Humor will not be tolerated!! -Portia

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/85056/ too lazy to make it pretty

I have a set of vague rules for myself when it comes to being gifted money. The person is, in a way, giving me the money to spend as proxy for them so I feel this (maybe silly) sense of stewardship over the money. It makes me feel I should spend it in a way that feels like a gift. Basically, I try not to spend the $ on groceries or boring necessities and instead put it towards an experience or something I've been eyeing but haven't purchased yet. This way, I feel like their gift was given its due. The more money it is, the more careful I am that I'll still like the thing they "bought" for years to come.

I know. I think way too much into things.

I mentally keep all gift/birthday money separate from my regular money. Spending gift money on anything not gifty is, like, a crime.

Apply this philosophy, spread liberally over all income, and voilà! You have my basic monetary philosophy.

I'm the reason Mint.com exists.

I don't particularly care for gifts. Money is useful to me, however, so if people are getting me physical gifts, I tend to just ask for money. It tends to just get spent wherever.

Frere, if you're reading this, get the legos! Unless I'm in dire financial straits and I NEED the money for rent or food, I believe that gift money is an excuse to buy something fun. I spent my Christmas money on curtains so that our picture window is no longer covered by bedsheets!

That reminds me of something I just saw the other day at Barnes and Noble, a metal block model (not LEGO, but some other company called Metal Earth) of the Hubble telescope. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reviews/t ... e/28902709 Less than $10 is actually surprisingly economical for Barnes and Noble.