No new things

[flexagon]

I forgot to mention that I've set some sort of kooky record for maxing out my 401(k) for the year -- yes, for 2012, on January 13! They not only paid our bonuses out earlier this year than they've been doing, they also raised the maximum allowable withholding from som ithing like 60% of one's paycheck to 100%. Being the nut that I am, I cranked it up to 11, and WHAM. One paycheck for which my net pay was $0.00, one bonus and it's all over. Awesome.

So will I do "no new things" time this year -- the couple of months where I don't buy physical objects, that used to usually end at bonus time? Yes. I'm pretty sure that I actually started on the 10th, before which there was the usual little spasm of "okay, I'm going to order about five things that I really want, first". (I bought a knitting technique book, and dragonfly wall decorations, and a couple of books, and pens.) So my plan is to go until March 10, even though nothing dramatic marks the end of that time.

Interestingly, it's my first "no new things" period -- and that needs a catchier name, doesn't it? -- with a Kindle. I don't necessarily plan to buy more books (my friends left me very well-supplied with that sort of thing, both the Kindle and dead-tree kinds), but this year for the first time I could.

Comments

[a-kosmos.livejournal.com]

I'm considering a "no things" period, too.

[flexagon]

I definitely recommend it -- maybe just a short one.

A lot of it, I think, is just being free from the decision-making that seems to come in the door with every catalog in the mail. If you know you're not buying anything, you don't feel compelled to look and think and evaluate.

[apfelsingail.livejournal.com]

Nice! I was wondering, I'm assuming the 'no new things' doesn't include things like tampons and toilet paper, right? Mainly just stuff that isn't a necessity?

[flexagon]

Ah, yes, the "no new things" is very much played by my own house rules. The idea is to avoid new permanent physical possessions, so consumables like food and toilet paper don't count. Perhaps controversially, house things also don't count -- so I'm going to go ahead and order a bathroom vanity counter, because if I don't have to carry it with me when I move then that's not a possession of the sort I'm trying to avoid. Plus it takes weeks for the things to get made.

Any set of rules has a gray area, I suppose. New color of lipstick? That's technically a consumable, but I think it violates the spirit of the thing in a way that replacement lip balm of my usual type does not. In a lot of ways the main benefit is to avoid shopping, really -- to not spend forever looking through catalogs or the lipstick aisle.

[niralth.livejournal.com]

I maxed out my 401k as quickly as possible for a few years, but am going with dollar cost averaging this year. I can't quit or be fired because I'm under contract, so there is no fear of not maxing out eventually.

[flexagon]

Interesting! I'm curious how the "can't quit or be fired" thing works. Are you not a permanent salaried employee, then? Also, what if you download child porn onto the corporate network or murder a co-worker or something?

I would take quite a significant pay cut in exchange for "can't be fired", even at the cost of "can't quit", I think. Assuming the time periods involved were of reasonable length.

[niralth.livejournal.com]

The "under contract" thing is a weird side effect of working for a movie company. They put everyone who works directly on the movies under contact so they can't leave or strong arm the company into unreasonable raises or bonuses near the end of film production. That part makes perfect sense. But they also put some folks in R&D under contact.

My contract is a pretty standard one for R&D here: 3 year duration, pre-determined raises (this part is great), I can't quit, they can decide once a year if they want to end the contract (this doesn't mean being fired, just becoming a normal at-will employee). My contract renewal dates are in January, so I know I'll be employed at my current salary until at least next January.

New contracts are made if you are promoted, which gives you an opportunity to renegotiate your salary but it also probably restarts the 3 year clock. The length of the contract can be a negotiating point. For example, if you don't like the base salary or increases they are willing to offer, you say you'll only sign a shorter contract.

If I did something like download child porn or post the unreleased movies to YouTube or something they could probably fire me. :) I don't plan on doing anything like that, so I think I'm safe.

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

Wow. Congrats on the maxing out! Now you can put that money to other things!

[flexagon]

Yeah, well... I mostly just save it, which isn't that exciting, but is satisfying.

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

Its exactly what I'd do. I keep an emergency fund, and then savings. I am starting a Roth IRA soon. Just gotta put things in order.

[miyyu.livejournal.com]

I'm doing a "no buying things" time, too! I had to go to the bookstore for a gift yesterday and not walking out with a book for myself was haaard.

It's not entirely "no buying things" in a strict sense. My husband and I agreed we each have a frivlolity "allowance" every month that each can spend or save as we want. I spent mine on a massage this month.

I'm hoping this will save us some money. I tend to buy a lot of little things while he will buy a couple big things a year. I like concrete numbers as guides so I am optimistic it will help.

[flexagon]

Excellent. Good luck and post someday about how it goes. :) Mine is actually about "things" and not about budgeting -- I can buy as many massages, airline tickets and meals out as I want to -- but it does generally end up saving me money anyway.

I'm glad you each have a frivolity allowance. It's incredibly important for individual people to have some money that's completely their own, in my opinion.

[miyyu.livejournal.com]

I agree. It's hard for me to be so disciplined that I don't buy anything but controlling it is still important. Total denial of anything tends to end in binges anyway. And while my husband is more indifferent to it, I need to feel like I can spend a little of my own money and not be accountable to anyone, even though we share finances and financial goals.