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Don’t Save Money on Everything
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Being Frugal and saving money is generally always the preferred choice. Week after week, we write articles about how to save that extra bit of money so we can retire just that much earlier. If you keep up with all the articles that circulate the web, it really gives the impression that saving money makes sense at all times and causes.
However, there are times when saving money doesn’t make sense. Today, I’m flying back to attend my grandfather’s funeral. Airline tickets were very expensive, as the event was so sudden and I had to leave in short notice. Since the funeral was Saturday though, I could’ve saved money if I left on Friday instead of today but the chances of delays with airlines was just not worth the extra savings. Making the event was priceless, so unless the difference in airplane fares were so much that I cannot afford it, there was no way I would try to save money and give me the possibility to miss the funeral.
Now think about this for a second. We make decisions involving money all the time. Do we let cost drive our decisions? If you are one of those people that take money too seriously, you might not be making the right choices at times. Step back and decide for yourself whether money is always the most important, and hopefully you will find the right direction for yourself.
I’ve made my choice, and I’m going to see my grandpa for one last time.
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15 Responses to “Don’t Save Money on Everything”
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Sunday Money Roundup - My So Called Life Edition. | My Two Dollars on April 27th, 2008 at 7:02 am Says:
[...] Ning shares some valuable advice - “Don’t Save Money on Everything“. David, I am very sorry to hear about your grandfather, my thoughts are with [...]
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This Week in Finance: April 21st at The Penny Mine on April 27th, 2008 at 8:38 am Says:
[...] Money Ning used personal experience to convey why sometimes it’s best to not be frugal. [...]
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Links Sunday Apple Edition | Personal Finance Blog by Money Ning on May 4th, 2008 at 12:35 pm Says:
[...] Festival of Frugality [...]
I would do the same thing MN. There are things in life for which you can’t be cheap about. For example, if I had to choose between eating healthy ( assuming I could afford it) and not eating very healthy but saving a ton of money, I would always choose eating healthy. What’s the point of having tons of money if you are sick ( or worse- dead).
I would do the same thing as well. There are definitely things which are worth paying more money for. As the last comment says, I could feed my children much more cheaply if I fed them junk food but I would rather they had healthy things.
You are right. There are things that I prefer to pay more, of course under condition of getting better quality. For me it usually concerns health services, food and education.
Dividend Growth Investor: Thanks for the encouragement. You are definitely right about eating healthy foods. It’s very sad that no one ever appreciates their health until they don’t have it.
Money Kacper: Ditto!
Sorry to hear about your grandfather , I ahve been fortunate to have mine around my whole life , I just had an instance that made me step back today , my wife had a surgery and needed help changing the bandaids , I got home and jumped on my computer to check my blogs , etrade and ebay and she came out and said if I had a dollar sign on me would you pay attention , yeah sometimes you need to focus on what your doing all this for anyway!!
Sorry to hear you loss, David. Take care.
Sorry to hear about your grandfather. But I agree with the point of your post. If we are frugal ALL the time, we would never enjoy life.
Cheap stuff comes at a price. Like dividend growth investor has said, healthy food is more expensive (am sure you can find 99 cents burgers all the time and you’ll die of heart attack pretty early).
Cheap furnitures tend not to last a lifetime.
Another example, if you buy an apple computer, chances are that you will not need to change your computer for a long time.
If we were super frugal, we will never really have a great vacation!
I could go on and on, but I guess I totally agree with this post.
If delays weren’t so common, then Friday might have been just as good. But since they’re a major issue right now, I think it was a wise choice.
In the same way, it’s ok for me to buy store-brand dental floss (as long as it works) because I don’t need quality, speed, or durability. But buying a cheap chair isn’t as good a long-term deal, unless it was second hand good quality or somesuch.
It is a pity to hear about your grandfather and what you have said is true.We cannot be frugal with all the trivial issues we face in our life.
Did you ask the airport about “funeral rates”? They often give out a lower rate if you have a funeral for an immediate family member to go to. Usually you just show the obituary or notice for the services to get the rates.
It is a fairly common practice that they don’t advertise. I had three funerals to go to when I was living in Denver and had to fly east, and got below listed fare every time.
My condolences to you. I recently lost my Mother. And yes, I agree with you. There are some things that a person needs to step up and pay. Not to say that you should be stupid about some last minute purchases, but a reasonable person can make the distinction between a “pay it at any cost” purchase and a “I really want this now” purchase.
How about this thought? When you live frugally as much as possible in your life, you can make choices like this when appropriate.