Comments on: Your problem isn’t Starbucks

By: Bret

Bret — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:58:55 +0000

This is a great article and a motto I live by.

It’s OK to enjoy some of your money, as long as you are saving.

By: AndyS

AndyS — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:07:05 +0000

My sentiments exactly! Focus on the stuff that really matter and the rest will take care of itself.

By: Joe

Joe — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 12:44:40 +0000

As a 30-something who now makes OK money after years of grinding away, I work with a 20-something (low 20’s) who makes more then I did 3 years ago, owns all the best toys, and complains all day how he isn’t getting paid enough. He had the balls to make fun of my car one day…. I can’t wait till they reposes his.

By: Michael

Michael — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 23:49:27 +0000

Earl – thanks for the comment.

Dan – You’re last sentence succinctly summarizes how I would have responded to the rest of you post. For most people, the means of payment does have an impact on how they spend. It appears that it does for you too, just in the opposite way from most other people. Thanks for the comment!

By: Dan

Dan — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 22:34:46 +0000

I disagree about cash vs. card. As someone who has had an ATM card for as long as I’ve had a significant amount of my own money, the card is Serious Money, and cash is discretionary. Bills get paid out of my account from checks (online payments now), and all the small purchases that have the potential to eat up my savings bit by bit happen with cash. If I don’t have cash, I treat all purchases as the serious decisions they are.

My point is not that your cash-not-credit advice is wrong, but that the way you spend money isn’t necessarily tied to the means of payment. It’s the act of considering the importance of the purchase that makes a difference.

By: Earl

Earl — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 20:39:03 +0000

I enjoyed your article. I agree with you that the problem isn’t starbucks, it’s everyone’s inability to even get started.