I was reading this thread on a money forum (nerd, NEEERD), and the topic was, "What indulgence can you not give up in hard times?"
This struck me as very odd. I thought that as a necessity in hard times, all luxuries could be cut? That's why they're called "hard times"-- they're not supposed to be filled with weekly manicures, expensive shampoos, cable, fast internet, or $5 lattes. When you're financially desperate, the only things you really need to be concerned about are food, shelter, and clothing. Period. Away goes the HBO, bye-bye iPhone, so long leased Porsche!
I think the posters were thinking "hard times" was just a pay reduction, or an unexpected bill came up and things needed to be cut for a small amount of time. Not a job layoff, huge medical bills, or other extreme circumstance. At least I hope that was their mentality. It reminds me of a lady I was speaking to when I was permitting at the City of Atlanta. We were talking about Apple products, and she proudly stated that she didn't pay her mortgage that month in lieu of buying a new Mac laptop. Wha...?
I understand that you only live once, and you should have as much fun as possible, but this lady was risking being homeless just so she could get a silly electronic that will be obsolete in a month. I don't feel superior to this mentality of consumerism or that any luxury is a waste. Yes, if you're perfectly comfortable paying for the luxuries while maintaining your other obligations, than it is your right. But if you're deciding if you want to eat the beef or pork ramen for dinner while watching your 200+ HD channels on that 58" flat screen, you need a good shaking.
Circumstances change. All material possessions are liquid. I would be PISSED if I had to give up my monster computer, but if the situation arose where I was desperate for cash, it'd be on craigslist faster than you can blink.
Since I've been budgeting my money using the "this is all you get for spending each month, if you go over, TOO BAD" method, I've really had to take a hard look at my luxuries and frivelous spending. If the weather is bad, I don't drive to campus and waste the $2 + gas to park. Eating out is essentially gone (I'm cooking some bad ass meals, though). No runs to the craft store because I NEED something. $10 spent today means that's $1o I won't have at the end of the month when I need some groceries.
I've found that as time goes on, its getting much easier to just go without. If I just tell myself, "You can't afford that" the urge of consumerism goes away instantaneously. If I want to make a new dish, but don't have a certain ingredient, I have to find a substitution that is already on hand. It's almost like a clever little game, thinking of ways around a problem using only the tools that you have. There's no running out real quick just to grab one thing. I feel like a frugal MacGyver.
I realized that this just turned into a biiiiig rant about how I'm better than everyone else... And, really, I don't think I am. Just ahead of the game. I like to think that under dire circumstances, everyone makes the right decisions for survival. We're all pretty adaptable and dynamic when it comes to dealing with issues. People just need to have the right motivation to make the changes. Mine just happened to hit me when I'm 21 and in college, at an age when most everyone I know is still on the parental dole and the term "budget" is a foreign concept.
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