standard of living

[snowgirl77]

Do you ever notice that your standard of living has changed without you even realizing it? I noticed this after taking my little brother, a college kid, out to the Outback Steakhouse for the first time. Our family never goes out to eat, and he is broke, so he never has frequented a place where you get the salad and bread and all included with your meal, it's all "super-size it" to him. It made me think about how different I looked at the world then, and buying a new pair of sneakers was a big deal. Not that I'm rich or anything. It was nice to find a reason to stop and appreciate that I can both go to the movies and out to eat in the same week, or run the air conditioning in my car without worrying. It's probably why I'll never go back to college full-time because I've adjusted to a certain way of life.

[gluegun]

I totally know what you mean. I had the same realization over the weekend. It is crazy to be able to just go to a movie without having to worry about spending the $8. Now, looking back, I almost can't believe how little I used to spend.

[heatherf]

It really IS amazing! But I think that part of it is just because we are much more adult now. We choose not to eat only taco bell and ramen, not because we can afford more expensive food, but because we can afford better/good for you/healthy food. (not that taco bell at 2am still isn't the BEST food).

Things seemed cheaper then too- like in college, my rent was $250 and that was for my own bed and bath! (utilities were extra though)

[pittgirl]

I remember when I was a freshman in college, I went to school in Philly and lived back in the Pittsburgh area. It used to cost me and my one friend $20-$22 for an ENTIRE trip home in gas to be in the car. Now it costs $25 just for one trip back and forth.

However though it is nice to be adult now and be able to buy things without having to worry about the money. I am still frugile though with my money, I think it was how I was raised. My parents prioritized their time and money when it came to my family. Spending time with the family on a vacatoin was more important than how big and flashy and going into debt over a vacation.

[LakeJay]

What really stinks is how $20 would get me through a weekend in college (food/drinks/etc.). Now it just gets me through one ( round (maybe 2) of drinks.

[snowgirl77]

That's very true, LakeJay. I also ended up realizing how much money I waste without thinking about it too. Oh well, at least I no longer live in an apartment that had nice new walls, but only because the landlord replaced them when the police smashed them all in a drug bust. I'm movin' on up!

[Winter Storm]

Funny you should mention it. I was just thinking the other day how living on my own is so much easier than I thought it would be.

This time last year, I was going over my monthly budget over and over , trying to figure out how'd I 'd be able to afford rent, food etc. and still have money in my pocket if I moved out on my own. I moved out in April and not only am I not having any problem paying bills, but I've been maintaining an active social life. I even took 3 trips this summer. I thought I'd be living off of Ramen noodles and cereal and this month alone I made homemade crabcakes and salmon filets. This weekend I'm making steamed shrimp.

And I didn't get a raise this year! I was really stressing living on my own, and it's way easier than I thought. I guess it's all in how you plan and budget.

[shimmer728]

Well, one thing I've definitely noticed since becoming completely financially independent from my parental units is how much groceries cost and how I thoughtlessly bought whatever the hell I wanted at the store without looking for deals or even looking at the price (when I was at my last job, the pay sucked so bad my parents subsidized my nutritional needs. ;)) I now realize those effing Morningstar gardenburgers I like to eat are very pricey. Just one of those things my mommy never told me. :cry: ;)

Now I buy food at the local Mennonite discount grocer or Sam's Club. Much cheaper.

[kimmer23]

its not HARD living on your own, just TIME CONSUMING to deal with all the stuff about having a house or your own place. its not hard to clean and cook, its just time consuming keeping up with yard work and cleaning.

[Phoenix]

Oddly enough, I thought about how I grew up the other day. We weren't exactly poor by any means as kids, but my parents really pinched pennies as we were growing up. They didn't buy new clothes, they put our needs before their own, etc.

The world was expensive even back then...

[red]

i grew up pretty poor too. both of my parents are teachers. i moved out when i was 17 and i was really poor then. my first crap apt cost like $150 a month and i slept in the living room. it was good practice for when i moved back to nyc and had to do the same thing a few years later. then i met my husband and he lost his job right before we got married and we were living on my salary. but honestly, i am really glad my parents raised me the way they did. i have a really good head for money and i don't worry about material things. i firmly believe, especially in a city like nyc, it's not how much you make but how much you save. it's so easy to run through money here.
what i find frustrating is that after all of this poorness for me, my husband finally has a job, i have a job, we live frugally, and even with the money we have saved, we can barely afford a condo. i don't live in one of those yuppie neighborhoods either. even if we moved over an hour out by subway, we still couldn't afford to buy a house. sucks.

[wordsmith]

Uhhhh...I still worry about every penny. :redface: Not that I'm not self sufficient. But I still stress about an $8 movie ticket.

I actually stress more about finances than I did my first year out of college, when I was a stipended volunteer earning $85/mo. plus room & board.

Guess I need to find a more lucrative line of work, eh?

[shimmer728]

My parents told me that for my tastes for high luxury, I DEFINITELY went into the long line of work ;)

Though I still succumb to the occasional designer handbag and sparkly piece of jewelry, I've become better at differentiating between needs and wants. It's amazing, though, how I can never seem to find the money to get body work done on my car, yet I ALWAYS have $$$ for a new shirt or a night out.

Budgeting was never my strong point.