Comments on: Don’t Develop Expensive Tastes

By: chris

chris — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 15:26:04 +0000

Most things that are better, after a while feel normal, and you only get the better experience back, by experiencing the lesser experience again. This applies to sound equipement, food and cars, etc.

Remember going out to an evening meal with a friend who dined regulary because of his type of work. I enjoyed the meal, because it wasn’t my usual experience, all he did was criticise it as it wasn’t as good as he had experienced at other places. His taste had become too up market to enjoy the more normal experiences!

By: Ed

Ed — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 09:35:28 +0000

it is usually expensive taste of any kind that gets in the way of financial prosperity. Where I live, my generation, don’t survive on McDs. The current younger set, many will probably “die” if the go a week w/o McDs. (Here we can get a decent healthier meal for half a McD meal)

Btw, even if you can afford bottled water, the used bottles are currently causing a massive environmental problem.

By: Lazy Man and Money

Lazy Man and Money — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 01:39:36 +0000

My job gives me free lunch and dinner every day from a catered restaurant as well as all you can snacks and soda (including Red Bull). It’s too late to not develop expensive tastes .

By: Miller

Miller — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:48:05 +0000

“Ignorance is bliss”

By: Livingalmostlarge

Livingalmostlarge — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:46:21 +0000

Tell me about it. Our income should afford a us a much nicer lifestyle, but we’re too busy trying to catch up to our peers in retirement savings so we can’t enjoy life as much. arrgh.

And not buying nice stuff? Trust me DH and I never look at cars because we’re driving our first and only cars still into the ground. My it would be lovely to afford something somewhat nicer, even a used nicer car. It can’t be done though.

By: English Major

English Major — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:57:06 +0000

Whoops, that was supposed to be a reply to Dennis’s comment.

By: English Major

English Major — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 18:56:16 +0000

Tell me about it.

I may actually have to do my own post about this, but living on my own on an entry-level salary is definitely more than a few steps down from the lifestyle I’d gotten used to as my parents’ dependent. I eat out far less, I see fewer movies in the theater and much less live entertainment, I never get pedicures and rarely take taxis…that kind of thing. I have mixed feelings about it–sometimes I just really want things I can’t afford and get cranky about it, and other times I’m perfectly happy to revise my lifestyle and enjoy the fact that I’m supporting myself.

Truthfully, I haven’t found it that difficult to change my behavior–no matter how much I want sushi, if I can’t afford it, I can’t buy it. Period. But that doesn’t mean I stop wanting it, and it’s not so much fun to go around wanting things you can’t have.

By: WH

WH — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 13:55:33 +0000

A little off topic from your other comments, but…

It’s noteworthy that tap water also contains fluoride, which helps prevent cavities. I found this out when I left NYC for school and developed – for the first time in 18 years – a bottled water habit & the cavities to go with it. NYC water comes from the Catskills…you’d have to check on fluoride levels in water in other states, but let me just say that, since returning to NYC & tap water, my dentist bills have gone way down!

By: Steve

Steve — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 12:44:06 +0000

Good Post. The same thing happened to me with beer after I got out of college and started buying higher quality brews. Now cheap beer just doesn’t cut it.

On a related note. If you are buying a house always buy a little bit under what your potential price range would be. Typically your house drives your lifestyle and if you buy one you can easily afford it will be easier to stay out of debt because you won’t be stretching to maintain the payments on the house and stretching to keep up with the lifestyle of your neighbors.

By: rocketc

rocketc — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:29:32 +0000

I used to be able to drink any kind of coffee from literally anywhere. I purchased a 25 cent cup from our local gas station almost every day and liked it. When I got married, my wife introduced me to Starbucks, Caribou, et al. I will never be the same.

By: Elena

Elena — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:25:24 +0000

I think the moral of that story is that anyone should be able to afford a simple water filter. The thought of intentionally putting the chemi junk they treat the water with into my body would be too disgusting to me. Bottled water is a filtered water that cost alot. Save the plastic waste + the money, filter yourself, and enjoy your good taste.

By: Dennis

Dennis — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:13:24 +0000

What I wonder about is the kids who grow up in households that developed expensive tastes. It must be hard to break that habit when you’re an adult…

By: alex

alex — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 22:15:48 +0000

Do you have any reccomendations for the situation where you don’t have expensive tastes, but your spouse or significant other does?

BTW: I drink bottled water and its pretty frugal for me. $5 for 36 bottles of water saves me countless money that might have been spent on juice or soda, and having it in bottled form allows me to drink it as my drink for the meal whereas in a cup doesn’t psychologically satisfy me.