Want Vs Need

I think before spending any amount of money it's important to first determine if it's a want or a need. This can actually be somewhat difficult. To make the determination doesn't mean you need to justify the purchase, that can always be done.


Here's a recent example:

Of course we all need to wear shoes. I'd like a cute pair of summer sandals. I found these at Zappos. At the time I first found them they were on sale for $188 marked down from $238.

I'd say that's a WANT. No way would I pay $188 for shoes, online. MAYBE instore after I tried them on, but still doubtful. I'm too cheap. Plus I'm missing the shoe collector gene.

Also I normally don't wear shoes with heels this high. Maybe 1/2 as much. But for some reason, I just think these are kinda cute. But I decided not to get them.

But then I was at Target and saw these for $11.49, still a heel a bit higher than I normally wear but actually cuter than the Zappos pair. And a MUCH better price. Mine aren't white they are beige. I can't wear them with sundresses and skirts.

If I hadn't found the cheaper Target pair I would have gone without.

Another example: After all the remodeling projects around the house and outside, my garage was cluttered with leftover materials. I only park my car in the garage during winter months but it was so full that I was afraid that it would take 6 months to clean out and then how to get rid of the junk?

I had my handymen come over, clean out the garage and move stuff in the basement. They brought their little trailer to take the stuff I was getting rid of to dispose of.

They were here about 7 hours. The garage looks the best it ever has! They mounted pegboard I had. Adjusted brackets that held ladders up. Moved shelving units from the basement to the garage. Moved an entertainment center and recliner from the living room to the basement. And hauled away a bunch of junk. My garage looks almost twice as big. Now all I have to do is get the basement back in order.

It cost $200 but that was a need. There is no way I would have been able to do it myself or if I could have it wouldn't have been the same quality and it would have taken much longer.

Another things I do is go through catalogs and rip out the pages with items I want. Then I set them aside for a few days. After a few days I toss them out when I'm recycling and don't give it another thought. This saves me a bunch of money. If it was something I really wanted then I'd remember it but usually I don't miss it and can't remember what anything was.

I overheard some girls talking at work yesterday and one mentioned that we get 3 paychecks in August. ??? Who knows these things? I didn't even know that Friday was a payday until someone told me. If they hadn't said that I wouldn't have found out until I went to pay my American Express card. (I left my Visa home one day and needed gas)

Anyhoo, people at work are funny with their money. The two times we get 3 paychecks in one month they use it as free money to blow. Which is fine for them, but wouldn't it be easier in the long run to have an emergency fund? or at least a bit of a cushion with the other bills?

Maybe it's just me, I'd freak out if something came up and I didn't have the money to take care of it.

After everything is caught up and I have a cushion, then I can think about blowing money.

$29.55 Emmons (garbage service)
$60.00 Maid

I have to update pictures but the home improvements are continuing. The hallway looks good, I picked a light yellow for the walls, the ceiling is white. The basement floor is beige, I thought it would be more of a brown but it turned out much lighter.

All the stuff from the basement is shoved to one side and I'm really liking how empty it is. I going to try to get rid of most of the stuff. I quickly went through and picked out some stuff for eBay and for a garage sale. If we don't have a garage sale, I'll just donate it.

I'm also thinking about moving the entertainment center from the living room to the basement and the TV from the bedroom down there. Right now the TV in the living room doesn't fit in it but I really like it and don't want to give it away.

Some of the stuff can also be moved to the storage area under the steps. Some moved to the garage or storage shed. I'm hoping to get most of it cleared out before Joe comes back to start doing to sealant.

$1.50 pop at golf course (no golf got rained out)

$4.00 Taco Bell

$29.00 eBay mailing

$250.00 painter

Pictures of latest Home Improvement Project

Here is my new front sidewalk before the steps were put in. You can't really tell but the old walk went from the door to the left in front of the bush to the driveway and was very narrow.

I had him put a small pad down so that it would be easier to drive in and out of the shed on my mower. You can kind of see where I have dented the doors. Hee.

I went from barely 3 feet wide to 5 feet curved at the corner and 4 feet next to the garage.

I'm going to either mulch behind the raised beds or plant grass and weedeat. Usually I have vegetables in the right hand bed and strawberries in the left but so far not this year.

