guilt-free

[a_clear_job]

growing up as a kid, a teenager, and even a young adult, i have always tried to be frugal because i didn't have a wealthy upbringing when i was younger, and so i came to appreciate characteristics like practical, and long-lasting, and hand-me-downs. i only recently realized that i have reached a point in my life where i can afford to indulge in

Comments

[fiercekitty]

good for you!

it's much like losing a great deal of weight. if you don't let yourself indulge in a piece of cake once in a while you will one day binge and destroy all of your hard work.

[a_clear_job]

heh - one of the reasons i want a Wii is to get Wii fit, which looks like an awesome and fun way to exercise (and thus maybe lose some weight). :P

[fiercekitty]

good luck finding it!!! we have been looking for it for a month now...

[a_clear_job]

oh let me know when you find it! i want to hear all about it...

[stoof]

Ha ha used Mac Powerbook.

[a_clear_job]

are you making fun of me? :(

[stoof]

Yes! Why don't you splurge (guiltlessly) and get a NEW powerbook?

[a_clear_job]

yes yes, i realize the irony. and i acknowledge that the underlying guilt is hard to rid myself of altogether, but that was not the rationale for specifying a used powerbook. in fact, the rationale is multi-fold;

1. i'm not a mac user. i'm not a convert. i'm not addicted to them. i don't want to have steve jobs' babies. the last time i was seriously into apple was when the apple macintosh came out in 1984. i've never even owned an ipod. i don't want to jump right in, i want to test the waters; try one out, see what it can do for me, mostly music-production-wise.
2. corollary to point #1, i don't need to spend $1000-$2000 on something i just want to try out.
3. even if i wanted a brand new powerbook, i don't even have $1000-$2000, and probably won't for a long time.
4. most importantly, i know someone who wants to sell their powerbook.

[lessthanuseful]

I was going to make a similar post. My main problem is that I really want to have money saved and to move out.

I have bought some pretty fluffy stuff since moving back though ... specifically a PS3 and a 24" monitor. I bought a $700 bike too, but technically that will have saved me in the realm of at least $300 just this season in transportation costs. My last bike lasted me nine years, I think it's a sound investment.

My "want" list is along these lines:

-new acoustic guitar ~$800-1200 + $100 for a hard case. Doing it right this time.
-new electric guitar ~$1000+
-amp
-full-sized weighted keyboard ~$800-1500
-receiver ~$800
-lots of speakers
-large LCD or plasma TV

It's just pure fantasy at this point. And most of it doesn't make any sense until I'm well-established and have my own place. Sort of like a list of priorities for me though :)

I decided to buy one thing before I move out though, and I've narrowed it down to an acoustic guitar

[a_clear_job]

that's a nice list. i appreciate the musical instrument orientation of it

[lessthanuseful]

Welp, took your advice to heart and went to Steve's today... but after playing a pile I left with a $1000 Taylor. It's the only one that had the bright sound I was looking for, particularly on the bottom strings. I played a Takamine I liked, but the "repressed" sounding bottom E just didn't do it for me. It sounded great otherwise. It ultimately came down to preferring a spruce top to cedar :)

[a_clear_job]

fair enough. it all comes down to personal preference. i actually purchase bronze strings more often than steel, because i'm not a huge fan of the overly "bright" sound; i like something a little more muted.

take a pic of the new guitar, or send a link to the model you got; i'm intrigued! also, a little jealous... ...i should find a way in my mind to once again justify owning a $1000 acoustic. good on ya! :)

[kaiser_sose]

I can relate to this post on so many different levels!

[a_clear_job]

thanks for the vote of confidence. it is really nice to see such a positive response to my assertions. especially since it is a difficult thing to talk about. and i often feel like what kind of a moron am i, thinking i have it so bad; there are people starving, sleeping on the streets. so i feel silly saying "i grew up sort of, well, poor", because it's all relative, you know? i've always had a roof over my head. i've never gone hungry. and maybe that's why the guilt doesn't go away so easily, and i have to work hard at believing that i deserve some indulgences.

the perfect example of that is what isn't on the list. oh, i could have gone hogwild and made a list a mile long, of all the things i've ever dreamt about or wished about having (and some of them i could maybe even afford now). but still in the back of my head, like a censor, is the voice that says "if you're gonna indulge, at least make it something practical." hence why my list is so short and easily-rationalized. like, i need a new computer monitor, because i