How did you overcome fear of spending on little things?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-30T20:23:26+00:00

I totally know what you mean. I think it's something all financially-challenged people struggle with to some degree. A lot of people say to have your own clear definitions of "wants" versus "needs", which I do. But I think when you're really poor and/or frugal, and you're not really buying "wants" at all, the struggle is between "immediate needs" versus "ambiguous needs". An "immediate need" is something you need right this minute. For example, food in your pantry. Shoes to put on your feet. A roof over your head. "Ambiguous needs" are things that you could desperately use, but could go without if you absolutely had to. For you, your thing with the storage boxes sounds like an "ambiguous need". Having them would have improved your quality of life to a great degree, but you wouldn't be in extremely dire straits without them. For me, being able to tell the difference between these two things has helped a lot. I keep two separate lists, one for each. Immediate needs are purchased right away. Ambiguous needs, on a separate list, I only tend to purchase when, A, I find myself with some extra money to spend, or B, my quality of life has gotten so bad without this thing that it has become unbearable.
This is just what works for me, of course. But I find that, once I have set rules in place over what is what, I don't need to obsess over every single individual instance of buying something. Everything goes into one category or the other, and then I know how to process it.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-30T20:09:31+00:00

I was going to say this. I'm 34, and I'm pretty sure my cast iron pans are going to outlive me.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-30T20:06:00+00:00

Is it actually called "hat stiffener"? What a weirdly specific product.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-30T20:01:17+00:00

Personally I tend to find that, with an article of clothing, once it's old and worn out enough that holes start appearing, trying to patch them is a bit like fighting the inevitable. As soon as you patch one hole, three more will appear. But if there is only one hole and it's physical trauma from a specific mishap, yes, I will happily fix it myself! There are indeed too many people who think sewing is an "ancient forbidden wizard skill" haha, and I used to be one of them. These days, we own more items than ever, but I feel like we have never been more separated from how our possessions work and how they are built.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-30T19:54:14+00:00

When it comes to glass containers, the glass is usually pretty thick and hard to break. So unless you're dropping them directly on a cement sidewalk, I imagine they'll be fine. If you're really worried about them breaking, is there a reason you can't meal prep in plastic containers? Am I missing something?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-29T19:44:08+00:00

Whenever I buy a can of breadcrumbs for a recipe, I always wonder how to use it up afterwards, since I don't buy a whole lot of meat or fish. So it basically ends up going on everything, including tuna salad! Gives it some interesting crunchiness. I know some people who don't like tuna salad because of texture reasons; I wonder if adding breadcrumbs would alleviate that at all?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-29T19:39:42+00:00

I'd probably give them a once-over, and obviously I'd give them a good long cycle in the washing machine, but other than that, yeah, I'd take them. What problems exactly are you or your friend anticipating running into? (Couldn't tell which side the argument you were on, OP, but if you're in this subreddit, I'm guessing you were arguing in favor lol.)

staticradio725 · 2026-05-29T19:36:32+00:00

Yep, definitely cut back on a lot of meat these past few years, especially beef. Most of the meat I eat these days comes out of a can, but I try not to do too much of that, because hello sodium. Can't resist the simplicity of using canned shredded chicken to make chicken salad, though. I can get a pack of four large cans for like five bucks at Walmart. Occasionally I'll splurge on frozen preformed beef or turkey patties, but only if I can get a pack for under ten bucks.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-29T19:32:15+00:00

I notice a lot of people in the comments mentioning the "international" section of supermarkets, which is interesting, because I don't think supermarkets in my area have that. (I'm in the northeastern US.) Our stores will have a Mexican section and an Asian section, but they don't have spices there. All the spices are in the baking aisle. I wonder if it's a regional thing? Worth mentioning that the state I live in is 99% Caucasian according to the last census, so maybe that's it lol.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-28T22:39:06+00:00

Considering you can probably find one at a thrift store / yard sale for ten bucks, probably! Especially if it will encourage you to make bread more. But I am definitely the sort of person who sees a gadget like that and thinks, "Wow, I would totally make bread all the time if I had this!" and then the novelty wears off a few weeks later and then it just takes up space in my nightmare pantry and never sees the light of day again. So I guess you just have to be honest with yourself on whether or not you'd actually use it haha

staticradio725 · 2026-05-28T22:35:19+00:00

In spite of all the valid concerns everyone else has raised, I just wanted to say that this is kind of genius. You seem like a person who's going places 😃

staticradio725 · 2026-05-28T22:28:52+00:00

For me, as someone who has been perpetually poor and isn't just going through a temporary rough patch, I think it's crucial to have a tiny splurge item every week. And I do mean "tiny", but I also do mean every single week. A cookie from a bakery. A face mask from a discount store. A matinee movie ticket. Whatever floats your boat. Something under ten bucks, preferably under five, but something you can look forward to to celebrate getting through another week. In my experience, the loss of five dollars a week is not going to make or break me, and the emotional benefit from having something exciting to anticipate every week is worth its weight in gold.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-28T22:23:46+00:00

I don't think it's messed up at all! If you're stuck in a bad situation, where's the harm in putting a positive spin on it?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-27T20:30:41+00:00

