Please list things.......

[Dreadsox]

that you could have done without. I am talking about someting that you could live without and possibly have given the money to charity.

 

[Dreadsox]

I could do without:

The seven rounds of golf totaling around $700

 

[kobayashi]

an interesting question...i find it hard to identify what i would be willing to give up because i thoroughly enjoy everything i involve myself in and i do give to select charities.

i wouldn't give up my golf membership, i wouldn't give up my new road bike or my new car...etc.

i would give up time though. i have never really contributed time to a charitable cause and it is often said that is the most valuable resource.

 

[Dreadsox]

Time is an incredibly hard thing to get from people these days.....trust me on this.

 

[Dreadsox]

I could do without my DVD collection. How many times can I watch a movie?

 

[Angela Harlem]

Except for Maslow's 5, I guess we could all give everything else away.

I didn't need to buy a V8.
I could have bought a V6.
Or a straight 6.
Or a 4 cylinder.
Or a motorbike.
Or rollerblades.
Or a horse.

But I bought my V8. It reminds me constantly of how lucky I am. It stops me from being complacent. Guilt can be a handy tool. I give as much time and money as I can spare with my circumstances.

 

[BostonAnne]

I'm on vacation this week and I'm going through my house to donate all that I can do without to the Church fair.

I contemplate finding a home that could be less expensive or trading in my van for an older one, but I really try to justify the expenses before I spend - so it's hard to look back and say I could do without it. If I align these American consumer thoughts to how others in the world live - of course I could do without most of it.

My luxury expenses in the last few months:
200 plants for my gardens $240
Basketball net for kids $70
Sand/Water table for 4 year old $70
AWF tshirt for me $17

Right now I need to learn to do without more before I go into debt. I refuse to cut back on the level of charitable contributions I have been maintaining even if my household income has dropped.

I am also looking forward to when I have time to give. Time is rare indeed.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I could do without so many things I have..
Some..


DVD collection that I never watch/CD's I don't listen to

Way too much jewelry/clothing

The ice cream I had yesterday (way too fattening and at one of those heaping portion ice cream stands)

TV that is too big, it was a gift but I still feel guilty about it

I could do w/ out a computer. I didn't have my own for quite a while and managed to borrow/go to a library

 

[pax]

Jewelry is a weakness of mine. I spent almost a hundred dollars on a ring a couple of months ago--which is to say NOTHING of what my fiance spent on my engagement ring, which I guess I also didn't really *need*.

 

[verte76]

I sure as hell didn't need that ring I bought on ebay.

 

[nbcrusader]

If I had the time and put in some thought, I would fill pages with stuff I don't need.

Lately, I've tried to divert such funds to things that I deem educational for my kids (sports programs, music, books, etc.) or things that will help them "fit in" with their age groups.

I still am fighting the urge to buy a nice big telescope......

 

[BostonAnne]

If I had the time and put in some thought, I would fill pages with stuff I don't need.

Me too.

 

[adam's_mistress]

First thing that comes to mind is the $50 I blew on lunch with my family on Saturday. What a waste of money, the food was cut rate. I felt guilty after I paid the tab. I can think of a dozen other things where that money would have been better spent.

I think of all those movies I've gone to see at the theater, all the ones where I left thinking, "why did I blow my money on that?"

Same thing goes for some cd purchases, that dress I bought that never really fit right, or the odd night out where I didn't really have a good enough time to justify my weakened wallet.

Usually I don't have too much cash for frivolous spending and I don't have any credit cards. I'm just too tempted with credit cards and I've gotten into trouble with them in the past.

 

[Dreadsox]

I still am fighting the urge to buy a nice big telescope......

Meteor Showers start Thursday night...hehe...and I too am fighting the urge, my daughter wants to be an astronut!

 

[Klaus]

1/2 kg of

Haagen Dazs Strawberry Cheesecake per week

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

1/2 kg of

Haagen Dazs Strawberry Cheesecake per week

I just ate a whole pint of that over the weekend. Talk about feeling guilty.


I could probably auction off the entire contents of my room and still have enough left over to feel guilty over...

 

[kobayashi]

I didn't need to buy a V8.
I could have bought a V6.
Or a straight 6.
Or a 4 cylinder.
Or a motorbike.
Or rollerblades.
Or a horse.

i probably didnt need the M variation of a 3 series. but it gives me a lot of good times...

 

[BluberryPoptart]

I am broke so I have nothing to feel guilty about! I have only a few shabby clothes items that were cheap from WALMART to begin with, shoes too! The only jewelry I own is my high school class ring and a cheap necklace that isn't real gold.

I really hate to see people feeling guilty over things they buy their kids. What are you going to tell a four year old, you can't have what every other kid you see has because some kids overseas don't have anything? Please, don't feel you have to deny your kids anything. They have to live too, and unlike the African kids they have to live in a materialistic society where those who don't have anything are not accepted. I hope no one will do that. Your own family comes first, please don't feel guilty!

