GTKY and other money randoms!

als1982 · March 2016

It's been quiet around here lately, so... 1. What's your favorite splurge? 2. What do you find easy to skimp on? 3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? 4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? 5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? 6. What's your greatest money regret? 7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? 8. Random

jessica490 · March 2016

Fun! I like these posts

1. What's your favorite splurge? I like clothes! I don't shop often but when I do I spend a chunk of money to buy a bunch of things so I will be set for years lol. I mostly shop at Kohls too because they have good prices and coupons

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Primping. I don't get manicures or pedicures, and my haircuts are done at a chain store for $16. I do like massages though once in awhile...

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes, I'm frugal, I save $, but I like to have fun too. More memories and less "stuff". I hope to retire early

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Luckily, yes.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? I think just being able to buy a house was a big deal....finally!

6. What's your greatest money regret? I wish I had started saving more money in general and to retirement in my late teens/early 20's instead of shopping and buying crap for myself and big dollar gifts for family members

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? To plan ahead for purchases and save for retirement. Everyone has been SO helpful!

8. Random- I fantasize about retirement even though I'm 33. I just don't like the concept of working.....

labro · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Definitely stuff for my home or garden. There's this local boutique that sells such beautiful things and I love to buy from there but they are so expensive so I try to limit myself. I have a much easier time splurging on a new plant for my yard though.

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Ugh. Nothing. I really struggle with waiting for deals or only buying the cheapest. I guess I do the best at grocery shopping - no brand names, no pre-packaged anything.

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? I'm a lot like my mom. We both like to spend. Luckily my dad has really great saving and investment habits so even though my habits haven't always been the best, I have a good example to attempt to learn from.

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? We communicate about finances a lot. We don't align well because I'm a spender and he's a saver but we work together on our budget and we spend a lot of time communicating on our spending, our budget, our financial goals etc.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? To date - paying off our student loans. Another big one is we survive on my H's income only so we can dedicate mine to paying off the rest of our debt.

6. What's your greatest money regret? Mostly that before I met H I wasn't great about managing my money. I spent a lot of time living paycheck to paycheck and carrying a balance on my credit card. Luckily none of those habits have formed any lasting damage (I somehow still have an amazing credit score). But I wish I had focused more on forming good spending habits early on.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? I'm still new but I find it really helpful to see how other people strategize and save towards financial goals.

8. Random I assume this means something random about myself? I eat the blue M&M's last.

hoffse · March 2016

1) We splurge on traveling and paying for special experiences while we are traveling. For example, in Venice we're probably going to pay out the nose to visit St. Mark's after it closes for tourists. We're going to do the same thing at the Vatican. It's very expensive, but worth it to us so that we can use our time more efficiently and avoid the massive hoards of people. Also, we're going to surprise my parents with those tickets (since they are coming with us), and I'm using a combination of mothers day, fathers day, and their birthdays to justify it, lol. They don't need more stuff, but I know they will love seeing those places virtually empty.

2) I find it easy to skimp on clothes. I tend to wear clothes far past their expiration date. Just this weekend I finally retired a T-shirt that is 11 years old and developing holes in it. It's now a painting shirt.

3) Yes, I'm very much like my parents when it comes to finances. They took steps starting at a young age to teach me about money and set me up financially. A good example is my retirement account.... My parents opened a Roth IRA for me in middle school. At the same time they started putting my allowance on a Visa Buxx, which was a prepaid card. That helped me shift over to plastic while they could watch and help me learn about it. I haven't really carried cash since middle school, but I've never had credit card debt or overdrawn a bank account.

4) Yes, my spouse and I align when it comes to finances. He's more willing to spend money than I am, but he always listens if I tell him that buying X means sacrificing Y. We hardly ever fight about money.

5) I'm not sure what my single proudest accomplishment is, but probably a blend of making it all happen. We have done a ton in the last 18 months. I won't list it all here, but we've increased our net worth by over $50K since January 2015. That's on top of buying the house, remodeling the kitchen, traveling, etc.

