Trying Something New: Question of the Day
If it weren’t for you guys, I would have quit this blog a long time ago. Your comments, questions, emails, and daily visits keep me writing. Therefore, I’d like to make the site more interactive and invite your input more often. Although I do enjoy talking about myself everyday, especially if you want to hear it (lol), but the other side of me (read: the nosy one) wants to know more about you too. So I want to try something I’ve seen on other blogs as a test run on Fabulous Financials. Your feedback will determine if it becomes a recurring feature. Cool? Cool.
Question of the day (fill in the blank):
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
This blog is a personal account of my journey to become Healthy & Wealthy. If you like what you've read, feel free to subscribe via (feed reader) or (email) to follow along.
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Fabulous Financials v2.0 » Top 5 Fab Picks of the Week - Remixed (Pingback), 9 February 2008, 18:02
[...] Single Ma’s Fabulous Remix: Refuse to Give It Up, Even if I Were Broke [...]
I’ll go first.
I still wouldn’t give up BabyGirl’s extracurricular activities. I’d work a 2nd job to pay for them. Between the two instruments (oboe and flute), sports (cheerleading and track), and community/leadership activities – one of them is bound to be her ticket to a bright future.
Even if I were broke, the one vice I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
my monthly trip to Borders to buy 2 new books to put on my bookshelf. I love to read and that’s something I will NEVER do w/out(buying new books). I know I could just as easily go and rent books from the library, but I like having my own copies.
The cleaning lady that comes once a week. I don’t know how i lived without her. it’s something about coming home to a clean house and all you have to do is relax.
doggie day care. The dog would shred all my stuff in frustration!
@ Dog – HA HA HA you crack me up!
getting my hair done! Not an option..hehehe
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is TITHING.
Hot cups of tea.
At a very low point in my life, a person whom I still care about deeply, invited me into his home, listened to my troubles and made me a cup of tea. As he gave it to me, he said, “Here…everything looks better at the bottom of a cup of tea.” At least as far as my life is concerned, those are still very true words.
Sunday morning coffee with my husband at Starbucks. We read the paper, people watch, and talk about our week.
I’ll co-sign on Kimberly’s comment!!!!! My hair will be on point!!!!
@ nofear – Wow, an unforgettable moment. Giving up tea is like letting go of the memory. I wouldn’t give it up either.
@ Mrs. Troy – I’m so jealous. Of all the things one can do on a Sunday morning, your weekly ritual sounds fun…and relaxing.
Even if I were broke, the one vice I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
Trying to speak new things into existence. When I am not broke anymore, the one vice that I will not and have not given up is ICE CREAM….
I wouldn’t give up soda. I don’t have a 10 times a day habit or anything, but I do like soda. Even if its expensive. If I were broke, I might switch to Diet Dr Thunder (a WM brand) instead of diet Wild Cherry Pepsi :)
hair color for sure
LOL @ Dr. Thunder. HA HA
When I used to shop at WM, we drank Dr. Perky. BabyGirl and I still laugh at the name. Dr. Perky! LOL
Really great question. I’ve read the other commenters and I was agree with them as I read them.
Yours about BG’s activities – I would go to the school or organization and get a waiver of fees until times got better. So, I won’t say that.
Then I saw “books” – the mere thought of going without a read, terrifies me. Of course, then I thought Library – without cash I would squeeze in the visits. If only they would get a coffee bar. :-)
So, after looking at everything…I have decided that the one thing I WOULDN’T give up is my coffee at home. After all lives would be in danger. I’m not a nice person without my coffee!
Internet access!
Traveling. I’m currently paying off credit-card debt (as a 19 year old college student who regrets ever getting to this point in the first place) so I know better than spending ridiculous sums of money on traveling at the moment, but I still yearn to be able to go somewhere abroad this summer. It’s a “good” debt if anyone ever asked me.
I agree with the book comment as well, but I usually go for half.com or amazon.com for a local used book store for books on the cheap.
