So what is the one thing you've done to improve your finances the most...

[Jim Richards]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Working 70 hours per week.

It's especially effective when you're getting paid for 40.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Quote de onewhippedpuppy

Working 70 hours per week.

It's especially effective when you're getting paid for 40.

Thanks to my exceptionally low salary I actually get paid OT. Though in the grand scheme of things I'm still getting screwed.

[lukeh]

12 months ago I maxed out 401k and went 90% stocks.

House paid off this June.

10 years ago I bought a Honda with 80,000 miles for $3,500 and drove it 10 years until it hit 200,000 miles. Just sold it for $600. I new car depreciates more in a year than what my car cost over 10 years.

[speedracing944]

Installed a water heater timer at a cost of $150 for parts and saves about $30 a month.
Less heating of the garage to wrench on the car.
As little driving as possible.

Speedy

[smokintr6]

I put my 914-6 resto mod project on hold, and parked my 911

It sucks, but it is effective...unfortunately when the cash sits around I become tempted to buy more spoons. This has recently wiped out extra savings from the p car. I have totally stopped burrowing money though. Aside from student loans, I am 100% debt free.

[vash]

getting married.

before, i was a loose cannon with my money. hunting trips, 12 track days a year, new bows and other toys, eating out, and dating loose women.

my life is boring now, but i have a nest egg...bittersweet!

now, i pack my lunch, and go to the library. irony alert! my wife got laid off, one friggen year after i got hitched. she is going back to school, and I still have WAAAAAYYYYY more money than before. once she rejoins the work force..i'll be on easy street. but still no loose women.

hahah.

[smokintr6]

^^^ Jeez Vash, You make growing up sound like so much fun. Remainder to stay single... check.

[Bill Douglas]

It's different for me. For the first time I've got a good income that I don't have to be sensible with. Houses paid off etc. So I've been playing with guns a bit And last Saturday bought a new trout rod. I fished all day on Monday without a single strike (lightweight spinning rod), wow was I a tired boy and slept well that night. I've opt'ed for suicide by bacon and eat bacon and eggs at cafes followed by lattes to keep up the spending. No race cars, maybe a race gun in the near future.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

It's different for me. For the first time I've got a good income

Me too, so I'm using it to pay everything off and build up some savings (fancy having that). I'll never be in this position again if I have anything to do with it.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by vash

getting married.

before, i was a loose cannon with my money. hunting trips, 12 track days a year, new bows and other toys, eating out, and dating loose women.


hahah.

Me too... got married... was living high on the hog... diner out three four times a week... don't miss it at all.

Just refied mortgage, paid off credit cards, going to keep cards paid off every month.

[Por_sha911]

This is how I got off the debt merry-go-round:
1) Did a ledger to see where I was spending. Everything. Even a gallon of milk or a coke. It took some time but you'd be amazed how much you spend that doesn't get picked up on the budget radar. It helped me to reign in my spending habits.
2) Paid off all debt starting with the highest interest first. Did the mortgage last because it was tax-deductible. *A word to those that recently paid off the mortgage: be prepared for a bigger tax bill! For me, it meant going to standard deductions instead of itemized. Each time I paid off a debt, I added that monthly amount of money each month to the next bill to be paid off.
3) Once everything was debt free, started a simple savings/money market account. I put 2 - 3 paychecks each month into it and then when it grows to a pre-determined amount I move the money into a CD and start building again. When I had a nice cushion, I bought my `87 with 34k miles in 10/03 and paid cash. No small trick for a middle class guy without a 6 figure income or rich parents.

I'm now looking for a stable long term investment. My pain threshold for financial risk is rather low so I'm not the stocks kind of guy. Am I a millionaire? No but I sleep like a baby knowing that the volatility of the market or my job situation will not affect my standard of living or risk me losing everything. To me, peace with some nice stuff is better than tons of stuff with liens. I admire those of you that have the go big or go home financial plans but I knew I wasn't going to be happy doing it that way.

[tabs]

Switched from Coke to Pepsi

[scottbombedout]

Put spending on the 911 on hold.

[legion]

I stopped being poor.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Got the hell out of Kalifornia.

[motion]

Go big or die frustrated. Your choice. If you have to watch every nickel and can't get what you want, whether it be where you live, material items or vacations, then you must be frustrated. Very few people are happy spending all their time in a boring, stable situation whiling away their days, waiting to keel over. So don't tell me you're perfectly happy not getting what you want. I'm gonna call BS.

[Jim Richards]

How much do you want?

[Rot 911]

And no doubt Motion knows how to go big! Pity poor me....

[motion]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

How much do you want?

As much as it takes... personally, I'm not happy in a boring, unstimulating situation. If I wake up tomorrow and decide I want to pursue a hobby in antigravitational mobility devices, I want to be able to pursue that, regardless of cost. Yeah, some are going to call that hedonistic, but I might keel over with a bad ticker tomorrow, so I'd like to be able to pursue my interests without hinder. Of course, one must take care of their obligations first.

[motion]

Awwww jeez, Kurt.