Slave to saving

money_maker_2

lalman wrote: »

Can I just say something completely different to what everyone else is saying... spend what you want on your wedding. 7k isn't to much - its your big day, its a day you will remember till you become senile and by that point you will have forgotten that you spent all that money and won't feel any guilt! ;-)

Personally I don't think £7k is OTT either. I read the average wedding cost is something silly like £20k+ :eek:

Obviously I will shop around and get the best prices for each part, but I only plan on getting wed once. If it doesn't work out then I won't be bothering with it again. Would just have a cheap reg office with drinks down the pub instead.

Eco_Miser

money_maker wrote: »

Personally I don't think £7k is OTT either. I read the average wedding cost is something silly like £20k+ :eek:

Obviously I will shop around and get the best prices for each part, but I only plan on getting wed once.

Right, there's your justification. Now stop feeling guilty about spending it.

dicky73

xylophone wrote: »

No pockets in shrouds?:)

Very true.

joe_mcclaine

We got married for less than a grand. Despite being able to do the whole shebang we decided to spend a bit more on the honeymoon (still cheap compared to some couples' we know!) and saved ourselves a bundle and paid down the mortgage.

Registry Office, bit of snap at old man's house then down the local TA centre for a proper booze.

Let's face it, most people only go OTT because they want everyone to tell them how "Simply Fabulous Darling" their wedding was. We couldn't have cared less. We were just signing a contract and having a beer with mates and family and that was the job jobbed.

Went to mate's reception in a posh Manor House a couple of years ago. He was bullied into all the trimmings. I know there wasn't much change out of £35k and now he hasn't got a pot to ... well, you know. I give his marriage a year, two at the most.

Horses for courses and all that.

delmar39

In the same boat here! My Dad encouraged me to get my first £1k in the bank from an early age and ever since I've focused on saving, not spending. I save into an emergency fund, mortgage OP, stocks and shares ISA, child savings and have a planned spend account. Best thing I ever did is budget as best as I could for the year - for things like petrol, clothes, insurance etc etc. So I save in order to spend. This doesn't hit my emergency fund etc. We have also recently increased our joint account monthly payment to cover holidays more effectively. Any surplus, well, I save!! Looking at increasing my mortgage OP and stocks and shares ISA, but may also just top our holiday payments up to enjoy ourselves. There is nothing wrong with feeling like this and it's reassuring to know that others are in the same boat.

lippy1923

Def in the same boat OP. You need to find out WHY you feel like this. After years and years of saving and feeling the guilt and need to justify every little spend, I finally realise why I am like this.

It's because of my OH. He is pants with money and I have to be in charge of everything and anything financial. I give him pocket money after I take enough for all the bills/ living expenses. Even then he always goes into his overdraft (which is my pet peeve).

Because of his need to waste money and go OD each month, I feel extra pressure to save for both our sakes. He's blimin selfish but I love him. God knows what he would do without me!

Maybe if you figure out the reason behind it, you can work to get around it and start enjoying your money a bit more

N1AK

money_maker wrote: »

I can't take a break from saving and it's annoying me to no end.
I'm not in a bad situation and have a fairly good amount of money that I have saved for the last few years.

I have always been a saver since I left school. I can't help but put money away in case of an emergency. (what emergency I don't know)

Does anyone else feel like this? what's a good balance between saving/ spending? Can someone please comment and tell me how stupid I am to feel guilty for spending my own money :rotfl:

I think some hesitance to spend is a pretty common issue for many people who save. Having put the effort into to collecting the money, it then seems painful to 'lose' it.

Ultimately the reason why will vary from one person to another. Some will be motivated by a fear of poverty, for others it'll be a desire to be permanently independent and for others it's a vanity exercise. Sometimes the reason will be justified, but can be taken too far; having far more savings than required to avoid poverty and still saving as much as possible for no other reason.

I think one reason it is easy to get carried away is that it is very hard to know when you have enough savings, even if you have a clear idea of what that might mean. Surely another £10k can't hurt right? Do I really need that nice dress now, when I possibly need the money more in future? etc etc.

Ultimately the best you can do is try and understand why you want to save. Once you understand that, if you think the reason is a bad one, then try and adjust your mindset.

dale_cotterill

This thread is brilliant.

I don't know if I am a saver, or just someone who hates spending money!

I'll happily spend hundreds of pounds each year driving around watching my football team, or playing other sport. But anything else I just don't.

I look at my car and think, I already have a car, well, it still goes. I have a computer, so don't need a new one. I have a PS3, I don't need a PS4. I have a phone, so I don't need a new one. I have some clothes which still fit, so I don't need any new clothes. Though I've worn them for years!

Or possibly more to the point, I'd like many of the above. But I can never actually justify to myself actually getting any of them, since I'm spending money on something I already have.

I bought a new TV in December. Spent about £600 from savings. The funny thing is, I'd been going on about buying one, for probably about 3 years on and off. But could never justify it. I already had a TV. Yes, it was a 23inch screen that I had had for about 5 years, but it still worked.

I finally gave into myself after 3 years of pushing back. Very happy and don't feel guilty at all!

Mr_Prudent

Yes, this saving bug thing can almost become a curse. A friend has recently retired and for the last 18 months has been promising himself a newer car (not brand new) caught up last week and he is still “thinking about it” He lives on his own and has no dependents or commitments and yet he cannot bring himself to spend some cash. Like Xylophone I’ve told him he can’t take it with him and that he should enjoy it while he’s still able. If he doesn’t, he will have some very thankful nephews and nieces who will happily enjoy it for him if and when the grim reaper comes a calling! As for myself been needing a new laptop for the past six months as the old one (7 years) has just about had it, but as the old one still just about works despite giving it a Basil Fawlty damn good thrashing the other day (I had repeatedly warned It!) Do I really need to spend the cash though? OH NO, NOW I’M DOING IT!!

lalman

I am the same Dale - I have been banging on about buying a watch for the equivalent of a 10th of a months salary for over a year... still haven't bought it as I can't justify it as I have perfectly working one now...

Its weird to feel like this because I don't want to wake up one day and just feel 'why didn't I just enjoy myself'... but if I don't want anything... why waste it?!?! Im sure one day I will want something and I will be in a position to do it.