I had a different blog post planned for today, but there was an interesting link posted at Snark, entitled “Top 15 Things We Spend Too Much On“. According to this list, it would seem I’m not too bad with money. Below is the list with explanations pertaining to my life.
- Psuedo health products: not guilty. I don’t really need protein bars. For snacks, I’m more likely to have nuts (usually peanuts), which are a good source of protein anyway.
- Brand new technology: not guilty. I’ve always thought people who, for example, buy a new iPod whenever a new generation is released, even though they have a perfectly functioning one already, are a bit silly. I do have an iPod (my first and only one), however. It’s a fifth generation and I see no point in getting a new one. Other than that, I don’t really have any new technology.
- Bottled water: not guilty. I have a glass bottle that has a capacity of about half a litre. I bring this to university each day, where I can refill it when it runs out. Bottled water is one of the biggest daily wastes of money I know of.
- Individual coffee cups: not guilty. I don’t drink coffee; I exclusively drink water during the day if I’m not at home.
- Prepackaged food: guilty. I buy lunch at university once or twice a week. I actually think it can be worth it though. Well, certainly more interesting than the jam or Vegemite sandwich I’ll bring with me from home, anyway.
- Apple-brand accessories: guilty. Perhaps I am guilty for owning an iPod, but again I believe it was worth the cost.
- Sending a fax from a business centre: not guilty. Does not really apply, as I’ve never needed to send a fax.
- Car maintenance from the dealership: not guilty. Again, this doesn’t really apply. I don’t have a car, and I seldom have the need for one. If I do, I’ll borrow my father’s.
- Music: guilty. The explanation on the website talks about how there is no longer need to purchase a whole album. However, I want the whole album, not just a few songs from it.
- Additional warranties on electronics: not guilty.
- Late/overdraft fees: not guilty
- Non-bank ATM fees: not guilty. I have a student exemption from bank fees so I can withdraw anywhere. If I didn’t, I imagine I’d only withdraw from my bank’s ATMs.
- Gambling: not guilty. I have been into a casino with friends and spent money in a poker machine. However, I won $26, and I don’t plan to gamble again.
- DVDs: not guilty. I avoid buying these as much as possible, and only do if I plan to watch it more than once or twice. Mainly, I borrow from my local library or my university. Late last year, I sold a bunch of DVDs on eBay, and made a fair bit of money. Television series make more successful sales that films from what I gather.
- Flowers from a florist: not guilty.
Awesome, it’s nice to know that I’m pretty good with my money as well! The only things that I am really guilty of from that last is Music. I love having the actual cd rather than just a bunch of mp3 files. I actually have a decent music collection that I would like to get larger some day.
It’s one of the few things I don’t mind spending money on, hehe. That and books.
DVDs.. noo. Too expensive. And you don’t watch them as much as you listen to cds, y’know. Netflix ftw!
@Latrina: I enjoy having a physical CD rather than a bunch of files too! I’ve never bought of iTunes, and don’t plan to. I do, however, import all my CDs into iTunes so the physical copy isn’t exactly useful once that happens, but anyway…
Yes, DVDs are expensive. In Australia, we don’t have Netflix (I think we have something newish that’s similar, but I don’t really know much about it), so hunting down things at libraries is how I must operate.
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