you know – this is always represented in the news/etc as ‘a starbucks a day’ but i mean moreso a gadget or a shirt. i’m splurging on deodorant right now. is that immoral? are you meant to have a mostly austere budget until you’re a boomer with a house and a fence?
so uhh what’s the last little thing you bought to not go insane?
ima be real chief it ain’t gonna fuckin matter if I go spend $30 or not on an electronic gadget once in a while, the chances of me landing in home ownership are still gonna be 0.0%. fuck it we ball, i might as well have toys to play with that makes the tism happy
You know it’s kind of funny in a way that people keep telling us to cut out all unnecessary spending to make it further than just paycheck to paycheck instead of just raising wages so we can afford those little things.
But I don’t think they take into account that our economy is almost entirely supported by our endless consumerism.
If we take their advice and stop buying ourselves little treats and toys the whole economy collapses, it’s completely unsustainable without them nickel and diming us to death yet they refuse to give us even pennies.
I honestly wonder what their backup plan is when they eventually do get all the money and there’s none left for us to give them anymore.I don’t think they have a backup plan, everything is going according to their active plan. You could almost consider this like micro-colonization: the wealthy step on the toes of the working folk, lie to the workers into thinking colonization is good, drain resources and human willpower, then throw them in a ditch after they realize their home was stolen from them. Ask the Native Americans, Aboriginals of Australia, or almost every single African country to ever have existed.
TL;DR - We’ll probably be displaced to neat little patches of land where were are out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
TL;DR - We’ll probably be displaced to neat little patches of land where were are out-of-sight, out-of-mind.
Star Trek predicts The future again.
I am fully disconnected from that mentality and do not miss it. I used to waste a lot of time around shopping for needless and pointless nonsense.
I will spend a whole lot more on things I really need or want, but I don’t feel like I am a target for marketing in any way now. My last major purchase was an AI capable computer which was likely due to YT and Reddit manipulated suggestions and visibility. I don’t regret that one. Since I quit reddit in June, I have also pulled way back with YT. I’m on Linux/Graphene and my primary network connection is though a whitelist firewall. That seems to be just enough to stop the subconscious motivations and desires for stuff I don’t actually care anything about like this.
It may be an unpopular opinion, but the best and brightest psych majors are going into advertising for a damn good reason, and it ain’t making prettier HTML banner ads like it’s 1999.
I recommend having a long think about that whole buying little things makes an emotion paradigm and start asking yourself what could be the causes of such behaviors and how they might have been intentional manipulation across platforms and information spaces. There is a reason why data stalking companies are so pervasive and everyone wants you to use an app where they have constant sensor data from your device.
Exactly. Buying gives you a small dopamine bump, but it doesn’t last very long. The downside is that you spent money that could be better used elsewhere, got another trinket to crowd you out of your house, and probably distracts you from healthier or more fulfilling activities.
I once read
we as a society work 40+ hours a week . Spend little to no time doing the things we love. It’s a struggle every day. And because we are in this constant state of “grind” we shop for items that give us temporary happiness.
We are meat in a meat grinding machine from early age to nearly death. No one consented to it… It just is. So spend that $5 or that $1500 on something that gives you happiness. Because at the end of it all… it’s the ride that matters not where you end up.
It also needs to be said… We are a culture of consumerism. We all must buy and buy and buy to keep the economy afloat. So the game has been rigged to make you want to spend.
Good luck op
Looks at my $1500 3d printer.
How you just gonna call me out on a personal level in public like that?
Budgeting won’t get you a house. Earning an unusually high amount of money (and that amount keeps growing) gets you a house eventually, if you still budget when you get that income.
The way I learned it is, most people who make a budget forget the value of fun. Make sure your bills are covered, save what you can, and also set aside some money for fun.
Paying a streaming service subscription, buying a little something to eat or drink when meeting with friends, buying fun gadgets you can enjoy, and buying hobby supplies would all be worthwhile uses of money set aside for fun.
Last year I got really into freshwater aquarium keeping as a hobby. So I find myself buying little plants, decor, tools, etc for my aquariums (of which I have 5 now…). It’s fun, a bit expensive but it’s therapeutic.
I also smoke hella weed.
We only have so much time on this earth. Why not enjoy the little things? Even if technically it’s garbage. The important thing is to just not go too wild with it.
Sure. Small random grocery store things like stroopwafel or pears
Consumerism has replaced community. Instead of visiting a friend I go for a walk alone, but I live in a city so the only place to walk is among the stores. And the walk feels meaningless if I don’t buy something.
I have many sweaters. But maybe I could go buy another sweater.
Weed
Ukuleles and stuff from the Aldi middle aisle
The Aldi middle aisle, like a little mini-target
I buy random things way more than I should. Always seems like a good idea at the time, even when 90% of these splurges ends up being something I definitely didn’t need. Alas, the dopamine hits from painstakingly researching and identifying the perfect, useless item are all too real. Bought a three pack (it was a crazy discount to buy in a pack of 3) of 6 outlet, low-profile plug, surge protectors.
Outlets in my house are somehow always on walls where I need something pushed against them. Anywho, you should not beat yourself up over some deodorant, is all I’m getting at.
Yes. I have a separate paypal account i use for for some micro jobs I do (think r/beermoney) and that account is my “fun money”. I buy things on steam sales, amazon, ebay with that balance and dont think twice. Its usually around $20-30 per week. If I have an exceptionally good week microtasking (which normally means I had a slow week in my regular jobs) I’ll move some money to my normal account rather than blow it on toys.
