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General discussion

What do you spend most on with your disposable income?

Sep 12, 2007 8:50AM PDT

What do you spend most on with your disposable income?

-- Entertainment (Please specify.)
-- Vacation (Please specify.)
-- Hobbies (Please specify.)
-- Luxury items (Please specify.)
-- Donations (Please specify.)
-- What disposable income? Are you talking about the pennies that you drop?
-- Others (Please specify.)

Discussion is locked

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Disposable income? It's never disposable!
Sep 12, 2007 6:27PM PDT

My wife and I ride HD's, they eat up about a grand a month. There is a saying in the HOG world, you never leave less than a $100 dollar bill in a Harley dealer, and chrome is expensive. Then it costs money to travel on them too. Computers are my job so that is a job related expense. I retire soon and expect that to swap around, my second career will be my hobby, and then my first career will become a new hobby. Strange how this works sometimes what we consider a priority in life.

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Disposable Income?
Sep 12, 2007 8:14PM PDT

Disposable income disappeared when rent went to almost a grand a month and gasoline went to almost $3.00 a gallon. I am lucky if the wife and I can go to the movies twice A YEAR!!

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Electronics--where else?
Sep 12, 2007 8:24PM PDT

Fortunately, electronics have been so affordable, I am able to get most toys I want. One exception--GPS devices--when I get to where I don't know where I am...it's time to go. Unless you are a traveller in the hinterlands, of course. I suppose electronics are so important to me because I grew up in the early 50's when consumer electronics began to explode. I remember when people went outside at night to see the Soviet's "Sputnik 1", a ball about the size of a basketball, 150 miles above us...how silly is that? If any of you are old enough...you might remember the REMCO Co., which made electronic gadgets for boys every Christmas--a new one. Without electronics to spark interest, we'd all be a lot duller.

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I spend most of my disposable income on hobbies!
Sep 12, 2007 9:16PM PDT

Hello! My hobby is genealogy or family history and I have to send a check to get a vital record from a town clerk. Or I drive to some libraries, cemeteries or county archives. Its fun tracing that pedigree line back as far as you can.

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technology and groceries
Sep 12, 2007 9:28PM PDT

I am a learning technophile, but hubby qualifies as a complete technogeek. We have quite the entertainment powerhouse computer set-up in the living room outputting to two monitors and a projector. Included in this nearly invisible set up (wires through the attic anyone?) is a wii system, two 1 terabyte units and a 2 terabyte storage unit, a printer or two (depending), and two other computers linked into the conglomerate. The only thing visible in the living room is the 32" monitor, the screen for the projector, and the projector itself on the far side of everything.

Notice nowhere did I mention a TV, DVD player, cable box, stereo system, or any of the electronics that fill other people's houses. We don't have any of that.

And with regards to groceries... hubby is a fully trained chef. We probably spend enough money on food for the two of us to feed the average family of six quite well without the need for coupon cutting. And before anyone states the obvious... Yes, indeed, I am a VERY lucky woman!

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disposable income
Sep 12, 2007 9:28PM PDT

Mainly, everything is going towards a home/mortgage. My few luxury items would be dvds and iTunes downloads (usually two songs a pop, as I'm a big spender).

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Hobbies.......well 1 hobby!
Sep 12, 2007 9:29PM PDT

Horses, horses, horses. They are expensive to feed, house, tack up, medicate, train, campaign, transport, & so are their owners!!! But I wouldn't be without them.

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Vacations and hobbies
Sep 12, 2007 10:04PM PDT

My wife and I seem to spend a lot on vacations/hobbies since we are past child rearing age and have sent our kids out to make their own ways in the world and all 4 are sucessful. I'm retired and she is fixin' to. We have a fairly big camper, take long weekends with that, then at least a trip or two to England/Scotland to see grandchildren plus to NJ and VA for the same reason. I do have another expensive hobby, street rods - and will be finishing a car soon.

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What disposable income?
Sep 12, 2007 10:30PM PDT

I'm sorry to disappoint the great techno-world but buddy I just don't have any of that stuff you term disposable income! For every step forward, my income has taken two steps back. Increases in rent, food, gas and medical expenses have me drained dry. I'm so glad that I didn't jump into that "you gotta have a million-dollar home now" market because had I done that, I'd be looking at foreclosure right now. This is going to be a very, very lean holiday season for me.

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luxuries
Sep 12, 2007 11:08PM PDT

whatever $300 gadget out there i can get my hands on it seems like lately. i consider those "luxuries".

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Vaacations
Sep 12, 2007 11:53PM PDT

My wife and I own a small hometown photography business, and we began years ago placing all monies from this business in a special account. We buy any and all supplies and equipment needed in the business from this account. Also, we started using the excess money to take Cruises. We have been able to take one or two Crusies a year, depending on how much equipment we needed and what kind of year we had. We believe that this has become a very special goal. We don't feel as if we are working at photograpy, because of the enjoyment we get from the Cruises.

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Just bought a digital...
Sep 13, 2007 8:50AM PDT

Part of my disposable income went toward a Panasonic Digital which I'm still learning but really love to operate!
The camera was a best buy in PC Mag and I'm glad I purchase it!!

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Disposable Income
Sep 13, 2007 12:05AM PDT

I spend all of my free time (and $$) on music (recording, mixing, etc), and digital photography. My husbands love is for carving miniature boats, etc, and he is working on making a reproduction of his great-grandfathers homestead (buildings, cane grinder, docks/boathouses, and many more). I paint the landscape and computerized images that he uses in his carvings.

