‘I Have No Food’ and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves

How many times have you looked in your fully-stocked refrigerator and proclaimed, “I have no food,” then followed up with, “Let’s go out to eat!” Or what about looking at your over-stuffed closet and deciding that you have nothing to wear?

Have you ever perused your list of 2,000 iTunes songs only to decide that you ‘have no music’ and then subsequently spend money on another album?

Mindless spending at it’s best

The truth is, these are all lies we tell ourselves to rationalize erroneous spending. What’s worse is that we may be so conditioned by these habits that we don’t even realize when we’re acting this way!

Last night was a prime example of this for me. When I arrived at my friend’s house after my 11-mile bike commute from work, I announced that I was starving and asked him what we should cook for dinner (after all, that was the original plan). His response was that he had no food so we should go out.

Being the good little budgeter and financial communicator I like to be, I quickly reminded him that my finances are tight this month so I couldn’t spend $$ to go out. He said it was his treat and off we went (I can’t turn down a free meal no matter how hard I try!).

When we arrived back at his house after dinner, I naturally wanted something sweet for dessert, so I opened up his freezer. Inside was a veritable smorgasbord of food–most of which would have made a quite tasty dinner! Since it’s not my place to question his choice to go out when it was a treat for me, I know he can afford it, and it’s not my money, I didn’t say anything to him.

But I certainly wondered why he said he ‘had no food’ when it was clear there was plenty in the house. Then I began to think that he’s not the only one who does this from time to time. I also wondered what impact this has on budgets, especially for those who truly can’t afford this kind of indulgence. Consider the following (numbers based on the cost of living in a larger city; adjust accordingly for your location):

Meals out:

What if you routinely proclaimed a lack of food and went out to eat once per week? With each meal, you’re spending at least $20 for your portion. Throw in a few drinks and we’re easily looking at $30-35. $30 x 4 = $120/month or $1,440/year!!!

Clothing:

Let’s give a conservative estimate of shopping once per month for a new outfit when you ‘have nothing to wear.’ Let’s go one step further and say you’re a savvy discount shopper who can score a great outfit for less than $100. $75 x 12 = $900/year!!

Extras:

Those iTunes songs? That sweet new bag? Your daily latte habit? Say you’re spending $40/week on these things. $40 x 4 = $160/month or $1,920/year!!!

 

That’s $4,260 per year that could help you max out your Roth IRA, build your emergency fund, or save for a vacation.  Over $4K simply because we’re conditioned so well when it comes to lying to ourselves.

For me personally, I know I need to keep a keen eye on not only what I’m doing, but what I’m saying when it comes to making decisions that ultimately impact my finances. I will indeed be looking for ways that I fall into this trap as well as identifying various solutions for breaking these habits.

 

What kinds of financially-rooted lies do you tell yourself?

 

 


Comments

‘I Have No Food’ and Other Lies We Tell Ourselves37 Commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehappyhomeowner.net%2F2012%2F03%2Fi-have-no-food-and-other-lies-we-tell.html%27I+Have+No+Food%27+and+Other+Lies+We+Tell+Ourselves2012-03-15+15%3A12%3A00Jenhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.thehappyhomeowner.net%2F2012%2F03%2F15%2Fi-have-no-food-and-other-lies-we-tell-ourselves.html

  1. The food one is probably the biggest one that I do, although its not that I say I don't have food in the house, its just that sometimes we really don't feel like cooking. If I could only stop eating out so much we could put probably another $100/month onto debt payments. This month is the first one that we are tracking our expenses so we will know how much eating out hurts. I'm sure it will be a rude awakening.I think I undershop for clothes, I can't remember the last shirt or pair of pants that I bought, I know its been quite awhile.

    Reply
  2. That I need to shop in order to de-stress. Right now I don't have a car, so it's okay. But freshman year, my roommate was a shopaholic, at the mall once or twice a week. And when I went with her, she loved to convince me to buy something. Food is also something we say we need. We say we deserve a treat so we go out and eat. Doesn't help that I hate cooking. Need to stop hating cooking.

