I've always loved deals and the idea of saving money. I guess this has been the case because I realize that money (at least my money) is finite and can only go so far. There never seems to be enough of it, so if I can get better deals on what I do buy, I'll have more money left over for other purchases. I have a close friend who is absolutely resistant to signing up for Ebates for some reason. It's not that he doesn't trust the site, nor is it anything to do with signing up under me. I hate seeing people I care about wasting money, especially when they are on a very restrictive budget, so it drives me crazy. If he had signed up months ago when I first mentioned it, he could have gotten at least $200 back over the past 6 months or so. Finally, he's started mentioning that he should probably sign up for Ebates and could have saved a lot of money over the past several months, yet he still hasn't done so. It's not a matter of me being right versus him being wrong, I just hate that he's thrown away so much money that he really needed. Do y'all have people in your lives like this? How have you dealt with it?
I know of people who are financially comfortable, they are my relatives. They're not really rich, but they can afford to buy luxury items. They make it a point to waste gas by going on road trips when they feel like it. I certainly would not do that even if I have money to spare.
I always enjoyed jaunts on the back roads when I had a newer and better maintained vehicle and money for gas. It's a nice way to get out of the house without spending a lot of money, but everyone has his/her own preferences. I would sometimes take drives to clear my head, or de-stress. I didn't take long enough ones to really affect my budget though, even when gas was pricier. I would definitely do it now if my vehicle was in better shape, since the price of gas is currently so low. I know people who seem to have an abundance of funds who are traveling all over the world right now, on exotic vacations, while others are putting on extra clothing to stay warm and stretching meals with fillers to feed their families. The economy seems very odd right now. I've never seen so many on either end of the spectrum and so few in the middle.
It's about self-esteem and mentality. I went shopping with a friend to a mall and she refused to go into Dollar Tree with me, but when I served her a meal with food from the store that was fine. She was snobby, but she had this idea cheaper things aren't as good. Having worked in retail, you find expensive things aren't perfect either. Lots of people don't sign up for Ebates because it sounds confusing to them, when really it's an extra 5 minutes to sign up and an extra click to access the site. The same with loyalty cards, and when my landlady saw how much I saved with my CVS card, she was surprised, but she still never got one herself, silly woman!
It is funny in a way because I have a friend who has like no money at all and does not make much of an attempt at saving what little she does have. I on the other hand normally have enough to get by and usually have a little extra at the end to pay down debt or save. I am an avid deal hunter and am always looking for a way to save money where I can. Perhaps that is why I am doing a little better than she is? Interesting theory.
We have the SM advantage card here which works like Ebates. We earn points for whatever purchase we make from accredited stores. What's good is there are gas stations which are accredited so our fuel purchases gives us a rebate. Even some airlines are accredite so you can imagine the rebates in points that my card earns since we are travelers. With the points, I could pay my groceries twice a year with the points I had earned.
My ex has money problems but he thinks that coupons and rebates are a waste of time, so he misses out on a lot of opportunities that could improve his money situation. He doesn't even use the store loyalty cards at stores that he shops at. I can't understand hating couponing so much that you're willing to overpay in every category of your life.
Sometimes it's best to accept the person the way they are and you did your duty as a good friend. My Mom is like your friend...she had a mild heart attack and has a pace maker and I've mentioned about fish oil to take as a supplement. She can only drink the pearl size fish oils. I said we'll get some and she demands I wait till she asks her doctors. You can lead a horse to water but it's up to the horse to drink it. At least we've tried, but I'll confess it drives me up the wall too!
Yes, I know many people who seem to have more money than sense and will just not take onboard any money saving tips, as if it's too much of a hassle to them. Or maybe it's beneath them, who knows? I'll mention it once or twice, but what they do with that information is entirely up to them. So long as I'm saving money and doing my thing, they can go do what they want LOL I'm sorry it sounds harsh, but sometimes you just have to admit that you can take the horse to the water, but you can't always make it drink
Even if I was well off I would still find ways to save money wherever I could. It is really stupid not to save money when you have the opportunity to do so. I guess that is just the way I am, but why not stretch your riches as far as they will go.
Yes, I have met a few persons who never really take care when it comes to spending. They would go shopping and spend without giving a thought to how much they have budgeted for that occasion, often times they have to be returning goods at checkout. They will tell you that they prefer to spend the money than to save it, enjoy it to fullest now that they are alive because it will be of no use to them when they die.
I knew someone 8 years back who always worked really hard but didn't earn much. Instead of saving money by buying things he could afford, the moment he got paid he'd dash to a store and buy some of the most expensive clothes. Because he liked buying clothes and always bought the more expensive brands he always was in debt. It could be a weird addiction of some kind he had but I think he would have saved a lot of money if he'd bought his clothes at a thrift store.
Yes, I know several people that fit this category, but the one that I'm going to highlight is my darling husband. This man didn't like the fact that our oldest child asked if cookies were in the budget one time, she was 4 years old at the time. As a parent, I would've thought, he would've been proud that our child understood we were on a budget. Heck, we're still on a budget 15 years later. He doesn't like using coupons, he doesn't like talking about budgets(I try to handle that the best I can), he doesn't like shopping at certain stores like Aldi because they don't have brand name products. So, I use coupons whenever I buy groceries without him, I shop at stores that he wouldn't shop at for me and the kids for food occasionally. I don't understand why anyone would pay full price for something if they don't have to, and I don't understand how people can go through their daily lives without some kind of budget either.
That's very odd that if they're on a restrictive budget that they wouldn't want to save. Maybe they have more money than they lead people to believe! The only people I know that don't care about saving are those who have money to spend and believe life is short so why not spend?! I know what it's like to be on very restricted budget and I'm always worried about what the price is of something I'm getting and try to get coupons before shopping.
Ha, I did it! I happened to be on the phone with the person yesterday when he was shopping around online to make a pretty major purchase. As usual, I brought up Ebates again. I figured I'd try one more time, and that would be the end of it. He was telling me how much money he'd get back from Best Buy, since he has a membership there, and I said why not get more back on top of that? How can you be struggling and yet throw away money at the same time? I had to walk him through the process, and even then, he was a little doubtful, but he seemed pretty happy when he got the email after his purchase, stating that he was getting a $10 reward from Ebates, for joining and making his first $25+ purchase.
Yes, my ex usually doesn't care how much he spends on items. He prefers buying things from Costco,,which is a good place to shop for many things...but it isn't the best place for everything, Of course he bought a turkey for Thanksgiving...I said...please buy at Shoppers,,,cheaper store, and he gets it at Wegmans (more expensive store)...pays a boatload of money...and it was full of bones! Lately he has been buying some things at Aldis...so maybe there is hope!
Actually, my husband is just like this. He doesn't really spend his money on clothes or gadgets but on food. Yeah, he treats us to so much food almost daily. That's why his allowance is always gone by the end of the month. He says he doesn't want to restrict us on food because it's what makes life enjoyable. I do agree that food should be something that we don't scrimp on too much. But now, I encouraged him that we should save up each month even just a bit of our earnings and his allowance. So far, so good. I guess by the end of the year we'll see how it goes.
Yup. My mother is like this. I tell her about a lot of offers and deals by which she could tons of money but she never listens to me and will be too resilient in sticking to her budget. She never listens to me about the deals and then she complains to me that she couldn't save money. I don't know when she will change herself.
Well, I only know of well off people who would not care about saving a few bucks. The rest of the people that I know are always on the lookout fo the best deals and discounts. I guess if you are that rich then you would smirk at the thought of saving a few cents or dollars, since it won't make a dent in your pocket anyway.
