked me how many songs I bought, I would have guessed 15 or so. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind blowing $50 for a few hours of music that hardly anyone even paid attention to, but I do get a little concerned with how oblivious I am with how much I’m spending
Couple that with how much I’m not saving, and we have a real problem. And I’m not talking about savings accounts or IRA’s or college funds, I mean the money I literally throw away. I must drag $15 to the curb in recyclable bottles and cans every two weeks . Frankly, I can’t be bothered sticking sticky cans into a machine for a handful of nickels, and I like to think that the man who always stops and sorts through my trash needs the money more than I do, but if my math is correct (which I doubt) I’ve given away over $3000, just in recyclables, in the eight years I’ve been a homeowner .
I’m not going to start pinching pennies (I toss those suckers out anyway) but I would like to start paying a little more attention to where my money goes - and paying a little less for things I don’t need. I’m hoping that with a little self-control and awareness, I might be able to save up enough for next year's New Year’s soundtrack, because if the Mayans were right, 2012 is going to have a rather long playlist.
I often play this frustrating "game" with all the clothing I bought that I never wore more than once (a $70 work blouse or skirt that I bought as a size 2 when I am now an easy 4 -- you try it, 2's are very, very small...) and the kids' crap, OMG Lego's that they only built once (granted they would reuse the pieces in free play, but seriously, we have at least 3 -4 of those huge plastic Home Depot bins filled with them. There has got to be a cool $2000 worth of Legos in my home. And then there's the food, and the paper goods, and the, well, yeah, you get my point. So I stand in the basement and think, I should have a garage sale and I'd walk away with a cool $50 and I shove it all in a bag and I give it to charity. Maybe that IS the better use of the money anyway.
ReplyDeleteThis is funny (funny weird, not necessarily funny "ha ha"). Just yesterday I got cash at the ATM and chose the No Reciept button for the first time ever in my ATM using life. Granted, it was only because I had my checkbook in my hand and that is where I write down how much I took out before I wad up the reciept and pitch it, but still. I felt very environmentally responsible, like I saved a carp's life, because no doubt that is where all those wadded up reciepts go after they are blown out of the trash: to the bottom of the Ohio River where they are eaten by unsuspecting carp.
ReplyDeleteIs that a "HEATED" toilet seat......
ReplyDeleteThe girls will LOVE it........
Gae, I'm going to refrain from making any "easy 4" comments, but you do need to leggo those Legos!
ReplyDeleteTeri, that is funny/weird, and it's so nice that you give a carp!
And Dave, the girls are still looking for a heated house, never mind a toilet seat