A chat with my neighbor about his old car made me rethink my budget

I was talking with Frank next door about his 1998 Toyota Camry, which he's still driving. He said he's saved over $400 a month for years by not having a car payment. It hit me because I've been stressing about my own new car note. I realized I've been paying for a feeling, not just a vehicle. Has anyone else had a simple talk change how they see a big monthly cost?

3 comments

3 Comments

anthony_wood3621d ago

Heard a similar thing from my buddy Mike last month. He was complaining about his huge phone bill for the latest model. Then his dad showed him his ten year old flip phone that still works fine. Mike said it felt like a light bulb went off. He realized he was just paying for the new thing smell, not what he actually needed. Ended up switching to a cheaper plan with an older phone.

kevinallen21d ago

Totally get that feeling of realizing you're paying for stuff you don't need. Gotta point out though, a ten year old flip phone probably wouldn't work well on most networks today. They shut down the old signals. The real lesson is just buying a phone that's a couple years old instead of the brand new one. You still get a good phone for way less money.

hayes.wade21d ago

My cousin did that exact thing last year. He bought a two year old iPhone model for like a third of the price, and it does everything his old one did. He says the camera is still great and he doesn't miss the new features at all.