I do think that the best single financial decision we have made so far is buying a house that we could afford on one income. It frees up so much cash for us, and that's the only reason we've been able to accomplish the other things.

6) My biggest money regret was having a huge wedding. My parents paid for most of it, but my dad offered to cut me a check for the value. He even offered to throw in a 10% "pain and suffering bonus" because it would save him from having to listen to the planning. I didn't take the money, and it's the stupidest decision I've ever made. Our wedding was lovely, and everything went great, but I did not fully appreciate how much I hate being the center of attention until I was standing at the altar. If I could do it all over again I would take the money, spend $1-$2K on a very intimate ceremony/nice dinner, put a big chunk toward a badass honeymoon, and then save the rest.

7) I think my biggest takeaway is the knowledge that I'm not the cheapest person out there, regardless of what it might seem like in real life. That helps me stay the course when I'm tempted to just throw in the towel and embrace the lifestyle that most of my peers have.

EDIT: 8) I have been to a gorilla funeral, and my recurring nightmare involves flamingos. My H is missing part of his right pinky finger because a scarlet macaw bit it off when he was a baby.

csuave · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Bakery and sweets. And dog clothes.

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Lots of things including clothes and personal care items (makeup, fancy hair products, etc.)

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yes. It took work starting with conversations before we got married (maybe even before we got engaged, I don't remember) but we are aligned with goals and spending habits. Except H had a setback by acquiring debt on his personal money management. I certainly hope we are aligned on that now.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Starting retirement savings early with a Roth at age 19.

6. What's your greatest money regret? I was a little conservative with my retirement approach (based on my current standards) in my twenties. In hindsight I wish I would have put more in my 401K and IRA instead of putting so much into savings.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? There are people out there that are financially conservative, thrifty, and advance planners like me! I'm not the only one!

8. Random Black male is my favorite kind of cat (based on experience).

csuave · March 2016

Trying to attach a picture of my splurge but IT challenged so not sure it will work...

brij2006 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge?

Travel

2. What do you find easy to skimp on?

Cable. Don't care at all to have it.

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances?

Yes and no. They're big on paying cash for cars and many other things, but debt doesn't bother them.
I've joked that I could make my salary plus some just by looking over their books and finding money they "throw away."

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances?

Yes. Very much now that we're on Dave Ramsey's plan.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment?
Paying off our house.

6. What's your greatest money regret?

Not starting Total Money Makeover sooner.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board?

Sinking funds for everything!

8. Random

I used to be a big spender. Like drop $200 on clothes at least once a month, eat out 2-3 times/week, and had a pretty hefty car payment.

julieanne912 · March 2016

1. Hmmm, I personally don't splurge on much since things are so tight. But I guess my car. It's more expensive than I should be paying, but I spend a lot of time in it and I like having a nice car. H splurges on too many things but my favorite of his splurges is probably hockey season tickets (which we're not doing next year).

2. Uhh everything? But probably groceries. I am pretty good at getting creative and shopping sales etc., to keep our grocery bill pretty low without us feeling like we're eating rice and beans every night.

3. Nope. Mainly because my folks never talked about money. But I've also always liked nice things, my brother is the polar opposite of me, so personality comes into play there for sure. My mom recently told me that they weren't always good with money... they did stuff like pull out short term title loans on their car when they needed fast cash, had tax liens on their house, etc. But I always remember her being very good with money, and she was able to retire 6 months before she turned 65 without any issues.

4. Uh, nope. He's a "live in the now" kind of guy, and money is what most of our arguments are about. Things have gotten better than they were, but he still likes to spend. He feels like if he can afford the monthly payment on something, that means he can afford it. But he's stretched to the max. Definitely something we are working on, and will probably continue to work on for a long time.

5. This is completely not MM, but while I wouldn't say "proudest", I'd say mine is when I decided to file for BK. I was in completely over my head, and couldn't see a way out, even if I worked 2 jobs, lived even more frugally than I was, etc. Filing gave me some freedom so I could "start over" and be more responsible this time around. Definitely learned from my mistakes.