Getting my hair relaxed and trimmed once every 8 weeks. Other than that I can clip coupons, check for sales, ask for an interest rate reduction on a credit card which already is paid off, stay away from the theaters and watch tv at home, cook my own meals, etc.
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is__________.
…learning …“recreational learning”
I’m excluding formal education from this category. The expense I’m talking about is taking piano lessons because when I was in school we had a barely existent music program, buying calligraphy pens to learn a lost art, or any other of those “teach yourself…” related expenses.
I guess I’m not as frugal as I thought. I scrolled through some of the other comments and getting my hair done and having internet is a nonnegotiable expense.
My large daily Dunkin Donut French Vanilla Regular Ice Coffee.
Makes life worth living :)
Getting my eyebrows waxed…and oil changes for my car
If I were broke, I would not give up my ice coffee – ‘Bucks, Dunkin’ Donuts, Barneys – whatever – hell if it’s McD’s, I’d still get my ice coffee. It’s my own quick 5 min’ of “me-me time”.
Getting personal here but I would not give up my Playtex tampons. I once tried generic cardboard ones and lets just say that I went out and bought the real ones. And since then no matter how broke I am I go for the real ones. Anything else I can go without or going generic, and there is always the dollar store.
If I were broke, I would not give up my internet.
I can’t let yall down. What would yall do without me??
Tee hee
:-D
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
THE INTERNET……
Gotta have my daily www. fix. LOL.
Well, I’m broke. I’ll say it. Every last dime I have goes to some bill, at this point.
At first, my answer was makeup. I have switched to the very cheap stuff though (like $2.67 for my eyeliner and mascara both).
But I have to say, after finally getting out on my own which was nearly necessary for my sanity, I will not give up my apartment. It’s slightly bigger than what I need. It’s a lot nicer, though, for an additional $75/mo than all of the other places I looked at. (I spent 6 months looking. *shock*) At least in this place, I would let a child crawl on the floor. The other places I looked at, I would let my dog sleep on the floor.
I have to say taking my kids to McDonalds. McD’s have seriously brainwashed my kids. No matter how broke I am I still end up taking them there atleast once a week.
Even if I were broke, l wouldn’t give up my biweekly manicures & pedicures – a small price to pay for a lil’ pampering.
Internet for me as well, and perhaps magazine subscriptions. Do I get to keep two things?
Even if I were broke, the one thing I wouldn’t give up would be my morning coffee from 7-11. It dawned on me yesterday morning that stopping there, and being greeted by the clerks each morning (they are uber friendly) starts my day off right. Whenever I am rushed and I do not stop in for coffee my day just goes terribly wrong
I can’t live without my manicure and eyebrow waxing.
I would not give up my cell phone or internet. Can’t do without either of those.
I would have to say the internet.
I have to agree with Daviece, the one thing i wouldn’t (and haven’t) give up no matter how tight things are is tithing. I have found that the Lord will provide all else needed if we trust in Him.
therapy
HA HA I definitely agree with you Stevie! [-SM]
Back when I was broke, I kept my $45-dollar per month gym membership. Between experimenting with all the free classes, getting onto the elliptical for an hour, and sitting in the sauna, I turned my unemployment downtime into a new habit of personal care.
Besides, it takes the bite out of unemployment to know you look good naked!
I would not give up my gym membership. I know, I know I could go running outside (and I do especially when gearing up for a race), but for me there’s something about having a specific place to work out that’s away from the rest of my life plus the added incentive that I better use that darn thing after all I’m paying for it every month.
PS I thought I’d share that this morning on the Daily Buzz TV show (CW’s funny morning show) their 2 cents bit for the day was “What indulgences do you refuse to give up even when times are tight?” http://www.dailybuzz.tv/watercooler/
Even if I were broke, I’d find a way to get a facial every six weeks.
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
My internet connection. I have become addicted to the blogging world so I do not think I could live without my internet. Plus I can download all the shows I would miss by giving up cable so it would not be too bad.
