I'm so stingey with money!

[OneCleverSwan]

I'm so stingey with money and hate spending it. To the point its all I think of all day every day. Why is everything so expensive.

I like to hold onto my money and I have no idea when I got like this.. I think its since having my baby (9 months old) and moving out of my parents home, and realising how expensive real life is. I'm also a single mother.

Me and my baby never go without, we eat well, amd have everything we need. But every time I'm in a shop I can feel myself getting annoyed with having to spend money on stuff.

I know this probably sounds ridiculous lol I try and tell myself I can't take money to my grave with me. But I can't help getting annoyed at constantly spending spending spending

Is anyone else like this or am i just crazy lol

I probably sound very immature, I've just always seen money as security, I always like to have a little bit of a savings, I'm not talking grands, but a few hundred, and I'm realising how much of a struggle it is to even get that in this day and age

I believe saving money is for better life planning, and there's nothing wrong with that

I think there's two types of people- those who get pleasure from spending and those who get pleasure from saving. The spenders often feel guilty about accumulating stuff while the savers may feel guilty about not buying lavish gifts or treats. Just accept yourself as you are. We are bombarded with messages to buy products and it does get overwhelming - we all have to accept or reject the pressure to buy cr*p that we don't want or need. Just accept that you are the thrifty type and that not overloading yourself with stuff is better for the planet.

Most people are shocked at the cost of things, everything has a price you are willing to pay. I refuse to spend £4 on a box of Pukka Tea bags or a pot of hot chocolate it's not an essential and I think it's a rip off. I did at the weekend pay for coffees out for DD and me though which worked out as far more than that £4 pot of hot chocolate but it added value to our day out.

I don't pay for decorating my home seasonally with the tat from B&M etc,but I do spend ££££ on theatre tickets regularly.

Make sure you and baby have everything you need, make sure you don't spill over to real stingyness and not putting the heating on when needed. Look into the Help2Save govt account, SIPP with someone like AJ Bell for babys birthday / Christmas money and a pot for easy access for you too. When DD was little and money was more scarce I'd literally just save what Round up my bank did, it soon added up

I was in a bit of debt in my twenties which took years to pay off, never missing a payment though. I came from a family where credit was normal.

I swore i’d never do it again and i haven’t but i defo have become more aware of money and how i spend it. Im now a huge fan of saving on pay day-and having more of my money left at the end of the month. I budget and know what all my bills are but not to spreadsheet levels.

But remember also life is for living. If you are managing to save you should also live a little at times too. I don’t think you are stingy you are just aware of what you have now you have a child. It is annoying how much things cost so it’s sensible to be choosy what you spend on. But be aware you don’t slip further into it.

This.

I'm quite well off - not because I married a rich man or won the lottery, but because I always lived within my means and never wasted money on unnecessary fripperies. I never felt deprived.

I'm the same OP. I was a single parent from the beginning and I worried about money all the time. Even now my relationship with money isn't great. And everything is so expensive.

Whilst I understand you don't want to spend money and you've probably not got alot to spend I would urge you to go out every day with your little one. Maybe free things like museums, parks, seeing the ducks. Or cheap things. I used to walk my DS to our canal basin to see the boats and pick up chips on the way to eat there.

You don't sound stingey to me but instead careful with your money and wanting to make sure you have a bit of a financial buffer.

I hate waste - in terms of people buying crap just for the sake of it. Christmas therefore is a particular challenge however my family now know that I would rather something they see as utterly boring but it is something I need and know I will get a lot of use out of.

My carefulness comes from growing up with no money. I remember being a little child and feeling freezing as we had no central heating and my mother couldn't afford to light the coal fire until I got home from school so that wait for an hour until the room was warm was the worst wait ever. I promised myself I will NEVER be cold or hungry again.

I feel really sad this time of year when I see people out shopping, laden with bags and know there will be a percentage who have put everything on credit cards and come 1st Jan will be worrying over paying everything back. I just couldn't live like that. I am not ungenerous, far from it but I also will not get into debt for one day.

I would rather buy 1 really good quality product like a good winter coat costing £200 than have to buy several cheap ones that dont last and end up costing more. I will spend on travel as that is my love and my dog never does without. I have a lovely home but you will not catch me wasting £4 on take out coffee several times a week for example or buying lunch every day out for work.....

I am always fascinated by people's attitudes to spending.

I think a lot of people get annoyed by the prices. Some months I'll just spend, such as November for Xmas presents, but once Xmas is sorted I don't want to spend anymore lol I always put money away in savings for emergencies. Like others have said, as long your needs are met and you're happy with what you do spend and save, then that's all that matters 🙂

I think it’s frustrating how expensive everything is! You can’t just go for coffee and cake with a friend anymore without thinking about, or grab a takeaway on the way home. Even snacks from a garage will set you back a fair bit!

It can feel hard to leave the house without spending anything, and it’s frustrating because all those bits add up.

Maybe focus on what you can control - meal prep, making coffees at home and taking them with you etc, and then you can spend your money on experiences/whatever you value or save some instead!