6. I spent almost everything I made in my 20s. I made a very good income, over double what I make now, but had nothing to show for it other than fancy things and some good memories. I did pay down my student loans some during that time, but didn't save anything. I'm still paying for my decisions 10 years ago, today.

7. That I'm a completely financial loser LOL! But no really, while this board has made me realize how far behind I am, it also helps me to learn new things and almost keeps me a bit accountable.

8. My middle name is Anne, after Anne of Green Gables.

brij2006 · March 2016

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

als1982 · March 2016

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

I'm totally the opposite on this. After losing my dad, family memories like this are invaluable. We probably spent more than $35,000 on our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It gave my mom, grandparents and other family members such joy. Worth every single penny.

julieanne912 · March 2016

als1982 said:

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

I'm totally the opposite on this. After losing my dad, family memories like this are invaluable. We probably spent more than $35,000 on our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It gave my mom, grandparents and other family members such joy. Worth every single penny.

Same here... mine was in the 17k range, and my mom picked up most of the bill (she didn't offer it to us as cash instead or anything like that). My dad died in 2000 and she saved a portion of his life insurance for my wedding. I think she would have been majorly bummed if we decided to just go to the courthouse or have something really small. Her whole family came out, including all 5 of her siblings and my 95 year old grandpa, and she was floating on air all night long... probably even more than I was LOL!

cbee817 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? clothes for the girls, pedicure once a year for me

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? cars - I drive a 2003 honda civic

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Kind of- my mom tried her best and landed a much better job when I was in middle school. I made sure things were much more stable before DD#1 was born (DH and I were married, had a house, reliable cars, good jobs, etc).

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yeah- DH is pretty easy going and saw his parents go through bankruptcy when he was in high school and his dad lost his job. He knows it's important to save for things/retirement, have no CC debt, etc.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? No SL debt for undergrad and graduate school.

6. What's your greatest money regret? Not putting a higher % into my 401K when I started my job at 22.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? I like getting other opinions and considerations that I may not have thought of.

8. Random: My mom taught me how to sew when I was 6. I have always loved it and took up quilting 2 years ago- absolutely love cutting up fabric and sewing it back together.

hoffse · March 2016

als1982 said:

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

I'm totally the opposite on this. After losing my dad, family memories like this are invaluable. We probably spent more than $35,000 on our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It gave my mom, grandparents and other family members such joy. Worth every single penny.

I'm an only child and grew up with my nearest relative (other than parents) 900 miles away. My H is one of three, but literally half of his extended family is overseas and the other half is in California.

We still managed to have over 300 people at our wedding.

I'm not saying I wouldn't have a wedding at all, I'm saying I wouldn't have invited 300+ people if I could do it over again. We probably could have capped it at 30-40, and it would have been everybody who really cared or mattered. As it was, I was stressed, H was stressed, all four parents were very stressed.... it would have been a better experience for everybody if we had kept it small.

cbee817 · March 2016

hoffse said:

als1982 said:

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

I'm totally the opposite on this. After losing my dad, family memories like this are invaluable. We probably spent more than $35,000 on our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It gave my mom, grandparents and other family members such joy. Worth every single penny.

I'm an only child and grew up with my nearest relative (other than parents) 900 miles away. My H is one of three, but literally half of his extended family is overseas and the other half is in California.

We still managed to have over 300 people at our wedding.

I'm not saying I wouldn't have a wedding at all, I'm saying I wouldn't have invited 300+ people if I could do it over again. We probably could have capped it at 30-40, and it would have been everybody who really cared or mattered. As it was, I was stressed, H was stressed, all four parents were very stressed.... it would have been a better experience for everybody if we had kept it small.

