ᐅ Consume or save?

pffreestyler schrieb:

You can really set your watch by when HilfeHilfe starts a new thread or post to show how much money he can easily spend.

To make you feel a bit better: we are so broke after building our house that the only restaurant visit we can afford is a cheeseburger from McDonald’s, our vacation is on the sand terrace, we will have money for paving work in at least 5 years, I now cycle 30km (18.6 miles) to work, and the car had to be pawned due to lack of funds. Extra loan repayments? During the pandemic, we postponed repayments just so I could buy some new clothes. I’ve already lost 40 kilograms (88 pounds), and the fridge is almost always empty. Typical case of taking on too much. We read your posts every day and get stomach aches from envy because you can spend so much money despite the loan, while we’re struggling so much. Fortunately, I’m a positive person and always think, “better to be poor than have a lost limb.” I wish you a great time down south and please keep us updated in 2021 about how much money you can spend despite the financing. We need that to not forget, amidst our own misery, that a better life exists. Maybe we’ll manage it too someday at 80 years old, once our loan is paid off.

See a few posts above. Here comes the typical envy debate again about the evil HilfeHilfe.

HilfeHilfe schrieb:

How do you define living? Going on vacation?

For me, buying new clothes or upgrading to a bigger and better TV after two years isn’t living.
I love traveling, but even then, staying at a resort with a pool and all-inclusive service doesn’t fulfill me. That doesn’t mean I book the cheapest option either. I’m not interested in things like bigger, further, my huge house, my luxury car, or the very best and most expensive stuff.
No matter how much money you earn, it’s never enough for that.
I want to live free of worries, be healthy, and feel content. That’s what living means to me.

HilfeHilfe schrieb:

how do you define living? Going on vacation?

To me, "living" means working toward MY own self-set goals. So, "living" is mainly about what I DO, not what I buy or own. Of course, since you can’t do much without having certain things, I also consume—but according to fairly clear priorities. A vacation in the south at a luxury hotel, a fancy car—those aren’t part of it.

Why? Because I mostly see such things with people who are showing off what they can afford. It’s probably about generating envy or applause, relying on external validation. That means being dependent on others’ opinions. That’s why some people even post about it in forums…

This brings it full circle: If I want to follow MY own path, I try to be as independent as possible from others’ opinions and look for an environment where no one cares about monetary one-upmanship.

This active prioritizing, deciding, taking action, and occasionally trimming the “friends list” is what living means to me.

HilfeHilfe schrieb:

Hello,

while browsing, the name caught my attention.

We (4 people) will be spending some time in the south this summer, have booked a vacation in October (on the weekend), and also the ski hotel.

So just casually spending around 5,000 (currency not specified). I’m always torn between whether to live life or save money. We earn well, have hardly any mortgage payments, and will also inherit some assets eventually.

How about you???

Gradually, I get the impression from your posts that there might be something you are trying to compensate for in your life...
Or what exactly is the purpose of this question?

saralina87 schrieb:

Slowly, from your posts, I’m beginning to think there might be something you’re trying to compensate for in your life...
Or what exactly is the purpose of this question?

I just wanted to know how you define “living” and how people manage their budgets.

Even despite COVID-19, there are still a lot of urgent financing requests coming in, which makes me wonder how people manage to balance living and financing.

And no, I don’t have a Porsche parked outside, but I deliberately finance smaller.

HilfeHilfe schrieb:

Despite the pandemic, an incredible number of tight financing requests are coming in, which makes me wonder how people manage to balance living expenses and financing.

Tight in terms of your understanding of living expenses?