On 5/6/2016 11:45 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
On Thursday, May 5, 2016 at 4:45:07 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote:
On 5/5/2016 1:07 PM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
On Thursday, May 5, 2016 at 3:07:59 PM UTC-4, Don Y wrote:

Do you KNOW what it costs you to operate your vehicles? Home upkeep?
Feed your family? Maintain your health?

Not a damned clue. Less than our disposable income, certainly.

Especially "maintain your health". My husband has multiple
prescriptions and frequent doctor visits. All of that is entirely his
affair, and I don't even look at the bills, even though they're paid out
of our joint account.

Does he know when the prices of his meds are changing? Or, simply pay
whatever the pharmacist tells him is "due"? How does he know when to
start shopping for another pharmacy? Or, when to bring up alternative
treatments with his MD?

He pays a small co-pay. The rest is paid by our insurance.

He recently went to a different pharmacy, not because of lower prices, but
because Walgreens were stupid and jerked him around.

Be thankful everything appears to be "a small copay". I have friends
who shell out hundreds of dollars per month, "out of pocket", despite
insurance. They are clearly concerned when the price goes up as
THEY bear the cost of that.

Part of knowing is having data that you can consult. I no longer want to
bother trying to REMEMBER what I paid for some item last week -- or last
month/year.

What I paid in the past is largely irrelevant. I'm not going to do without
(for example) coffee because the price has gone up.

We aren't hostage to any of our purchases. One of the chocolates
that SWMBO regularly consumed increased 50% in the past year. She
switched to alternatives that were more affordable and just as
tastey.

The same was true of the (canned) chili she was eating; we found
another supplier (of the exact same product!) at a lower cost.

Instead of just wondering why we're (apparently) "spending more",
we know what is driving those increases -- and take action to
control them.

It's not what you MAKE but, rather, what you SPEND!

Shoot, I don't even keep a check register. I look at the monthly
statement online, to see if anything looks suspicious. I assume their
computer can do the arithmetic. It's what they're good at.

Computers are best at *remembering*! Save me the hassle of adding up a
column of 4 or 5 digit numbers, once a month? Pfah. Save me the trouble
of REMEMBERING those numbers and you've earned your keep!

As I run a business, I am keen on where the money goes -- and being able
to document that to the tax man, clients, etc. "Gee, I forgot to bill
that client for these supplies that I purchased on his behalf. frown I
guess I'll just have to treat them as a *gift* for said client as the
contract is now closed double frown"

I don't run a business. We're both salaried, so our paychecks never vary.

Income is only one side of the equation. Do you know where your
money is *going*? Or, do you just feel pleased when your bank balance
is ever increasing (regardless of whether or not it is increasing
as fast as it COULD?)

Of course, I generally use or see him using whatever the $37.23
bought at Home Depot.

Would you know that *it* was the $37.23 purchase? And, not the $10
purchase? Should you *have* to be involved in all of his activities in
order to vouch for same?

I don't *have* to be involved; I want to be involved. If I didn't see
the $37.23 thingy in use, I'd never even think about the $37.23.

We are very concerned with where our monies go. We never "buy on time"
(finance), carry balances, etc. Because we KNOW that we will have what we
need available when we need it.

Either do we, except we've got a year and a half left on our 15-year
mortgage.

We don't buy on time. INCLUDING the house, the car, etc. A large part
of how we can do that is by knowing where our money is going. And, doing
for ourselves.

It costs $75 to have a tree (5G) planted, here. Not counting the cost
of the tree! I've planted 10 in the past few years. And that doesn't
count the 60+ other shrubs, etc.

The neighbor had a trivial one-zone irrigation system installed for his
small garden -- for $1200. I've buried 1500 ft of 1/2" line -- for the
cost of the pipe (and the 19 valves to control it).

I've got dirty fingernails; neighbor "lost" his house.

"How will you be paying for this (car, washing machine, 2000 sq ft of
tile, 20 tons of stone, medical bill, etc)?"

"Cash. (or check/charge -- same difference)"

We don't get surprised when a bank or credit card statement shows up weeks
later. And, don't prematurely reinvest monies that we'll be needing for a
big ticket purchase next month, etc.

Either do we. We don't undertake to spend money that we do not have.

It's not just having the money but, also, having the money accessible.
We could run out tomorrow and buy ANOTHER (second) home. But, would take
a big hit getting AT the money to do so!

So, we plan when we will need which amounts so the money is "available".
If we *both* ASSUME there's liquid assets for some particular purchase
without coordinating those, then we'll probably both be annoyed when
we have to scurry to free up those funds WHEN THE STATEMENT ARRIVES
(if we didn't TRACK the expenses as we incurred them).

Charles Dickens put it best:

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen
and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure
twenty pounds nought and six, result misery."

Cindy Hamilton