We had a small wedding- 80 people and no bridal party (I didn't and still don't really see the point of having one). We got married in a cherry orchard and the reception was in a giant barn.. it was awesome! DH and I were able to talk to everyone and it was really comfortable and stress free- I would do it again in a heartbeat. We take the girls and our parents back every year for a Father's day brunch- it's a lot of fun, the food is awesome, and we get some really nice family pictures while we are there too.

hoffse · March 2016

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

How many people did you guys have?

What's crazy is while 300 is on the bigger side, it's definitely not huge for southern weddings. I've been to quite a few weddings with upwards of 500 people.

I only realized how stupid it was after we had fully committed to it and invitations had gone out. When we were doing the table charts, I realized H and I were trying to place a bunch of people at tables whom we had never met before. Not just dates, but people we had actually invited whom we had never met.

julieanne912 · March 2016

hoffse said:

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

How many people did you guys have?

What's crazy is while 300 is on the bigger side, it's definitely not huge for southern weddings. I've been to quite a few weddings with upwards of 500 people.

I only realized how stupid it was after we had fully committed to it and invitations had gone out. When we were doing the table charts, I realized H and I were trying to place a bunch of people at tables whom we had never met before. Not just dates, but people we had actually invited whom we had never met.

See, 300 sounds crazy to me. We invited about 200 and ended up with 130, which was perfect. There were some there I hadn't met before, but they were friends of H's, or vice versa.

hoffse · March 2016

See, 300 sounds crazy to me. We invited about 200 and ended up with 130, which was perfect. There were some there I hadn't met before, but they were friends of H's, or vice versa.

Yes, that's what was crazy, and it's why I say our wedding was the worst financial decision we have made. I'm an introvert, and H kind of is too. We should have taken the money, invited just the people we really cared about (and who cared about us), planned something much simpler, and then called it a day.

What we had was beautiful - live band, perfect weather, over 1,000 tulips in bloom, etc. But I lost 10 pounds from stress so my dress didn't fit. Meanwhile H threw up every meal he ate starting the week of the wedding, all the way up to breakfast right before the ceremony.

We are going to brainwash our own kids to think differently, lol.

smetter04 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? House decor, flowers for the garden
2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Cable
3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? In most ways. My parents are good savers and planners, and I am much like that myself.
4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Mostly. We do have disagreements, but nothing major. He's more of a spender but has improved, and I'm more of a saver but he has helped me see the value of splurging once in awhile on something that will bring us joy (@hoffse). I tend to irrationally worry about finances and the future and he brings me back to earth.
5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Affording a house as quickly as we did. When we got married, I wasn't working (and didn't until 5 months later) and H was in an entry-level position. When I started working we were able to save my salary and quickly saved up enough for a down payment, and bought our house 7 months later.
6. What's your greatest money regret? Price of previously mentioned house, lol. I wish we waited a couple years to save up a 20% down payment. Knowing now how our income has increased, it wouldn't have taken too long. But, if we didn't buy the house when we did, all of those memories wouldn't have happened, and there haven't been any houses of this size at the price we needed since then, so. Live and learn I guess.
7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? I've really learned how to approach finances & decisions from the bigger picture, how to set financial goals & work toward them, and that I can take control of our financial destiny and advocate for us.
8. Random We had 225 people at our wedding. I always wanted a big wedding and don't regret it, however H and I felt so obligated to talk to as many guests as possible that we hardly saw each other. I think 150 would have been a good number to still have a big wedding but not be overwhelmed.

LillibetteV · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Probably travel, wine and stationary. I'm a sucker for notebooks and fun sticky notes!

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Most things, honestly. I'm so sick and tired of the amount of STUFF in our house that I have zero desire to buy anything besides essentials.

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? More or less. I'm a little more conservative than both of them.

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Also, more or less. We're both responsible but I tend towards the saver side and he tends toward the spender side. I'm slowly converting him muahaha

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Having the courage to leave a job where I was underpaid and over worked. It's hard when you like the people, but a girl needs to get what she's worth!

6. What's your greatest money regret? Life's too short. No regret - only lessons moving forward.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? That there are people like me! haha, seriously my husband thinks my interest in personal finance is boring.

