[Memento_Mori15]

Big Spender even though I'm a broke college student. I'm slowly having more control as I separate desire from what I need. Yesterday, I wanted to pre-order Persona 4 Arena but then I thought to myself, "when am I actually gonna sit down and play it?"

[jmdajr]

Spending sprees are few and far between..
And when I spend there better be good deals.

Save.

[entrement]

Saver.

[xJavonta]

I spend everything. The joys of being a student living at home with no responsibilities.

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Both savings accounts get their money first. Those are static amounts that come out of the two paychecks I get from work. Bills come next, which will likely vary month to month. When those are deducted, I can budget for the frivolous things. Mind you I document this kind of stuff so I know how what kind of cash flow will be available throughout the month.

[Lunchbox]

when i got my first big paycheck

i bought 20$ a pair american eagle underwear. felt good, felt like i made it

[Devolution]

Neither. Somewhere in the middle. I eat out more than I should. Curse gluttony.

[ameratsu]

I am tight as possible because I don't make a lot of money and would rather have money for travelling and spending on things I really enjoy than randomly wasting my money at the bar on drinks, having the latest gadgets, or amassing a huge collection of games and movies. I do like trying new restaurants though. If I made more money my spending habits would change significantly.

[Razek]

I buy basically nothing.

Only when I allow myself.

Rarely I will tell myself to go wild, but it's still within a limit (like steam sales).

[VALIS]

Used to be a huge spender, now mostly the opposite, I take pride in trying to do things as affordably as possible.

[Slayer-33]

Yeah I just ordered like 20 friggin games from NewEgg's $10 off sale. You tell me.

I would probably have a seizure if I did that (and I can lol.. :|), Jesus Christ dude.

[TheSchwab_7]

Trying to become more of a saver than spender. The hardest part is cutting out fast food and going out to eat. I also work at a grocery store part-time, so I'd usually spend somewhere around $4 on food for my break, but now I'm making my own lunches at home and bringing them to work. May not seem like much, but it adds up.

[thecouncil]

im trying to spend under $6000 this year.
i think it might just work out.

next year will be a spending spree though.

[DarkHeartedKill]

I dunno, I'm kind of a mix I suppose. There are times where I will save money because I don't think what I'm buying is worth it. But if what I'm buying is worth it I kind of go a little spending crazy. What my dad taught me is when you're living with your parents spend 20% and save 80%. You don't need to spend a lot because your parents are already paying for everything almost. When you move on and live by yourself you should be spending 80% for stuff like shelter, electricity, water, food, and a little entertainment, and save 20%. I'd say I save around 60% while still with my parents. So yea I'm on the middle ground.

[The_Inquisitor]

Paycheck- 11% 401k - 10% straight into savings - rent/car payment - other reoccurring bills.

I try to save the remainder, but I don't feel too bad when I buy something nice.

[shagg_187]

Massive spender. Every penny.

[Revenant]

Fort knox

If I'm out with friends or doing something fun im willing to throw money around a bit. Otherwise I'm good at moving purchases down the line.

[FStop7]

I make it rain. YOLO.

[nhlducks35]

I'm such a fucking cheapass, I always calculate everything I buy and how it fits in the grand scheme of my funds.

[Darkatomz]

I'm a saver for the most part. When I spend, it kind of comes in bursts, where I might spend more than usual in the span of a month or so, and then I go back on lockdown.

I almost never make impulse purchases either. If I buy something I consider a big-ticket item, I'll spend forever researching it and its alternative options and/or wait for a deal if I can.

[RukusProvider]

I'm such a fucking cheapass, I always calculate everything I buy and how it fits in the grand scheme of my funds.

This.

[whitehawk]

I'm pretty good with my money. A few of my friends my age (20) have 1000+ in credit card debt, I have none.

[SouthernDragon]

Middle of the road. I spend small amounts when it will give me great happiness, and the rest goes to providing for the family.

I rarely, rarely buy new clothes, although I do spend a bit on suits when necessary. I just made the largest update to my wardrobe today in 5 years; about $750 on new shirts, shoes, belts, pants, jeans... now I need a messenger bag and a new pair of glasses to complete the wardrobe and round it out to about $1000.

[Darkatomz]

Somewhat related, there's an old thread that deals with spending habits in more precise detail. I almost never bookmark threads on GAF, but this was one of the exceptions. Easily one of the most useful/educational/informative threads that I've ever dug through here.

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=402265

[Nemo]

Definitely agree with the joy of shopping, clothes/accessories and electronics browsing gives me a ton of joy every time I do it, yet I can only buy shit once every 2 or 3 months

[Luap]

I have very strong self-control. Even if there's something (usually a video game) that I really want, I'll wait until it drops in price or until my bday/xmas. My family and girlfriend accuse me of being cheap. I prefer "frugal." :P

[Vibed]

I think I get way too much excitement buying things than actually using what I buy. Of course, I can save for bigger things or a future rainy day, but money is always being routed to some thing I "want."


I can't believe that I could actually call myself a "Shopaholic." ;_;

[Restrain This]

I'm incredibly cheap. Probably should be spending more than I let myself.

[fredrancour]

Not having money to fall back on scares me shitless. I am trying to save up right now, despite the best efforts of the lego thread, comics thread, and gaming side. I have convinced myself a new guitar can wait til after college so that one doesn't pain my soul.

[PastorOfMuppets]

Degen gambler here.

