I had a moment a month or so ago... I started to wonder why I was so focused on saving. I would keep pairs of shoes for months or years longer than I needed to, though I had a lot of savings and was saving $100 or $200 more every month.

I live where the cost of living is very low, so low in fact that if (for some reason) my income were cut down to 30%, I could still get by quite comfortably, even though I was only working 20 hours a week. This thought popped into my head: "Why are you so stingy? What are you saving for? Retirement? You're already retired!"

There's an urban myth that I've heard go around, about an old man who lived in a one room shack, who tied his pants up with string because he didn't want to buy a belt. The old man dies, and the lawyers realise that he had a million dollars with his name, with nobody to give it to.

I used to have many customers on the opposite end of the spectrum... Every time a bill or payment was due, they would call the day before and ask for an extension - or they would ring up 5 days after it was due and ask what I could do for them. The thinking seems to go like this: "Doo dee doo dee doo... I have money in my account! I guess I will spend it!" My mind boggled at how these unfortunate folks got through life... If basic accounting were taught at schools, there would probably be a lot less misery in the world.

There seems to be a delicate balance between saving too much and spending too much, and then there's the much more difficult job of wise investment.

Thanks for posting.