8. Random I do not limit the money we spend to keep our pets healthy and happy. I do my best to keep it reasonable and don't overspend on treats or toys, but I have spent more on vet bills in the last few years than most people spend on a wedding. I don't consider it a "splurge" either - it's the responsibility that comes with being a pet momma!

als1982 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Travel. 2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Cable, Starbucks, vehicles. I LOVE my paid for 2001 Honda Accord. At 205,000 miles, she still runs like a top! 3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes! My parents were super MM. They paid off their home in their 30s and were super smart with saving and investing. They were also well insured when my dad died suddenly at 55. 4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yes, though he's starting to get the itch to spend more. I keep telling him it'll all be worth it when we're reaping the benefits a few years from now. 5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Putting close to 60% of our take how pay towards debt and savings. 6. What's your greatest money regret? Living in expensive apartments before buying my house. A $1,050 studio for a single person in a LCOL city? Stupid. I could have found something nice for a third of that, or even lived with a roommate. 7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? Inspiration from all the wise Money Managers who post here. 8. Random: I'm definitely known for my "middle class hustle" around the office, from travel hacking to the many ways I earn extra income and our debt payoff goals, I'm definitely known for my thrifty ways. My friends though, I don't think they have any idea...

short+sassy · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge?

Massages and fresh flowers. I don't treat myself to either very often. But when I do for massages, I'm still cheap and groupon it.

2. What do you find easy to skimp on?

Clothes. I was a clothes horse when I was younger and what do I have to show for it? Boxes of clothes I never wear, some still with the tags on. Now, I only buy clothes when I need something. Though a website called Fashion Mia has a lot of cheap dresses in the style I like best...fitted on top with an A-line skirt. I've looked on their site a few times, but haven't ordered anything. Now the little ad bar to the right is always flashing those dresses when I'm online. Damn you, Google!

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances?

I learned my frugality and sticking to a budget from my parents. But they were never much for investing, especially something more "risky" like investing in real estate. My mom has never been a naysayer to me, though. She doesn't compliment me very often, but told me a few months ago that she was impressed with my real estate accomplishments. It meant a lot to me.

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances?

We pretty much do. When we were first dating, he was always a big spender. Not much of a saver. Funny enough, now he is the one more conservative than I am when it comes to growing our real estate business.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment?

Buying a duplex for my first home.

6. What's your greatest money regret?

Not buying a duplex as my first home 10 years before I did, lol. I'd already be retired.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board?

Spend excess income where it makes the most sense for your financial goals. When I first started coming to these boards, I was super jazzed that, with what I put away every month, I could pay my mortgage off in 5 years. That was my goal.

But the more PPs talked about putting money in their retirement/mutual funds instead of paying off their mortgage, the more that made sense to me. There is no cheaper money you can get than on a mortgage for an owner-occupied house. So, if my goal is more real estate which will have loans with higher interest rates, I'm better off saving that money for down payments than paying off my own home sooner.

I have totally done a 180 on that, much in thanks to some of the folks on here, and am all the happier for it. Now my plan is to "retire" in 5 years. Obviously I am not saying paying a mortgage off is a bad thing! I'm sure it's great. It just doesn't fit in with my plans at this time.

8. Random

Oh! This is seriously random y'all. And a bit scandalous. I was a phone sex operator for about a year when I was younger (about 15 years ago). It was actually incredibly boring but, on average, I made $15/hour and could just pick up the phone, log in, and work from home whenever I wanted to. Looking back, I really should have worked it more and made more money, but it was such drudgery.

I was in the 4th graduating class of a new (at the time) Cal State school. Being at a new college also meant I was a founding member of Alpha Chi Omega's chapter there. A rare and fun opportunity to be part of a group of students who formed the Greek system at their college.

My H was part of the early days of putting together Microsoft's Excel program. Not the very first version, but one of the early versions. He was never an employee of Microsoft, but came from a consulting firm.