After breaking up with my girlfriend I spent my long weekend running $200 up to $12000 on Pokerstars playing Pot Limit Omaha way outside of my bankroll and by the time the weekend was done, I was down to $2000 and cashed out. I had consumed about 8 large cans of Monster Energy drinks, caffeine pills to sustain it.

[DominoKid]

Big spender on a little spenders budget.
But if i had more id just spend more so its whatever.

Sometimes ill just buy a new shirt to kill the itch to buy something.

[Utako]

Both.

I spend big strategically so that I end up good. It's possible!

[catfish]

I budget like hell.

And awesome vacations is why I do this. I use my 30 days paid vacation every year to go to other countries.

I have no debt except an affordable mortgage and could be unemployed for ~6 months before real trouble set in.

budgeting is sooooo great.

I'm 'cheap' in the area of clothing, in that I just hate shopping so much that I tend to not do it. I do allocate money monthly to clothing/grooming, but it just never gets spent :(

[bjork]

I used to spend most of what I made on fun things. Now it's mostly on necessities and sometimes I go without those. It's not easy to live on what I make.

[Diseased Yak]

Oh god am I a spender. However, the wife wouldn't buy a new pair of shoes until the ones on her feet fell apart, so we cancel each other out. We are debt-free (minus 1 car payment and a mortgage, no credit card bills i mean) and have a high 5-figure checking account balance for rainy days. She puts 30% of her income into 401k, I put only 14% because I make too much to max the percentage. We then max Roth IRAs for both of us each year. We also put around $1k/month into savings some months, but since it's so built up there's no real reason.

The rest I spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave. I really should cut back but why?

[Gabroni]

Depends but mostly I get what I need whether it's for a job, project, or necessities and ignore what I want:

Rent > Metro Card > groceries (food and toiletries)>>art supplies > Student Loan > Doctor/therapist/dentist visit (when necessary) > website/antivirus > convention tables/tickets > 3-D rendering program >>> clothes >>>> books, collectibles >> kitchen equipment >>>> eating out

Run down:
I make $1300/mo at Trader Joes (freelance is a different area altogether)
Rent: $600
Unlimited Metro card: $104
Groceries: usu $200
Art supplies: usu. $25-100 (depends really)
Student loans: $300 (went to $13000 to $5000 in five month--I got my first freelance paycheck two days ago~)

Whatever is left goes to everything else

[Aiii]

I cannot be trusted with a dime, I spend every last cent that comes in and can't save up for the life of me.

Then again, I'm very much a here-and-now kind of guy. I don't often ponder the future, where I'm gonna be, what I'm gonna do, etc. I just decide stuff and do it, based on what I want now. It's worked for the past -near- 29 years, so why not. But it also means I don't really have goals I want to save up for.

Then again, I have a nice appartment, I enjoy myself most every day, I got a great job, drive a nice car, etc. I don't really feel I've missed out by not saving up for years and years to buy a house somewhere in the future or anything.

When a good mate of mine died at 32 a couple of years ago, I got even more hardcore in my thinking I guess. Same goes for my father losing part of his leg due to diabetes (runs in the family) and now not being able to do alot of stuff at 66 that he wanted to do when he was younger due to that. I want to enjoy life for as long as I can I guess. So I "waste" my money on big holidays, dinners outdoors with mates and a shitton of video games.

Pretty sure it's gonna bite me in the ass someday when I suddenly find myself in need of massive reserves, but hey, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[Baraka in the White House]

I go through phases. Most of the time I'm a very conscious spender but every once in awhile I'll go through a, "fuck it, I work entirely too hard not to reward myself" phase.

[Impeccable]

Lots of self control.

[megamerican]

I've finally found a relatively happy medium. My biggest hangup is that I can't bring myself to pay retail price for anything. It has to be on sale. The last game I bought full retail was Skyrim and when I saw that it was damn near $70 I almost felt sick.

[Hey You]

Fuck, I always spend more than I need to. I am horrible at saving money. I always think that since I have money, it needs to be spent.

[Shotgam]

Used to be a hugeee spender. However, since moving out... hell naw! Complete opposite route now. The cheaper I can be, the better.

[Aguirre]

ebay>vidyagames/anime/manga>ending soonest>bids

repeat

i cant help it, its a dirty habit

[FairyD]

I save my money, but I am a stupid impulse buyer.

For example, if I'm already buying something big I don't hesitate on getting expensive accessories just for the hell of it. It's like 'in for a penny in for a pound' type of thing.

[Hollywood Duo]

Somewhere in the middle. I am a minimalist and don't buy a lot of stuff for myself. However, I do like to go on a lot of vacations.

[Karak]

I don't feel like collecting cash for just the sake of doing so. I save some but enjoy what I want. Its a good balance I would say.

[ssolitare]

i'm saver whose momentarily forced to a spender, sucks :(.

[Wazzim]

I save my money, but I am a stupid impulse buyer. For example, if I'm already buying something big I don't hesitate on getting expensive accessories just for the hell of it. It's like 'in for a penny in for a pound' type of thing.

I am a carbon copy of you when it comes to spending habits.

[Darkness]

I haven't saved too much in awhile. I have 6 months living expenses in savings so I guess that's not horrible. I did open a new account last month where I force myself to transfer 20% of my paycheck and I don't touch it afterwards. Since I'm in my late 20s it makes sense to save for a down payment on a house, but I don't think I really care much about owning a house, which is probably why I haven't saved too much yet.

I figure with my new savings plan in my early 30s I can start to travel the world a little bit and see different countries, or put a down payment on a house if I change my mind.

[Hindle]

I'm a saver, the biggest item I ever buy is just a game.