"It takes guts to be a cheapskate," according to photography hobbyist Ken Rockwell, who goes to great lengths to lay out his well-worn advice on how to afford nearly anything you really want.
Photo by JMRosenfeld.
In a fun article from 2008, Rockwell discusses how he's able to buy and put aside thousands of dollars' worth of expensive photography gear regularly, and like most well thought out solutions, his take is relatively simple but not always easy to abide by. In a nutshell, Rockwell explains that in order to afford the things you really want, you've got to prioritize. Half of the battle is only spending money on things that you actually want, and Ken lists of all kinds of areas where people regularly spend a lot of money that he prioritizes below what he really wants. For example:
The people who want to sell you a new car do everything they can to make it easy to take your money. It takes a great deal of self control to resist. Let's face it: everyone deserves a new car every couple of years, and if you can afford it, why not? Simple: because it costs you tens of thousands of dollars that you could spend on more fun, or even on better cars if you do your homework and buy used.
Check out his full article for an in-depth and entertaining read.
How to Afford Anything [Ken Rockwell via Hacker News]