He is also terrified of birds. All birds. It's pretty odd and hilarious, all at the same time. There's an episode of the Big Bang Theory where it comes out that Sheldon is afraid of birds. We always get an extra big kick out of that episode.

short+sassy · March 2016

Oh! Since we're talking about weddings also.

I got married later in life (late 30s). I dreamed of a big, traditional wedding in my 20s. But by the time I actually got engaged, I was a homeowner with way more things I'd rather spend the money on. Originally, we were going to have a backyard wedding here in NOLA with just our closest family and friends. But then my mom offered for us to have it in her and my stepdad's patio/deck area...which is pretty nice sized and there are flowers everywhere. Plus there is a park across the street for the wedding pics.

It meant my H and I would need to travel to CA for our wedding but, the more we thought about it, the more sense it made. In NOLA, everyone except for us and our BM/wife, would have had to travel. In CA, half the guests already lived there and the other half would have had to travel either way.

My mom was the best ever and coordinated everything for me, since she was the one there. She also offered to pay for everything. I don't know exactly how much she spent, but it probably was not more than $5K. It was a small, intimate wedding with 35 people. Just loved it! I had time to have a conversation with everyone.

I was even super frugal with my dress. I know it is frowned upon on TK, but I bought my dream dress from an Ebay store based out of Hong Kong. They had tons of good reviews, so I took the chance. It cost me $200 and fit me perfectly right out of the box (I'd sent my height and measurements). I couldn't have even bought the material for $200 in the States.

Now I have to be AW and attach a pic.

JoanE2012 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Without a doubt, travel. We can forego most other things, but we devote a decent chunk of change solely to travel. A close second, though, is the house. We plan to have this our forever house, so when we do things, we often pick nicer options. For instance, when we got new carriage garage doors, we opted for the aluminum hardware ($480) over the stamped metal ($80).

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Entertainment - movies, going out to eat, etc. While we like to go out on occasion, we are homebodies most of the time.

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? I've evolved into becoming like my parents as I've gotten older. We slack on some things when I know we could do better - like couponing, budgeting, etc.

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yes, we're on the save wavelength. I'd say I'm a bit more of a spender than he is though. But that's me buying clothes or things for the house - and DH doesn't care about either.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Nothing terribly specific. I did buy a new car a couple weeks ago, and when they ran my credit, I had a FICO score of 840. I was pretty proud of that.

6. What's your greatest money regret? Cashing in my 401k to buy a condo. It wasn't a huge amount, but still. And not contributing more to my retirement when I was younger.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board?
One size does not fit all!

8. Random
I'm down almost 25lbs since early fall, solely through watching what I eat and finally (!) losing the mentality that if I have one "bad" thing any given day, the entire week is ruined (and therefore, screw it, I'll restart next week!).

hoffse · March 2016

After all my complaining, I have to say that one thing I did right with respect to the wedding was the bridal shoot. My parents thought it was kind of silly, but I ponied up the extra money for it, and afterwards my dad actually paid me back because he liked the photos so much, lol.

My photog had this crazy idea to do the shoot in this really secluded treehouse in Chattanooga that's basically built over a swamp. OK, I know it's weird, but it was a gorgeous setting.

JoanE2012 · March 2016

Beautiful @hoffse!

dragonstarjk · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? Stitch Fix

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Cell phones, TV, hair, nails, and makeup

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Not even a little bit!

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? So-so. We've aligned our goals, but we definitely don't manage money the same way.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Buying a house well below what we qualified for, refinancing to a 15-year mortgage, and knowing it will be paid off in about 10 years.

