Growing Money

Smart Living - Part I

I used to go shop online a lot. I would waste most of my paychecks ordering hot deals. Sometimes I think hot deals can turn into really bad deals if you're not careful. After a few years of working and still don't have money saved up, I come to realize my overspending and am now much more conscious about what I buy. I try to buy what is necessary and useful for me. Before I buy something now, I'll ask myself, "Is it worth it?" Now, I don't want to be overly zealous over saving every penny. I know some people are like that, and I think that would damage the quality of my life. I would sometimes pay a slightly higher price for an item because I think it's more worthwhile, could it be that it lasts longer or is more durable. Just because something is cheaper doesn't mean it's always better. I don't want to a be a penny wise and a pound foolish. When I was visiting the hot deals forums/websites frequently I would always try to buy more items so I could use a xx dollar off yy coupon. Sometimes I ended up spending $50 more to save $5. That wasn't smart. Multiply that by hundreds of orders, I was getting so many hot deals, I was silently burning a hole in my wallet. When the bills came, I had to draw all the money in my bank accounts to pay off the credit cards and I end up with a lot of items at my apartment that stood in the corner collecting dust. One day I just sat down and looked at all my receipts, the boxes in my home filled with useless items, and the bills I had to pay or have paid, and I have decided to do something about it. As I look more into my finances and learn how to better manage my money, I become more financially wise and mature. I control my spending much better now. I still look at hot deals websites and forums, but I make sure I only buy the items I need, even if it means forgoing a xx dollar coupon. I rather give the $5 saving than to pay another $30 to buy another item that I will not touch.

posted by Sean @ 3/23/2005 04:00:00 PM