Interesting Cracked Article on Habits Poverty Teaches

Just a heads up, I edited some of the titles to make the language less offensive.  When I was growing up, we went through some tough times.  After my parents separated, my mom was doing everything she could to scrape by and we were definitely poor.  So it's interesting to see how these things relate to me.

Here's a link to the article so you can see for yourself.

The 5 habits listed are:
#5. You Develop a Taste for [Bad] Food
#4. Extra Money Has to Be Spent Right [. . .] Now!
#3. You Want to Go Overboard on Gift-Giving
#2. You Become an Obsessive Bean-Counter
#1. You Only Spend with the Short Term in Mind

#5. You Develop a Taste for [Bad] Food
Well, this does apply to me.  I happen to love vegetables and various things but I also admit that I do like frozen garbage too.  How can I even argue this when my "diet" to lose weight includes ample application of Banquet TV dinners?  That said we didn't eat too much garbage food when I was younger.

I do tend to stock-pile nonperishables.  I have 20+ pounds of rice and maybe 10 pounds of various dried beans in my pantry.  I tend to buy things on sale and stockpile those things that last a long time.  I also rarely buy fresh vegetables because they don't last.

#4. Extra Money Has to Be Spent Right [. . .] Now!
This is one I don't exactly suffer from.  I tend to try and keep as large a reserve as possible to avoid the worst.  At the same time, I do sometimes spend on ridiculous things that I probably didn't need to spend money on.  For example, my $700 bike that I rarely ride.  I could have probably saved that money or found a cheaper bike.  I also used to be worse with this.  I was a computer hardware junkie.  I would spend any savings I had on computers.

I finally cleared out my stockpile of old computers (well most of them) and parts.  I brought it down to the recycling center that takes them.  The person there hinted that they only take household and not business waste without a charge.  I had to assure him that these really were from my own house.  It's worse because these were all obtained when I was single.  They were just for me.  At one time, in my house, I had 4 computers running pretty much all the time (2 were 24/7)... I lived ALONE!

#3. You Want to Go Overboard on Gift-Giving
I do see this a little in myself.  I do like to give a bit more than I should.  But I really see it in my girlfriend.  She insists on having annual passes to a certain theme park for her, her son, any now me because she wants him to experience that.  She spends more on gifts for him than she probably should.

#2. You Become an Obsessive Bean-Counter
I'm guilty of this one.  If that wasn't obvious.  I know where all my money is at all times and where it is going.  I check my mint account several times a day and get worried if I haven't.  I can't deny this one at all.  Pretty much everything is spot on.  I don't think I developed this as a child but more as a poor college student.  I was so close to the edge, that I needed to know where every cent was going.

#1. You Only Spend with the Short Term in Mind
This is also one that is semi-true for me at times.  My water heater is getting terribly close to the end of its life but I still haven't bought the replacement.  If I keep putting it off, I'll end up paying more for a quicker installation because the old one will have failed underneath me.

Where it isn't true is bulk purchasing.  I try and buy everything in bulk.  I pay my car insurance 6 months at a time to save money.  I try and do things as cheaply as possible.

Bonus Story:
Reading this reminded me of an event that happened when I was a kid.  If you read the article, you'll find the part that brought this to mind but I am at work and can't reread it now.

I needed a sleeping bag for a camping trip I was going on with a group.  I remember my mom went out and found a sleeping bag that was perfect (in the sense that it was rated for the temps, clean, and functional) and she got a great deal on it.  I knew she got it for a good price and was happy about that.  The problem was, it was hideous.  I was sick to my stomach because I knew I didn't want to bring this sleeping bag on the trip and suffer the humiliation I was sure to face.  I also knew how much my mom struggled to find the money, even for this bag, and didn't want to tell her I needed "better."

I knew how tight things were and asking for a luxury item or for a better looking item, to replace a functional item, was just selfish and cruel.  I remember being in the car, staring out the window, in miserable silence for what seemed like hours before I finally broke and confessed to my mom that I didn't want the sleeping bag she bought me.  I told her I needed a better one.

My mom did get me a better one.  I don't know how but she did.  And I went on the trip and everything was fine.  But I felt horrible about it.  Even now, thinking back, I feel horrible about "demanding" a more expensive thing just to avoid being teased.

Anyway, that's your uplifting story of the day.  ;-)