6. What's your greatest money regret? My previous car...finally a distant memory

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? Finding ways to be more prepared for unexpected expenses/financial emergencies

8. Random? I was the president of our Phi Theta Kappa honor society chapter in junior college. I don't really like vegetables. I was raised around our local stock car dirt track and was a major race car fan up until my early 20's; I've kind of grown out of it now. I used to be a D&D player. Obviously, you can see that I am really just a big nerd.

dragonstarjk · March 2016

jessica490 said:

Fun! I like these posts
1. What's your favorite splurge? I like clothes! I don't shop often but when I do I spend a chunk of money to buy a bunch of things so I will be set for years lol. I mostly shop at Kohls too because they have good prices and coupons
2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Primping. I don't get manicures or pedicures, and my haircuts are done at a chain store for $16. I do like massages though once in awhile...
3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes, I'm frugal, I save $, but I like to have fun too. More memories and less "stuff". I hope to retire early
4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Luckily, yes.
5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? I think just being able to buy a house was a big deal....finally!
6. What's your greatest money regret? I wish I had started saving more money in general and to retirement in my late teens/early 20's instead of shopping and buying crap for myself and big dollar gifts for family members
7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? To plan ahead for purchases and save for retirement. Everyone has been SO helpful!
8. Random- I fantasize about retirement even though I'm 33. I just don't like the concept of working.....

I could have probably written most of this myself! We're like twins.....

dragonstarjk · March 2016

julieanne912 said:

als1982 said:

brij2006 said:

@hoffse My dad offered that same thing. Young and dumb, right? We NEEDED the big wedding.

I'm totally the opposite on this. After losing my dad, family memories like this are invaluable. We probably spent more than $35,000 on our wedding, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It gave my mom, grandparents and other family members such joy. Worth every single penny.

Same here... mine was in the 17k range, and my mom picked up most of the bill (she didn't offer it to us as cash instead or anything like that). My dad died in 2000 and she saved a portion of his life insurance for my wedding. I think she would have been majorly bummed if we decided to just go to the courthouse or have something really small. Her whole family came out, including all 5 of her siblings and my 95 year old grandpa, and she was floating on air all night long... probably even more than I was LOL!

We paid $10K for our wedding, which we paid for ourselves by saving for two years. There are certainly other things we could have spent that money on, but it was an absolutely amazing day and I don't regret a single penny of it! It was a Roaring 20's theme and everything we wanted.

MommyLiberty5013 · March 2016

julieanne912 said:

1. Hmmm, I personally don't splurge on much since things are so tight. But I guess my car. It's more expensive than I should be paying, but I spend a lot of time in it and I like having a nice car. H splurges on too many things but my favorite of his splurges is probably hockey season tickets (which we're not doing next year).

2. Uhh everything? But probably groceries. I am pretty good at getting creative and shopping sales etc., to keep our grocery bill pretty low without us feeling like we're eating rice and beans every night.

3. Nope. Mainly because my folks never talked about money. But I've also always liked nice things, my brother is the polar opposite of me, so personality comes into play there for sure. My mom recently told me that they weren't always good with money... they did stuff like pull out short term title loans on their car when they needed fast cash, had tax liens on their house, etc. But I always remember her being very good with money, and she was able to retire 6 months before she turned 65 without any issues.

4. Uh, nope. He's a "live in the now" kind of guy, and money is what most of our arguments are about. Things have gotten better than they were, but he still likes to spend. He feels like if he can afford the monthly payment on something, that means he can afford it. But he's stretched to the max. Definitely something we are working on, and will probably continue to work on for a long time.

5. This is completely not MM, but while I wouldn't say "proudest", I'd say mine is when I decided to file for BK. I was in completely over my head, and couldn't see a way out, even if I worked 2 jobs, lived even more frugally than I was, etc. Filing gave me some freedom so I could "start over" and be more responsible this time around. Definitely learned from my mistakes.

6. I spent almost everything I made in my 20s. I made a very good income, over double what I make now, but had nothing to show for it other than fancy things and some good memories. I did pay down my student loans some during that time, but didn't save anything. I'm still paying for my decisions 10 years ago, today.

7. That I'm a completely financial loser LOL! But no really, while this board has made me realize how far behind I am, it also helps me to learn new things and almost keeps me a bit accountable.
8. My middle name is Anne, after Anne of Green Gables.

