When I was 12 I went to work with my Dad. His policy was that being a male, if I wanted something, Like a car when I was 16, I needed to learn to pay for it. So I have been a frugal person since then.
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Never ever.
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Being raised in a house where money was short, I was always brought up with the ‘spend some, save some’ habit. It has stuck with me all through my life, likewise with my husband too. 
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I have been a saver and a spender…
My son has been a saver from a young age and has nearly paid his mortgage off.
I’m a great saver when I have a specific target in mind or for a particular purpose…say a holiday for example.
Otherwise I say spend it…can’t take it with ya!
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A spender me. “There aint no pockets in shrouds!” 
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Ive been a saver all my life .
But today I splashed out at M@S and bought a new winter coat and a couple of nice jumpers , I think now is the time to spend spend , I dont want to take my money with me .
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Lovely, Eliza, I was looking in M@S when I was in Newbury, they had some lovely winter wear, coats, jackets, I could have spent a fortune, they do great quality clothing I find and very reasonably priced.
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Well I knew I was buying a coat but when I saw the Per una Jumpers ,I tried them on and so soft on the skin .I just couldn’t resist. so I bought the same jumper in different colours . .
Need a bit colder weather , and a nice bag and possible some ankle boots .
Pauline …I like spending now !! 
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If I have something I want, I’ll save. For example, I have built a small amount of available cash up for this month’s invertebrate show.
My father died when I was 8 years old & seasonal summer work was always easy to find as a teenager, as I lived 3 miles from a seaside town. Plus, there was lots of grass cutting work around the village & harvest time work on the farms. So I would put some money away for my mothers & sisters Christmas present during the summer & also do things like buy bicycles etc. Then during the winter, I relied upon odd gardening jobs, sugar beet harvest & any odd farm jobs etc that popped up for my pocket money.
In adult life I have spent years working freelance, so again, work levels can vary. So as well as annual tax needing paying, I have had differering work & thus income levels. So not spending all of what I earn each month has always been a necessity for me.
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I was always a saver from childhood, until buying my first house in my early 20’s.
Even after then I saved where I could but that’s not to say I didn’t spend because (for example) I was a 3-foreign-holiday-a-year type until about ten years ago but I’ve never been a spendthrift, so I’m probably in between.
Sensible maybe?
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I think the amount you earn makes a huge difference in saving, Zaphod, I was only on minimum wage.for most of my life as I had 3 sons to bring up, looking back I don’t know how I managed it…never had anything to save to be honest.
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Agreed and it certainly makes a huge difference to the sums saved of course, but it can be more about attitude than earnings.
We used to say that you cut your coat according to your cloth, and I have friends that earn huge sums that have taken on the largest mortgage they can and buy huge new cars every year; they live constantly in debt and in amounts that would prevent me from sleeping at night.
My sister on the other hand & her hubby have never earned much above the minimum wage & raised a family of three, but their modest home is now their own and they’ve provided for their futures in other ways too - but then they’ve not splurged on new cars, foreign holidays or the latest iPhone.
Yes earnings make a huge difference and can certainly make it trickier or even impossible at times, but saving is often more about attitude than income.
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My son would agree with this post, he does earn a lot of money, but refuses to buy the biggest of homes , which he could, he doesn’t want to pay a huge mortgage but the building society is only to willing to lend him big bucks…each to their own though.
I agree ,it’s definitely about attitude…I buy stuff which I definitely don’t need, yet still I do it.
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From very young I saved , I had a post office book , if i ever earned or received money i would walk to the PO and watch the lady stamp the shilling or sixpence entry. It gave a me lovely feeling . I would save for Christmas then spend it on gifts . To this day I still have long term savings in the bank , used only for necessary items or emergencies .
I know what it’s like to have an empty purse and I’m blessed to now know what it’s like to have a full purse
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When I was a child my sister and I used to save by buying savings stamps - the 2/6 one had Prince Charles on it and the 6d one had Princess Anne, I think, if my memory serves me correctly. Then I went on to have a building society savings account, which I still have to this day - the building society has changed its name several times but I still have my account which I still add to monthly. I was taught that every thing must be saved up for and I have followed that advice all of my life - except for getting a mortgage to buy a house.
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Both, I saved for anything I wanted/needed & spent when I was able to. Still do that now.
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Both. A spender until the mortgages were paid off, then a saver. Now we’re spenders again, spending money dragging this bungalow into the 21st century.
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I’m a saver. The only debt I took was a mortgage which I’ve settled. I have no credit whatsoever.
I make the most of loyalty/rewards programs.
If I want a big ticket item, I save for it and I wait for sales/discounted prices. I always research first.
I really want to travel whilst I’m young so that’s my current priority besides bankrolling my son’s tertiary education.
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Now is definitely the time to spend and buy what you always wanted (if you have savings) because everything will a) get so much more expensive soon b) may never be in the shops again in the near future.
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