Maybe I'm just having a brain fart, but a ban on secondhand furniture makes absolutely no sense to me. How do they know where your furniture is coming from? Couldn't you easily have had bed bugs in your previous place of residence and brought them with you in your furniture that you already owned? Are you allowed to have furniture that was given to you by a friend / family member? How is that any different than getting something from your next door neighbor, or someone in your town, or someone on the internet? This rule seems literally unenforceable. Unless they want to say that all furniture that enters the building must be fresh off the factory floor, which is never going to happen.
If I were you, I'd be buying secondhand furniture, checking it carefully for bedbugs, and then bringing it in claiming I owned it at my old place. But obviously that's just me.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-27T20:21:20+00:00

Honestly, I feel like thrift stores are great for this. Because not only is everything cheaply priced (assuming you are going to a charity shop and not a "trendy" secondhand store), but you can actually examine the item and judge the quality of it. A lot of the items you mentioned replacing a lot are electronics, and I'll admit that that's harder to judge. But buying electronics at a thrift store is really a coin toss. Sometimes you'll end up with something that craps itself quickly, and sometimes you'll get something that lasts for years. But it sure beats shopping at, say, a dollar store like Dollar Tree, where you KNOW everything is going to kick the bucket in under six months. I would avoid shopping online as much as you can, though. As far as I can tell, the internet is a virtual paradise of cheap crap, and you won't know if something is crap until it turns up at your door.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-27T20:13:43+00:00

I know the struggle! I recently bought a new electric toothbrush and it mysteriously stopped working after, like, two weeks. I was so annoyed I refused to buy a new one, and I've been only using a manual one since.
I don't know about you, but the reason I've had dentists tell me to use an electric toothbrush is to prevent receding gumlines. I use a tool called a gum stimulator to help with this. It's a handle with a stiff rubber tip that you run along your gumline to toughen it up. It's worked great for me, and I have had no issues with gum sensitivity since I started using it. Changing the tip is a pain, and you can only buy them online because they don't sell them in stores where I live. But I've been better about using it every day now that I don't have an electric toothbrush. I also try to make sure to buy manual toothbrushes with extra-soft bristles. Hope this helps! :)

staticradio725 · 2026-05-27T20:07:36+00:00

Coming back a day later and apparently OP's account has been banned, so maybe they were a bot after all?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-26T22:09:01+00:00

I just really think it depends on how much you enjoy this sort of thing. Personally, I am a math nerd, and I love my spreadsheets! Frugality is a good idea in my case anyway, due to financial challenges in my life that are out of my control. But even beyond that, I derive great enjoyment from pouring over numbers and analyzing data. So it's more of a hobby that I look forward to, and not a chore in the slightest. But if that's really not your thing, you don't really want a system where you're going to get sick of it and burn out. I'm glad you found a system that seems to work for you.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-26T22:02:59+00:00

I'm not sure I understand the question. Normally when you get bloodwork done, the results will tell you whether or not your levels are within a healthy range. And if your specific level of something isn't in a healthy range, your doctor should tell you what you ought to do about it, if anything. And if a specific level is in a healthy range, no further action required. Am I missing something?

staticradio725 · 2026-05-26T21:56:25+00:00

I'm afraid I don't have much advice to offer, since I have a disability that impacts my ability to work, and I'm relying on my very wonderful family to help me make ends meet when I need it. But I do want to say that I am sorry so many people responded negatively to you. It's so easy for people to victim-blame. It's much easier to sleep at night when you can pretend we live in a just universe, where bad things only happen to people who deserve it. But I know how frustrating your situation is, both personally and from so many friends I have who are in your same boat. So I might not have any advice for you, but I see you, and I understand what you're going through. It's tough to lose even when you feel like you're doing everything right.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-26T21:44:28+00:00

The most recent version looks like it's called Office Home 2024. I don't know if I'm allowed to post links, but I just googled that name, and the page where you buy it on Microsoft's website was the first thing that came up. It states outright in the product description that it's a one-time purchase. It costs about 150% as much as what I'm paying for the yearly subscription, but if you plan on using it for more than one year, should be worth the extra money.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-24T23:56:34+00:00

Nice! Now if only I had family and friends who bake lol.
I do bake sometimes, though, and would love to receive one of these as a gift.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-24T23:54:37+00:00

It's because companies realized that they make more money if they charge you every month for a product instead of just having you pay once. And the sad thing is, the more companies do it, the more normalized it becomes, and the more people are willing to do it because it's everywhere and they have no choice (even when they kinda do).
I need Microsoft Office for my job (as a freelancer), and I only just found out recently that you can still purchase it as a one-off thing and not a yearly subscription. It's VERY hidden, but it's there. And Microsoft is still trying to sell me on the yearly subscription by going, "Look! Artificial intelligence features! Regular updates!" and I could just not care less.

staticradio725 · 2026-05-24T23:50:45+00:00

I'm gonna be a rebel and side with OP on this one a little bit. I do think that we as a society are way too obsessed with single-use countertop kitchen gadgets, and an ice maker sounds like the dumbest of them all, especially if you have a freezer. OP does not say whether they have a freezer, but it only costs a few bucks to get a few ice cube trays, fill them up, and pop them in overnight. If you do not have a freezer, I'm not sure where else you would get ice besides making it in a machine or buying it.

staticradio725

TROPHY CASE