No one should feel any shame at the DVDs and CDs either. After all if you don't keep those artists rich how will they be important enough to have a platform to try to spread their views to everyone else?

If you all feel so guilty how about selling your computers and sending the money to me?

 

[nbcrusader]

I really hate to see people feeling guilty over things they buy their kids. What are you going to tell a four year old, you can't have what every other kid you see has because some kids overseas don't have anything? Please, don't feel you have to deny your kids anything. They have to live too, and unlike the African kids they have to live in a materialistic society where those who don't have anything are not accepted. I hope no one will do that. Your own family comes first, please don't feel guilty!

I'm not sure people feel guilty, but it is very important to teach children the difference between want and need. Especially considering the large amount of consumer programming aimed at children.

 

[kobayashi]

I'm not sure people feel guilty, but it is very important to teach children the difference between want and need. Especially considering the large amount of consumer programming aimed at children.

if you are lucky/successful/able (whichever is most appropriate) to purchase such things and you don't instill this value in children, the chances of them being able to also afford such niceties are greatly reduced.

 

[BluberryPoptart]

As usual, I totally disagree. You aren't going to instill an ethic of 'go work for it yourself!' into a whiney, bored 4 year old. They aren't going to learn any great lesson of sacrifice in being denied a toy. Any lectures about world poverty or future work ethic are going straight out the ear and into a tantrum. Come on! People have to live. Any of you even HAVE a whiney, bored 4 year old?

 

[BluberryPoptart]

I'm not sure people feel guilty, but it is very important to teach children the difference between want and need. Especially considering the large amount of consumer programming aimed at children.

I mean, within reason, of course. Nobody can have everything they want.

Hate to bring this up again, but keep going folks you've got a long way to go to match Bono's $14 million dollar 2 bedroom (not even big enough for his family) apt.

I saw in the paper today Johnny Depp paid $1.8 million for his own Caribbean island. A whole lot more for your buck than that overprices scrunchy apt.! At least he got his money's worth!

 

[ThatGuy]

Originally posted by BlueberryPoptart
As usual, I totally disagree. You aren't going to instill an ethic of 'go work for it yourself!' into a whiney, bored 4 year old. They aren't going to learn any great lesson of sacrifice in being denied a toy. Any lectures about world poverty or future work ethic are going straight out the ear and into a tantrum. Come on! People have to live. Any of you even HAVE a whiney, bored 4 year old?

I do, and it's not too early to try to teach them things like the difference between "want" and "need."

 

[BostonAnne]

As usual, I totally disagree. You aren't going to instill an ethic of 'go work for it yourself!' into a whiney, bored 4 year old. They aren't going to learn any great lesson of sacrifice in being denied a toy. Any lectures about world poverty or future work ethic are going straight out the ear and into a tantrum. Come on! People have to live. Any of you even HAVE a whiney, bored 4 year old?

I do - sometimes whiney sometimes bored. He was 4 on 4/4/04.

 

[BostonAnne]

I do, and it's not too early to try to teach them things like the difference between "want" and "need."

or to avoid excess.

I think kobayashi meant older though. I also have a 12 year old and almost 11 year old that learn the process of decisions. I flat out refused to buy my 12 year old a $5 lego kit since he already has so much of that at home and doesn't use them anymore. He was so irritated with me.

 

[kobayashi]

You aren't going to instill an ethic of 'go work for it yourself!' into a whiney, bored 4 year old. They aren't going to learn any great lesson of sacrifice in being denied a toy.

it was never suggested that the child neccesarily be denied the toy. rather, those who are able to provide such things should approach the situation with the degree of 'want' and 'need', as we've called them, in mind. what i didn't state explicitly was that failure to pass on a lesson (about, say, spending money wisely for example) may inadequately equip the child for adulthood and, thus, leave them with a lesser degree of success than their parent-which is something i don't think any parent would want.

the lesson, obviously, does not only apply to 4 year olds.

edited to make my poorly made point explicit.

 

[ThatGuy]

or to avoid excess.

That's about all you can do at four years. "But you already have so many similar toys that you don't play with," etc.

 

[Dreadsox]

Why is it that people assume you are talking about feeling guilty. It came up in the other thread too. Nothing I have posted was to instill guilt. Nowhere did I say deny your children things. I have a six year old and a soon to be four year old, so yes I can relate.

Why should I collect DVD's. How many times can I watch the same movies again and again?

I was having dinner at a golf club the other night......

$125,000 to joing the club with $25,000 fees every year.

For goodness sake, the fees are half my salary.

Too me this is excessive.....but then again....maybe I am wrong.

 

[BostonAnne]

Excessive and exclusive as most can't afford to be there.

I don't think you were talking about feeling guilty Dread, I think that people can just naturally feel that way when thinking about the "important" things to us and what others don't even have. I was feeling guilty while thinking about things when I responded.

 

[zoney!]

This was an interesting thread until it got derailed.

Things I could have done without:

Two years of Minnesota Timberwolves season tickets
Two years of Minnesota Vikings season tickets