I tend to have unfortunately expensive hobbies… Photography, cars and other forms of offroad vehicles, etc. So I don’t usually spend money on small things that aren’t necessities.
I am getting into motorcycle riding, which gear itself is rather expensive if you want to not be grated cheese, plus the bike, training, etc. So that’s my expensive purchase this year.
My hobbies tend to keep me out of the house, so I guess in a way this helps keep me from going insane.
The cool thing about motorcycles is that once you have the gear and the bike, it’s practically free, unless you crash. If you buy a dual sport then even crashing hard doesn’t necessarily cost you any money. I once skipped a KLR 650 like 50 feet across the pavement, ran over, picked it up, and rode off. That was after dropping it a 100 times in the dirt.
The expensive piece is insurance. Where I live, an M2 license (halfway from a beginner to full license) will probably run me about $300 CAD a month (based on a few new 400-500cc bikes) from my research… But it does go down with tenure, especially with a full license. I could buy used, which would be cheaper on insurance, but I’m already travelling 4+ hours for any dealer, I don’t want to do that trip more than I need to for safety inspections and looking at different bikes. I’ve already accepted the price in my mind, and the obvious potential of dropping a new bike more than once. All part of the fun.
If only it cost the same as my 4 wheeler insurance ($30/mo).
Ouch! Yeah that’s pretty high. When you’re young it’s always hard to get full coverage on new bikes. When I was 19 I called for an insurance quote on a Ninja 1200D and they laughed at me and hung up. Haha.
I typically ride older bikes that I pay cash for and just get liability insurance. My current bike is an old (but very cool) XR600R with a license plate and insurance costs me $68 per year. I just pay it all at once and don’t worry about it again for a year. But, I’ve been riding for over 30 years so it’s a lot cheaper for me than it would be for most people on this site.
I think $300 per month for a new bike is totally worth it if you love the bike and have the money. I can’t think of a single hobby that has brought me as much joy and good times as riding has. Get some friends to ride with, and you build memories that last a lifetime. Bring a camera along and you end up with amazing photo albums too.
I’m in Ontario, and insurance is ridiculous for everything. When I first started driving several years ago, I lived in the city, and I was given quotes up to $700/mo. Now for three vehicles in the middle of nowhere, it’s about $250/mo.
I pay cash for all my vehicles (I hate loans), so liability is all I pay for. Nothing I own is worth the cost of comprehensive… If I break it, I’ll fix it myself.
I’ll be the only person where I live who rides. I’m in a small town, and neighboring towns are about an hour away. So it’ll just be me, which I tend to prefer most of the time anyways. I got my rider course in june, so I’m super excited for that!
You might be able to find some other riders on Facebook groups, or Meetup. I think it’s definitely more fun to ride with others than to ride alone, but it is still very fun alone. I just found some twisty roads with some fire trails a couple days ago and I can’t wait to get my wheels balanced on my bike and head out this spring. I’ll be going alone since my riding group is now spread all over the country. We just need to be more cautious riding alone than when riding with friends, since there’s nobody there to bail you out if you crash. Leave a route and a return time with friends or your parents, and you’ll be okay.
I took that riding course when I was 15 1/2 so that I could start riding before my 16th birthday. It’s a great investment! You’ll be a better, safer rider because of it. Best of luck, and have a great time! Keep the rubber side down!
Oh there’s definitely groups around… I just need to travel about 4 hours haha.
We just have 1 main highway, and another section of road that is less used. All my group riding is with 4 wheelers or snowmobiles. I almost always keep someone in the know of where I go, since unless you’re directly in town, you likely won’t have cell service.
If you’re ever interested, I use a device called Zoleo, which allows you to send messages and call for emergency help via satellite. There’s a monthly fee, but if you’re ever out constantly like I am where there’s no service, it’ll help you out. I’m sure there’s other options too, but it’s for sure a useful tool, especially if you’re stuck down a ditch and can’t move.
Oh that’s cool, like the Garmin Mini. I’ve been getting pressure from my friends and family to get something like that now that I’m middle aged, but still do a lot of back country backpacking. There’s no cell service just past our house, so we have GMRS radios. A 50w base station at home, 4 watt handy talkies, and a local repeater we can hit. My wife and I are studying for our ham licenses right now, since we can use lower frequency signals and more power with ham than with GMRS. I’ll check that device out that you shared. Neither ham nor GMRS are adequate where I go backpacking, and a lot of loved ones want me to be able to send a location beacon while I’m in the back country. The Garmin Mini is more money than I’ve wanted to spend, and yours looks affordable. Thanks!
Quads are good fun too, man! Especially since you can strap an ice chest to the back. I used to ride quads in the Sierra Nevadas a lot when I was younger. We’d all strap an ice chest to the back and fill it to the brim with beer. I know… I know. It’s not safe to mix alcohol and motorsports, but man is it fun!
Little things, not so much. But when it comes to hobbies, especially ones that get me moving and exercising, I feel perfectly fine spending money on something that will make me feel better.
For example, lately I’ve been considering getting a road bike again even though I already have a gravel bike (that I plan to keep).
I also enjoy spending money on my hobbies. I have a budget I keep for them.
For me, it’s motorcycle parts. I have two older bikes I ride.
I love shopping for parts! It’s definitely entertainment for me.
