I have judged people for what they do and don’t spend money on. I do it without even thinking. I suspect many of you do too!

I’ll automatically assume someone has lots of money because they drive a nice car — but maybe they just really like cars and that’s the one thing they’re willing to spend on extravagantly.

I have been judged for holding a phone with a cracked screen for two years now! 
We all make choices for how to save and spend our money. Some of them are good choices, some of them might not be so great, but they are our choices.

I honestly don’t think we should be answerable to anyone regards this… especially not people who don’t know our specific financial situation.

Here are a few of our financial choices:
We have grown our SAVINGS through :
We do lots of DIY projects in and around the home like furniture, décor, clothes, cleaning products, play toys etc

We don’t mind buying used items especially machinery as long as they can still serve their intended purpose.

We don’t spend on salon. I have been having my hair locked for 10 years now so really splurge on salons for new looks/ pedicures and manicures. If anything, I do it myself. Google has been my friend.

We grow most of our vegetables and some food stuff. We mostly get to buy dry foods only

We do grocery shopping in specific places that allow for us to accumulate coupons, points and bonuses all year which we could use in tough times. (we literally lived off these bonuses and gift vouchers this month )

I do not recall when we last watched TV at home. It really isn’t a bad idea, but it just doesn’t excite us at ours (no monthly subscriptions, less umeme)

We rarely eat out except on special ocassions since we r always seeking to explore with food, trying out new recipes all at home.

We rarely spend any money on entertainment as we both love active fun. We do lots of cycling, hiking, tennis, swimming, berbecues and trying out new recipes. Anything hands on 

SPENDING
Besides spending on the usual bills like water, electricity, gas, data, medical, groceries, fuel, we tend to splurge on Travel (mini and major breaks), car maintenance (given we live far out of the city, a well-conditioned and reliable car to get to work and run errands efficiently), home maintenance (we try to make it as relaxing as possible), growth (personal and family), investment, hobbies, giving and anything that simplifies our lives or spirks more joy .

While somethings are not the those which I would choose to save or spend money on, they aren’t necessarily bad… just different.
January is coming to an end. Have you been tracking your expenses?