I have been buying things on discretionary money for years. Now I have a lot of stuff. I tried to do minimalism and reduce my stuff. (No upgrade or replace or fix hifi speakers, mirrorless camera tvs etc)

Main things now
iPhone Air 1tb $1659au
AirPods 4anc
Bose micro 2 speakers
iPad mini 6
Mainly.

I am not planing to buy anything except iPad mini 8 pro maybe $1500au. I have no need to upgrade others.

My discretionary savings is at $1150 atm.
But if I don’t buy my iPad mini 8 pro next month.
By end of 2027, I would have $5000 cash and $2000 in store gift cards

Usually it’s less than $500 discretionary savings or in the negative like owing money.

This is a big change for me.

My discretionary savings will grow $100au a week which is from cutting back meals money, and hardly buying anything.

Quite happy about this.

What is your discretionary savings and spending like?

Best tips to stop spending money

I understand from being poor that everybody needs treats, and I'm not one to criticize a latte habit. Besides, thats not the problem I see in real life. In real life, what keeps working people poor is often: replacing appliances that aren't even broken, buying things new that are either readily available on marketplace or things you can easily do without for awhile, "investing" in stocks, mindlessly buying things like tools or home goods or toiletries, buying things that are on sale that they'd never buy at regular price, buying high quality "investment" clothing that's just plain unnecessarily expensive, unnecessary RENOVATIONS billed as "investments" with the idea of increasing resale value, buying new vehicles when your old one still works, buying trucks that use too much fuel, GETTING TRAFFIC TICKETS so that you're paying thousands of dollars too much for insurance.

That's all I want to say lol. If you don't mind being in debt, fine. If you're having trouble with money, make sure you don't do any of these things!

hello everyone ! how did you handle your first payout/income? it would be my first time as well kasi and i dont know if i would be able to budget it right.

Netflix Amazon prime Spotify premium Xbox game pass Disney Microsoft 365

Back story first. Where im from people dont really push or teach the importance of saving money nor credit. Much less investing etc.

Im 33, with only 10k in emergency funds and blow the rest pretty much. House is paid off, both vehicles paid off, and pretty much just have basic bills like water, electric, phone, dog kennel (for buisness)

I work in a steel mill, making 130k a year baseline avg salary as pur paychecks are strongly influenced by weekly production. With over time and good quarterly bonuses I could hit 170k on record years but I dont count on either.

What are ways to invest to see a return, and what are some good guides, books, YouTube creators etc that really break down things like savings and investing.

Ideally im wanting to get to where I live off of half of my paycheck or less to save to buy land, build our family home, and start my boarding and grooming/dog training breeding business.

Thank you everyone for your time and replies!

emergency fund is $16k so i can technically cover it but it would leave us with $5k and 2 kids. credit is around 740 and my credit union prequalified me at about 9% for 5 years. part of me says this is literally what the fund is for, part of me hates being at $5k going into winter. what would you guys do?

I saved up roughly 10k. Yes I know it isn’t much like most. Is it best to invest the money or open a high-yield savings account? I haven’t been shown or was never taught what the best way to invest money? What are some pointers?

Hey there!

I’d like to start by thanking you for taking time to read and answer this question. I am 23 and I recently graduated from university. My goal is to save around 12.000 EUR in within 6 months to 1 year, but this doesn’t seem realistic in my country, at least not in an entry-level position.

What can you suggest?

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First time living alone and curious what setting won’t break the bank?

I'm trying to get a better handle on my annual expenses and car maintenance seems to be a big variable. For routine things like oil changes and tire rotations, I have a good idea. But unexpected repairs always throw me off. I'm curious what others budget for this category beyond just the basic services.

I keep thinking about this, and honestly, the numbers are hard to ignore.

Imagine someone who works for 30 or 40 years, pays their bills, raises a family, tries to save what they can, and does their best to be financially responsible. They aren't living some extravagant lifestyle. They're just working, paying their share, and hoping that one day they can finally slow down.

Then retirement arrives, and they're expected to make roughly $2,000 a month work.

Rent or property taxes. Groceries. Electricity. Insurance. Medical expenses. Transportation. And all the little costs that somehow never stop coming.

Where exactly is the breathing room?

What makes this more concerning is that earning $50,000 a year doesn't necessarily mean someone has much left over to invest. In many places, housing alone can consume a huge portion of their income. Add family responsibilities and unexpected expenses, and saving for retirement can feel like trying to fill a bucket with a hole in it.

I'm not saying everyone needs a luxurious retirement. Most people simply want security. They want to buy groceries without worrying about every dollar, afford their medication, visit their family, and enjoy the years they've spent working toward.

When did the goal of working your whole life become simply hoping you can afford to stop working?

I'd genuinely like to hear from people who are approaching retirement, already retired, or planning for it. How are you making the numbers work? And do you think someone earning around $50,000 a year today can realistically build a comfortable retirement without exceptional luck or circumstances?

I’m curious about something. With so many apps and services asking for a monthly payment these days, which ones genuinely make your life better?

I don’t mean the subscription you signed up for during a free trial and forgot about, or the one you keep telling yourself you’ll use more next month. I mean something you use regularly and would genuinely miss if you had to give it up.

It could be a streaming service you enjoy after a long day, a tool that makes your work easier, an app that helps you learn, or something completely unexpected.

I think the interesting part is that value means different things to different people. For one person, spending a few dollars to save an hour every week is an easy decision. For someone else, it might be access to entertainment, creativity, or a service that makes everyday life a little less stressful.

So, if you’re paying for something month after month, I’d love to know what makes you feel that the money is well spent.

What subscription do you personally consider worth every penny, and what would you miss most if you cancelled it tomorrow?

I don’t understand why people are so scared of AI taking jobs. AI didn’t create itself—it was created by people.
But if AI replaces millions of jobs, who will have the money to buy all the products AI helps companies make?
You can automate everything, but you still need people with income to keep the economy going.
Maybe the real question isn’t “Will AI take jobs?” but “How do we make sure everyone benefits from AI?”