Figuring out needs vs. wants

December 29th, 2007 at 05:05 pm

This year, I am really going to try to not buy anything I don't truely need. I don't know a better way to term this, but I am really going to try to cut back.

I know it's nearly impossible for us to go straight to "No eating out" so I am leaving it in the budget to have a little fun. I also LOVE to buy DVD's and such, especially since next year with no roomies, I won't have to throw money away by buying cable. YAY! However, it's a pure want to buy a dvd ... and thus shouldn't be done this year. I don't think this is something I can manage.

So, in my new budget for this year, I am going to allow myself some "fun" money. Not to mention, a few trips to Disney. This year, I didn't buy a season pass though ... gasp! My daughter has been asking to go to Disney since October, poor girl. What are we going to do?!?! I am thinking we might go to a few of the special parties, one in the spring, one for Halloween, and then for Christmas. I could never quit Disney cold turkey.

Also, I found out my friend is getting married in Vegas sometime this year. I have never been to Vegas as an adult ... so this is going to be in a "need" category.

Maybe I should label the categories "Need" "Want" and "Sanity". I think that might actually work.

Posted in Budget | 11 Comments »

11 Responses to “Figuring out needs vs. wants”

JanH Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 05:09 pm

Oh, I absolutely LOVE the idea of a "Sanity" category! I need one of those!
disneysteve Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 05:40 pm

One thought for the DVDs is to stick to only buying them secondhand. Between Amazon, Half.com and other sites, you can get virtually any disc at a nice discount by buying used.
Englishteacher Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 08:26 pm

Fun money is a must. We're all human.
reginaastralis Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 09:22 pm

I agree, DisneySteve. The only time I buy them new is if I can find them cheaper, ie Black Friday and te after Christmas sales. I walked out with two seasons of my favorite tv show for $19 each, much cheaper than they were going for on half.com.
Broken Arrow Says:
December 29th, 2007 at 11:11 pm

Red Box are great for DVDs, if you have one in your area.
baselle Says:
December 30th, 2007 at 12:04 am

DVDs as opposed to cable is a useful substitution.

Definitely look into the used or resell market for DVDs that you know that you'll be playing many times - all I do is go into Amazon.com. Also try the public library for DVDs that you are trying out or figure you'll play once.

As for eating out - know your habits and see if you can pursue them more cheaply. What makes eating out fun? Is it a dish, the restaurant, the experience? The biggest secret, in my opinion, is that the more times you eat out the less satisfying it is. If its great once a week, its not twice as great twice a week.
fern Says:
December 30th, 2007 at 06:16 am

What's better than buying DVDs new or used, IMO, is to rent them from NetFlix.

I get 2 a month for $6; wouldn't that be cheaper than buying DVDs?

Getting just 2 a month makes it a special occasion when 1 arrives in your mailbox; i save mine for the weekends.

I never really watch DVDs more than once, so to me, owning doesn't make sense.
reginaastralis Says:
December 30th, 2007 at 08:07 am

Hmm ... Netflix could work for some of the movies we wouldn't want to own ... and if I fell absolutely in love with it, I could always ask my mother to buy it for me for Christmas.
koppur Says:
December 30th, 2007 at 08:10 am

PLEASE do not think I am being mean or rude, but if your daughter is only 3, how much of Disney will she remember? Is it more for you than for her at this point? I'm only wondering, as I have no youngens in my life and am not sure what level of retention that have at 3. It just seems kind of young to me. I went when I was 10 and I didn't remember everything.
disneysteve Says:
December 30th, 2007 at 05:22 pm

koppur - You need to be a Disney fanatic to get it. Sure the kid won't remember much of anything, but the parents will, and they'll have photos to show and stories to tell the kid later on. By the time my daughter was 3, she had been to Disney World 5 times. She's now 12 and we recently got back from her 14th visit (and she's been to Disneyland, too). We have a photo of her and Tigger from every trip starting from her first visit when she was 5-1/2 months old. We love looking at all the pictures from our trips together, including the ones she doesn't remember.
reginaastralis Says:
December 31st, 2007 at 06:37 am

Koppur - My dd is turning three in two days, she will no longer be free at Disney. I used partof my tax return to buy a seasonal pass, and we would go once a month. The seson passes (for Florida residents only) have black out dates, spring break, most of the summer and the holidays, but those are dates we don't like to go to anyways b/c they are so busy. It worked out that we were going for just over $10 a visit, which didn't include parking. A lot of the times we go, I match it up with my parents and we stay at FW and I don't have to pay for parking. Parking just went up to $11/day ... OUCH. At most, we were spending (on a bad budget day) $50 ... but it was usually a LOT cheaper. We live close enough to bring breakfast/lunch and dinner. Occasionally we'll stop at a counter service area.

We're taking this year off b/c she's not free this year. I am really saddened by this ... sigh. But, I had already decided we would go for a year and then take a year off. There is so much to do in Florida that it seems silly to me to spend all of our time at Disney, even though it's something Juliette and I both LOVE. This year we'll be doing a lot of free/cheap things, and visiting our local zoo and aquarium. It'll probably end up costing more than if I had just bought Disney passes, honestly.

Is this really going to work?

A single mom's attempt to get out of debt.

Figuring out needs vs. wants

11 Responses to “Figuring out needs vs. wants”

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