Diet soft drinks. I was a diet coke addict but I gave it up for the local store brand because it was so much cheaper and after a couple of cans I got used to the taste. I’ve given up everything else and this is where I draw the line ;-)
I wouldn’t give up my skin or hair products. I was talking to my BFF about this last night. She wouldn’t give up Dominican Hair salon visits and Im certainly not giving up skin or hair products. Im not a PJ (product junkie) anymore but now that I know what works for me, being frugal about it will screw up the system lol
well i thought i was gonna be the only person who would admit to something so shallow as getting my eyebrows done :) i’m glad i’m not the only one that finds that a true necessity! having scraggly eyebrows just depresses me like nothing else! if i could add something else, definitely pedicures, toes and eyebrows, they both gotta look good!
Even if I were broke (I have been very broke as an international grad student), European chocolate would be something I would never give up (and I didn’t give it up back than)
The one thing I wouldnt give up is time out with friends for coffee, a glass of wine or whatever. Gotta keep the adult activities in my life. As a divorced mother of two, I need adult conversation and down time, at least once every couple of weeks..
~Tapping my fingers waiting on that post you promised!~ LOL
Dang, I have some demanding readers! LOL It’s coming. [-SM]
Internet and cable! Those are on one bill so I’m hoping they can count as one thing :)
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is __________.
Driving the 2 hours to maryland (4 roundtrip) to see my boyfriend every other weekend. I know its only a few hours but gas is high and it would save me but I have to see him. :)
Well, I just spent 4 years in grad school where I was broke and I gave up almost everything save two very important things.
First, I held onto my soccer team. I’ve been playing pretty much since I could walk and the benefits to my health and psyche are undeniable. Although I did have to cut back to only playing on one team – registration fees are steep.
The second thing I couldn’t give up was gettin’ my hair did! I went from once a week to once every 6 weeks, but broke or not I must look good!
Taking one international vacation a year. I love getting out of this country and seeing the rest of the world. There’s nothing else like it.
If you’re broke, how will you pay for an international vacation? [-SM]
Learning to be frugal has taught me I can make coffee at home, clip coupons, borrow books from the library and from friends, file my own nails and stretch my hair appointments to twice a year if need be. I can get my Internet fix at work.
Assuming I still have my job (no job, and my answer would be the Internet) … the one thing I can’t live without is TRAVEL.
I have, have, have to get away twice a year. I lose my mind if I don’t. I’ve found ways to do this relatively inexpensively back when I was a student – stay with friends in other countries, go in the off season – and now that I make decent money I can stay in hotels and pay a little extra for more convenient flights. I can always go back to traveling on the cheap. This is an expense I would get the second job to pay for if I had to. I must get away from it all to gain perspective and think clearly. Traveling has helped me decide my “next step” numerous times. It’s improved and refined my world view. It’s made me some life-long friends and strengthened friendships I already had.
Internet Access
Internet and Time Warner Cable. I have got to have my Tivo!
Internet and Proactiv.
My house. I worked hard as a single woman 40+ to clean up my credit, save some cash, and buy in a decent area that I could afford. I even got a telecommuting agreement from my employer as a plus!
It sucks up a lot of cash for a 15-yr fixed, but i loooove owning something of my own.
Oh, and Tivo.
Hmm… my Internet. Got to have the cable access. It’s like you can’t do anything without Internet any more!
I would not give up going to the movies with the son at least 2x a month. It’s a movie date including dinner. Now dinner might be Pizza Hut or Burger King but it’s me and mommy time without any distractions.
I have to agree with Kimberly, getting my hair done. Regardless of my situation, I have to keep it washed and styled !!!!!!!!!!!
All of you hair, mani, and pedi people are so vain…but I like it. LOL!
Great question! When we were broke, we still kept internet and satellite (we live in the country and don’t get any TV reception at all). We also kept our haircuts and my color appointments …
Tithing without a doubt-it is all God’s money anyway, but for me my internet it is my access to the world sometimes (I am a single mom and I run a daycare out of my house so we are home alot.) I love my blog and reading other’s blogs. I think I need a support group, I am addicted to blogs. LOL! -Becky
I think we have a consensus, we are ALL internet junkies. LOL! If it weren’t for my laptop and the internet, I could not survive without cable. Makes you wonder how people managed without both of them 20-30 years ago.
