Staying Balanced

Keeping the balance between saving for tomorrow and enjoying life today is a challenge for me at times. I am much more inclined to save money for the future than to spend it now. I realize that it's better to be a compulsive saver than a compulsive spender. But how does one reach a balance?

Unless you have $10 million in the bank or are deep in debt, this applies to you. If you are incredibly wealthy you can spend today and tomorrow and way into the future and you don't need to worry about balance as much. Likewise if you are in debt than you should be doing everything you can to get out of  debt and start saving like crazy. Actually if you are in debt why are you even reading this? You should be working 2 or 3 jobs to get out of debt. Then you can come back and browse all the time-wasting websites you want.

I have to mentally stop myself from trying to save every dollar I make that doesn't get spent on necessities. I need to remind myself it's OK to let down what little hair I have left and spend a few dollars every now and again. Especially while I am not a geezer and can actually enjoy it.

I could save even more if I wanted to. But since we are on track to retire in 13 years, I feel comfortable with the balance we currently have. Besides we have too much fun going to the beach each year, letting the kids participate in a reasonable amount of sports and other activities, having a summer pool membership (well the wife and kids enjoy that, going in some skanky water with 200 sweaty obese people doesn't hold much appeal to me, the wife and I go out for lunch on the 20th of each month to celebrate our wedding anniversary. 

I have no problem keeping the thermostat on 60 during the winter if it helps pay for beach house during the summer. Or reusing ziplock baggies if that means we can grill some steaks every now and again.

Listen I'm not gonna go nuts with the spending though. You aren't gonna catch me in a Starsux, ever. And I won't be paying to go to a yoga class and have someone teach me how to pose (you people ever heard of YouTube or borrowing DVD's from a library?). And my wardrobe will still consist of hand-me-downs and thrift store bargains.


So let's all lighten up and enjoy life a bit. Go on vacation once in awhile, send your wife to Victoria Secrets, let your kid have peanut-butter and jelly.

PS-don't tell my wife and kids I said it was ok to spend money on occasion.