I've been wanting to get this done for several years and for what ever reason would do a different project instead. Since I didn't go on a real vacation this spring, I finally just made the call and hired someone. I'm very happy with the result. The final cost for the concrete work was only $1,800. He got the work done in two days and I wasn't inconvenienced at all. That's exactly the way I like it.

More Home Improvements

Tomorrow the painter starts work. I'm having the entryway from the back door painted.

When the basement remodel was done, I had them fix the wall. It had been wall papered with this ugly paper and was peeling. I started tearing it down a while ago with the intent of painting it. When the guys were over I had them make the bottom part that was wood with trim piece taller. They don't like to paint and I decided that I don't want to do it, so I called my brother's friend who did my bedroom.

He's going to start off fixing the problems with the drywall, then painting the walls and the trim on the bottom set of stairs.

I always pay for supplies then just pay the workers for their time. Right now he quoted $175 but once I get someone in my clutches I usually find other things for them to do and just say, "add it to the bill".

Already I know I'm going to ask him to paint the trim around the windows. The other trim either needs to be cleaned with a Mr. Clean Eraser or painted. There's a yucky looking pipe in the laundry room that needs the rust scrapped off and painted. Plus I'm too lazy to paint the floor myself so I'll ask him. I painted it before grey but now that the colors are different it looks stupid. The laundry floor hadn't ever been done.

I'm getting a bunch of projects around the house done (this is instead of my normal May vacation) but I'd still rather have gone to Vegas.

My mom has been talking about going and she wants to plan for next April. That will be great but I'm going to need a fix before then. I wish I someone that could go at anytime, I'd love to go for a weekend once a month or so.

Oh well something to work on.

Monday
$3.37 Wendy's
$3.25 Pool
$60.00 Maid

Sunday
$2.25 junk food at work

Saturday
$5.67 Qdoba

Spending Money Like it's going out of style

Monday I got a call at work from the concrete guy wanting to know if he could start that day. Well I had been sick since Wednesday (food poisoning or something) so I hadn't dismantled the stepping stones and mulch by the raised beds or cleared off the sidewalks. I told him he could but that I was at work.

They took care of clearing everything away and had hauled away the old concrete and dug most of the new forms. I was very impressed with how quickly they worked.

Then they came back this morning finished digging out the new front sidewalk and poured the cement. It was dried by time I got home from golf.

It looks so nice I love it!! I didn't get a chance to take "Before" pictures so I'll have to look and see if I have any where the walks just happened to be in it. Tomorrow I'll get some of the "After".

The cost of this project was $1,800. The steps for the front are being made (they didn't have 5' wide and 5 high in stock) and they should be around $800 delivered and set up. The reason I'm not 100% sure of the cost is because the quote was $760 but with black iron railing and I want the railing to be white so he has to paint them.


The other money that flew out was for 2 new golf clubs. I decided to get a new driver.


The one I'm using now came with my set which I've had for several years. The head is pretty small. I hit very straight but don't get much distance (I'm breaking my wrist at the wrong time-hard habit to break). I'm hoping this club will help with topping the ball too.

I'm also getting this hybrid club to replace my 3 wood.

So that was $317.98 plus I've ordered new golf outfits from Puma, LizGolf and eBay. I think I'm making up for not spending much money last year.

$8.00 Bone Island Grill
$3.00 Beaner's
$5.00 Golf
$2.00 pop @ golf

More Home Improvements

Since my birthday is coming up it's time to renew my license plates. $70 !! Yikes. And this year they go from blue (my favorite color) to an ugly white. At least they are letting us keep the old ones.

The guy came over today and gave me the estimate for my sidewalks. I'll add pictures later. The price I had in mind was $2,500 or so. The estimate I got several years ago was $2,000 and that did not include a slab for new concrete steps for the front door or a angle slab to go into the shed. Plus with inflation and gas prices I was hoping to come in under $3,000. Well the bid is for $1,800!! I'm so happy!!! Plus that's with enlarging parts near the driveway that I wasn't expecting. It should look really nice. He thinks he can start in a week or two.


$70 License renewal
$7.89 Subway
$5.69 Water Store
$3.59 Post Office (eBay)