And I love the variety of responses. This QofD will definitely become a regular feature on FF.
I can’t live without my XM radio. I’d be too depressed getting in the car everyday and hearing static, BOOOOORRIIINNNNGGG talk radio or too many darn commercials!
MASCARA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I look okay without any other make-up on…but my lashes are wimpy and pale! I need mascara to look awake. Also, I would have a hard time giving up under eye concealer!
Even if I were broke, the one expense I still wouldn’t give up is internet access. Too much of my life is done on-line… banking, ING, ebay, paperbackswap, swapadvd, swapacd, on-line library access, email to friends & family, tvguide.com, frugal-families.com, simpleliving.net I could go on & on…
Look at all these responses – lluv this Q & A!! I have a Pepsi addiction. I will scrounge through my drawers and pick out pennies if I have to get one. Don’t drink much of it – but when the urge is strong I will make a trip out to get a 20 oz ;o)
Have a great day!! Love the comments
I wouldn’t give up My moscato wine with cheese & crackers…
Did someone say Moscato? *daydreaming*
I don’t even know you but I heart you. That’s also my favorite drinky drink! And everyone knows how much I love cheese. LOL
Getting my hair done…those Dominican women are geniuses!
Well, I thought the question was If i were broke what would be something I would not give up. Most of the things here seem a bit superficial. I just think that when you are broke you are broke. Internet? there are libraries. so what I am hearing that is that if you cannot pay your rent, car insurance, put food on the table, etc. you would still pay the cleaning lady, get your hair done, taking a trip? It just does not make sense or the priorities are not set straight. or maybe you just think that you are broke when actually you are not.
Obviously “broke” means different things to different people. And who are you to say someone else’s priorities are not straight? People place a high priority on things they value. What person A values and what person B values may be two completely different things. Just because you don’t agree, it doesn’t make their priorities “superficial.” They are just different from yours. [-SM]
Right now, I would say healthcare. I’ve been having some bad physical problems for the last half-year, and they’re having trouble settling on a diagnosis. The medication they’ve prescribed isn’t working as well as they expected, but it’s at least cut down the worst of it. Between the prescriptions and the tests they decide to try, the costs build up, even with health insurance. If I had to, I would go into debt rather than go back to the way it was when all this started.
Beyond that… it’s hard to say that there’s anything I absolutely wouldn’t give up, but I do think that I would have to be pretty hard-pressed before I entered into a roommate situation.
The definition of “broke” is a whole OTHER conversation. Chris Rock once said that if Bill Gates woke up with Oprah’s net worth, he would jump out the window. It was a joke, but had a point. Your definition of “broke” depends on where you are and where you have been and that is perfectly ok.
I’m torn between the internet and travel. I live for getting out and exploring, though I spend way too much time online.
Good food. Cooking is my passion.
My dreams and my life’s purpose, because with out them, what’s the point?
This is a great new feature, Single Ma!
I could NEVER give up books.
Good thing, they can be had inexpensively too.
There are so many things that I would really rather not do without, and many of them have been mentioned here.
It is my intention to never be broke again, so this is a hypothetical situation, but the one thing I hope to never lose is my humility.
Which means that, if I were to find myself in dire straits, there is nothing that I would put ahead of restoring myself to financial health as quickly as possible.
I can’t think of just one thing, right now it’s internet and cable tv. If all else fails, most of the tv shows I watch can be seen on the internet. Right now there is no way to see HBO shows on the internet unless you wait until the show comes out on DVD. I would make it work even if it meant finding a second job…I really value my entertainment and spending time at home by myself. I thought I used to have a problem watching a lot of tv, but then I realized I still hang out and I’m social with all the people I care about and still can see my favorite tv shows. So the bare bones I can’t do without the internet and if I can manage it cable and internet. I have those now while I’m paying off my debts now. As long as I can pay it without incurring debt…it’s all good to me.