Saturday, November 24, 2012

I'm Awesome VI

Number 6

I am financially prudent. That's the fancy way of saying I'm a little frugal or cheap. Not totally, just a little. I don't believe in wasting money. I find it hard to splurge on useless things and I tend to be very practical with my money. Why spend $XXXX on Y when I could spend $XX on Z which does the exact same thing? The great thing about being financially prudent is that because I save nickels and dimes here and there, when a major financial obligation makes itself known my budget is not derailed. I don't have a problem spending a lot on things that are worth a lot but if I have a cheaper option that is usually the way I'll go. This allows me to avoid so many financial headaches that I've seen other people encounter in their lives. I'm sure my childhood has influenced me in this area. I know there were times growing up where we could either eat or see movie... New shoes or books for school... Getting one meant not having the other. I don't want my life to be dictated to me by financial obligations and obstacles. Neither a lender, nor a borrower be. The borrow becomes the lender's slave. (So sayeth Shakespeare and Proverbs.) I am the master of my financial domain and that is by intention.

A perfect example of this is my recent Australian vacation. For instance, I went to see the opera, Madama Butterfly, at the Sydney Opera house. It was expensive but I bought some of the cheaper tickets. I could have easily spent three times as much, and I could have afforded it, but couldn't justify it. I had no trouble paying what I did for the show because it was a unique opportunity and my finances didn't play a deciding role in my chance to experience this slice of life. Having said all that, the idea of an Australian vacation may seem rather opulent, but I only paid $153.42 for my round trip flights. That gave me a lot of financial wiggle room to do all the things I did while there. Anyway, that vacation is a good illustration of what I mean by financially prudent. Cheap when I can be, and decadent when the situation calls for it.

Financially Prudent

2 comments:

Curtis said...

There aren't quite as many corners to cut in New Zealand. But I continue to go to Countdown for dinner when on the road (Countdown is a supermarket.)

Clinton said...

I know.
I get the credit card bill.