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disposable income
Sep 13, 2007 12:44AM PDT

Well,it is hard to maintain a home - there are always repairs,upkeeps.
Wonder if this is worthwhile to live in A HOUSE except the only gratification is after you have paid for - You be able live in there without the monthly payment.Ofcaouse the government is on still on your back for all kinds of taxes and fees.

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My "Other" income goes toward cost averaging mutual funds...
Sep 13, 2007 1:01AM PDT

My "Other" income in recent years has gone toward mutual funds on a cost average basis, the one good way to invest on a long term basis. This time now would be an excellent time for investing due to the volatility of the market...why buy high, when you can buy lower, then sell much later at hopefully a higher price and a great retirement??

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Disposable income
Sep 13, 2007 1:10AM PDT

Hello all. I'm retired, and the kids are doing well on their own, so we spend all of our xtra dollars on our Motor Home, and trinkets that we've always wanted. Only live once !! ;&gtWink

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Disposable income?
Sep 13, 2007 1:26AM PDT

I don't really have much "disposable" income but I do give about 15% of what I make to the church. (www.powh.org). Since the First 10% belongs to God anyway I reccomend that you give it. MY church does a lot of good things in the community and the many stories of former acholholics, drug addicts, adulterers who have changed their lives is incredible.
Since I do the tithing thing, I have been blessed with enough to build a fairly nice Home Theater. I also pay guitar and bass in the church and as you can see from the website God has blessed me to play the finest handmade instruments in the world. www.alembic.com

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I believe in tithing as well...
Sep 13, 2007 8:54AM PDT

A fair amount of my income goes toward the church; as you do, I feel strongly that the church should have income to operate and give the ministers, priests, etc., income. I do not tithe 15%; however, whenever I do win a few dollars in lotto, etc., I always give the church 10%. I also give dollars to the Church when I'm especially thankful for things, like today, for example, when I had a physical and came out great; then, about an hour afterward, locked my keys in the car...the place where I was had a long tool so I could unlock the door...yah gotta be thankful for things large and small.

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It is possbile to give your way to happiness.
Sep 15, 2007 6:13AM PDT

I am glad to see you have the right attitude. Keep up the good work my friend. My projector just blew a color wheel but fortunatly that will be comverd dunder warranty and since its a Runco I will have a new one by wednesday.

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Self Pleasure
Sep 13, 2007 1:57AM PDT

Call girls

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Disposable income
Sep 13, 2007 2:02AM PDT

We spend our dollars on dining out and donations.

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Disposable Income
Sep 13, 2007 3:32AM PDT

I'm a cross between "What disposable income?" and "Luxury Items." My expenditures are girlie stuff like shoes or computer software. What are perhaps everyday necessary expenditures for many are a luxury for me and have to be saved and budgeted for.

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While I'm still (relatively) young and healthy
Sep 13, 2007 5:54AM PDT

I want to travel to places I've never visited before and return to some that I have. For me, travel is sort of an addiction.

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Spending Disposable Income
Sep 13, 2007 7:44AM PDT

In this screwed up economy. it is very difficult to start a business. A lot of talk goes into the value of start-up ventures (enterprenuerial enterprise) balywood by all and supported by non. If you have business and capital you can get a loan from a bank (as long as your financials reflect you don't need one), or a venture hawk that takes ownership and will (hopefully), allow you to operate the company to profitability, then takes control and ousts the founders. Not always, but mostly.

My time and capital goes to seed money and business plan writing to get the operation off the ground. The usual is I take 15% of the company and hold the shares in the treasury. The founders then pay me back my seed money and as they do so, they assume the remaining 15% share that I was holding. More people need to participate in the initial phases of start-up functions and help guide these ideas and people into the mainstream.

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Disposable Income?
Sep 13, 2007 1:14PM PDT

Disposable income is such misnomer, a lot like "extra money." There's just no such thing. Any money that is left over after food and shelter is basically fair game. I spend very hesitantly but when I do, it is on things that I tell myself I need, like car audio, the newest Mac technology (after a revision or two to be safe), and digital camera equipment. Other hobbies like fishing or surfing require only a few key things, a fishing pole and reel, or a surfboard, respectively. These are rare purchases, but technology has me in its seductive clutches. Purchased a new MacBook Pro in February, only to sell it last month (for the price I paid for it!). Told myself I needed the money, but ended up purchasing the newest incarnation from Apple!
jeffrey

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Disposable?
Sep 13, 2007 2:16PM PDT

If I do have any, I will use it on myself with entertainment stuff.

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What do i spend most of my disposable income on?
Sep 13, 2007 2:55PM PDT

Fighting the corrupt Harris County (Houston,TX) District Atty's. office. They do not like law abiding armed citizens using a weapon to defend the life of themself, spouse, and children when attacked, especially by repeat felons that they turned loose upon the public.
Handgun: $250(in 1985)
Holster: $20
Ammo: $7
Legal Fees,lost wages,etc:$41,000
Wife and daughter alive: PRICELESS
Chuck Rosenthal, Steve Baldassano, Alan Currie, and Warren Diepram are Houston's Mike Nifong syndrom.
God help all 3.5 million of us.

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Houston has become a safe haven for criminals of all stripes
Sep 15, 2007 6:16AM PDT

Wow I don't know what happened to you but I and my wife are CHL holders. I like Kimber and Springfield though so I have spent a little more $$.

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Retirement
Sep 14, 2007 12:54AM PDT

When I save up 5000$, I invest it in a mutual fund. Been a while since I've managed it...

Also like spending too much on ebay.

Next year: too much on a new camera.

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Like your answer
Sep 14, 2007 5:25AM PDT

Hello there;
I like your answer very much.
Joanne.