    Reply
  3. this all makes so much sense. Right now I am trying to budget for a wedding & having a 4 year old. but like many others I LOVE to shop & it truly is a stress relief for me. My therapist even says it might be good for me but I need to cut back so I have turned to working out & shopping online. (BAD HABITS) so if you have any advice as to how to better budget please share. thank you.have a wonderful day.xoxoJessica http://ajgardner1013.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  4. that is my husband … always saying we have no food … he just doesn't want to make himself anything to eat.and that is me when it comes to clothes … i always say i have nothing to wear but in my closet i see clothes that still have the tags on them. i need to get it together … hoping your blog will help keep me accountable :)

    Reply
  5. I lie to myself about food and clothes all the time! I also exaggerate to my husband about the percentage of women who get their nails and hair done, how much they spend, etc. I was trying to make him feel like it could be a lot worse! Honestly, I'm sure it could, but not all of my girlfriends spend hundreds each month on hair. Who do I think I'm kidding, really? ;)

    Reply
  6. I totally do both of those things all the time, which is why I am doing the remix challenge! No shopping has been tough but makes you realize all the fun things you can do with what you have if forced to!XO,Erinhttp://erinscurrentlycoveting.blogspot.com

    Reply
  7. I usually stop myself from thinking all of the problems you've highlighted, but I sometimes think 'I have NO LIFE!' and spend money on socializing with friends. And then I remember that I really am a homebody and an introvert, and there is a reason that I prefer a good home-cooked meal with a few friends and great conversation to a night of clubbing.

    Reply
  8. Wow, yea, I read this and thought… Umm… I do that every day! Shame on me. Think it may be time to start cooking more! :)

    Reply
  9. I'm the food guy. I lie to myself quite a bit about not having food in my refrigerator, and know full well that I have plenty of food to last me a few days. But, you really scared me into considering the error of my ways with your spending figures. $4,260 per year is definitely money that should go into savings.

    Reply
  10. Oh no… I'm the closet girl. And I'm sometimes the food girl too. But my BF is more guilty of being the food guy. After I grocery shop, he proclaims that he has to go get food. If I make pasta twice in a row, he says he is "pasta-ed" out. Sheesh! I'm going to try to keep this in mind, as I eat out a lot and usually spend my money on workout gear. I will have to stay focused on maxing out my roth and 401k.

    Reply
  11. I'm SO BAD with all of these things. "I have no food" is probably the #1 reason I make the frivolous decision to order takeout all the time. I have no excuse other than laziness and poor planning.

    Reply
  12. We always have an excuse to eat out. Lazy, tired, no groceries, etc. This month we're trying not to do it as much and I'm keeping a list of every penny we spend. We use to be even worse, when I realized nearly $800/mo was going towards eating out, OUCH!

    Reply
  13. I can honestly say I don't tell myself any of these lies, or at least I don't think I do.Your boyfriend probably just didn't feel like eating anything he had at home or he didn't want to make you cook. More than likely, he may have just wanted to treat you and who knows, he probably budgeted for it :)

    Reply
  14. My husband & I used to do the same thing! "We have no food, let's go out!" We had food, we were just too lazy to cook and that's the truth. In the last year, we've gotten much better about that.

    Reply
  15. I definitely do the "We have no food" one. I've been trying to get away from that with grocery shopping and meal planning but I still catch myself saying that – even though the fridge and freezer are almost completely full.

    Reply
  16. I definitely fight the urge to not cook, too! There are still days where I give in to my laziness and just go out but I'm trying to minimize them as much as possible.

    Reply
  17. Hi Jessica, thanks for your comment! I absolutely have a lot of advice for budgeting–you can find it by looking through my archives or searching. It sounds like you have a lot going on with your budget, but thinking about your amazing wedding should be helpful; how exciting! :)

    Reply
  18. The poor planning part catches me, too! I guess as long as it's not a habit and sneaks in only occasionally, it's not the end of the world–but only if the budget can handle it!

    Reply
  19. That's great, Rafiki; good for you!!! I definitely didn't mean to cast him in a bad financial light if that's how it came off–he's very good with his finances. But he does get a little more "financially lazy.." hahaha!

    Reply
  20. I really should start doing a better job with meal planning–that's a supreme area of laziness for me right now. Little steps is all I keep reminding myself :)

    Reply
  21. Very eye opening figures! Outside meals are the ones really hard to resist. Especially when you crave for that favorite treat you deserve from a hard day's work. Thanks for the reminder.

    Reply
  22. Pingback: my url

  23. Pingback: fast loans

  24. Yep, that's me with eating out, FOR SURE. Rainy and cold? Hot and can't be bothered? Tired? Anything is suitable. That's why bulk cooking helps – if it's heat and go, I'm content on the days I can't otherwise stomach the mess and prep and time to cook properly.

    Thankfully, I'm pretty immune to the 'nothing to wear' bug – clothes are just too pricey imo. And it's hard to find something I like.

    And I've never paid for music. The radio makes me a happy little sunflower.
    My recent post How’s it hanging? (Art inventory)

    Reply

Leave a Reply