Quote:
Originally Posted by order99
Well, being on the wrong side of the poverty line my entire life, I buy nearly used everything.
In short, I would be dead in an alleyway somewhere if Used was not an option-but with it, I live pretty well. And if I suddenly find myself awash in more money than i'll ever need in my life, I doubt i'll stop being a bargain hunter
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Being a spender or a saver has nothing to do with income. I was a saver from the first coin I was given and enjoyed the infinite possibility it represented more than the certainty of spending it on something in particular; especially of fleeting interest.
I grew up in probably the bottom 5% of wealth. My dad was a clerk at Safeway and my mom didn't work (for income), but I didn't feel poor or deprived compared to my peers until a brief period in middle school where everyone sucks.
Pretty quickly out of prison I got a decent paying job but still decided to live in my Subaru during the work week. With 13 hour shifts, I couldn't see spending so much just to be unconscious (sleeping) in a house. I slept in my Subaru and showered at the gym ($8/month).
Eventually I decided I'd like to have a girlfriend and that required living somewhere, so I moved in with a friend and paid $400/mo. When he got married, I bought a 4 bedroom house and took on roommates to more than pay the mortgage. I kept roommates even after I got married.
...this thread is about buying used... I've never owned a new car and my wife has never had a new cell phone, and none of that is due to lack of means. One can live at a higher level of comfort than their income would otherwise suggest regardless of what that income is by delayed gratification. By not chasing after the latest thing, but being content with a previous generation, a ton of money can be saved. I'd argue one can even, on average, own a newer generation of stuff for less money with this method rather than always buying latest generation and using it for a long period of time.
I see people on car forums justify their new car purchase saying they intend to own the car for 20 years, so that's why it isn't so expensive. Meanwhile I can own a 5 year old vehicle for a fraction of the cost and upgrade it every so often so I'm never in something 2 decades old (though my truck is 23, and my motorcycle is now 20).
I'm frugal for the sake of financial prudence, not for the environment. It just happens that frugality is also better for conservation.