My middle name is Anne too. Love the "e" by the way!

MommyLiberty5013 · March 2016

1. What's your favorite splurge? For sure...massages. The really long ones like 1 1/2 hours.

2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Clothing. I buy my clothes at Target as I need them. And if I can, I try and wait until the Cartwheel sales pop up for clothing too. I tend not to skimp on shoes, though, because having my feet not hurt is important. I can easily drop $100+ on a pair of shoes.

3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes, my dad opened my first credit card for me when I was 18 and the expectation was I used it for things I needed at college (he paid the bill). But, when he passed the bill paying on to me once I had my first job, I always paid on time and in full. Also, my parents are big savers. My dad paid cash for my entire under graduate education. And, they always pay cash for cars. I'm more of a spender then he is, but more frugal than my mom. My dad and I currently discuss finances quite openly.

4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yes, we do. DH is more of a saver than me. When I met him he slept on a half deflated air mattress and had a cardboard box as a night stand.

5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Never being in debt. Not living paycheck to paycheck. Always having a high credit score.

6. What's your greatest money regret? In 2005, I signed up for Mary Kay and while I'm still a consultant now, I regret doing a $2,400 outlay of expenditure to get "product on my shelf." It was the only time in life when I carried a CC balance for a few months. I thought I "needed" the product to do the MK thing the right way. But, after I figured out the ropes, I realized that I was just too rushed by my sales director to order. And, since I had no idea what to order, she did the order for me and I ended up not even selling a lot of what she had purchased on my behalf. Ugh.

7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? Just hearing about other peoples' successes and questions.

8. Random - I collect antique green glass. My middle name is also Anne. DH and I met on e-Harmony. I sing in my church's praise band. As for weddings, my dad is 50% Italian and he felt it was culturally "proper" for him and my mom to pay for my wedding. We had about 150 people.

kmurphy2131 · March 2016

MommyLiberty5013 said:

1. What's your favorite splurge? For sure...massages. The really long ones like 1 1/2 hours.
2. What do you find easy to skimp on? Clothing. I buy my clothes at Target as I need them. And if I can, I try and wait until the Cartwheel sales pop up for clothing too. I tend not to skimp on shoes, though, because having my feet not hurt is important. I can easily drop $100+ on a pair of shoes.
3. Are you like your parents when it comes to finances? Yes, my dad opened my first credit card for me when I was 18 and the expectation was I used it for things I needed at college (he paid the bill). But, when he passed the bill paying on to me once I had my first job, I always paid on time and in full. Also, my parents are big savers. My dad paid cash for my entire under graduate education. And, they always pay cash for cars. I'm more of a spender then he is, but more frugal than my mom. My dad and I currently discuss finances quite openly.
4. Do you and your spouse align when it comes to finances? Yes, we do. DH is more of a saver than me. When I met him he slept on a half deflated air mattress and had a cardboard box as a night stand.
5. What's your proudest money accomplishment? Never being in debt. Not living paycheck to paycheck. Always having a high credit score.
6. What's your greatest money regret? In 2005, I signed up for Mary Kay and while I'm still a consultant now, I regret doing a $2,400 outlay of expenditure to get "product on my shelf." It was the only time in life when I carried a CC balance for a few months. I thought I "needed" the product to do the MK thing the right way. But, after I figured out the ropes, I realized that I was just too rushed by my sales director to order. And, since I had no idea what to order, she did the order for me and I ended up not even selling a lot of what she had purchased on my behalf. Ugh.
7. What's been your biggest take away from this board? Just hearing about other peoples' successes and questions.
8. Random - I collect antique green glass. My middle name is also Anne. DH and I met on e-Harmony. I sing in my church's praise band. As for weddings, my dad is 50% Italian and he felt it was culturally "proper" for him and my mom to pay for my wedding. We had about 150 people.

Yay for online dating. My husband and I met through match.com. He can be super weird about it but I have always been open about it -it's so common now!

GTKY and other money randoms!

Re: GTKY and other money randoms!

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