I have always been very frugal with money, at least after I managed to get some of it. During my college years I had almost none of it left after tuition and room & board. So, spending money didn’t really matter to me at that time.  When I got a corporate job that changed. In 1970, which was my first year after college I made an astounding $10,000/year! I couldn’t image where I would spend all that extra cash! In 2000 at the age 54 I was making several times more per year than 1970 so decided to retire from the corporate grind. By that time I had managed to accumulate a comfortable savings. One of the reasons for that it that I learned what not to spend money on.

So, when I came across an article on “The Medium” entitled: 

Building wealth often starts with knowing what not to spend money on.

 I had to check it out. It just made sense to me. So I want to tell you my reason for not spending money on some of the items on the author’s list.  If you want to see the original article click HERE.

---

Brand-New Luxury Cars

To me a “luxury” car is anything beyond a sub-compact. If you are talking about an entry-level luxury car they are  now around $60,000. A 2026 Land Rover  which is not entry level but not much beyond that level costs $260,000! By comparison my Chevy sub-compact cost about $16,000 when I bought in 2012.  

Expensive Designer Clothing

Let’s not just talk about expensive designer clothing. Even the stuff sold at Kohl’s costs are outragous. A T-shirt can cost up to $80, and a simple outfit can easily run $150. The average woman’s wardrobe in the U.S. is about 120 items which totaled out at $6,000 to $10,000. I spend less than $200 per year on replacement clothes.

High-End Gym Memberships

$200/month or $2,400 a year. I walk at least a mile a day around my RetCom and visit the small exercise room a few times a week. The cost $0.

Unnecessary Home Upgrades

The average kitchen remodel cost about $30,000. 26 years ago I spent $5,000 building a kitchen and pantry that works just as good now as it did then.

Overpriced Wedding Expenses

A typical wedding now costs about $36,000. Our wedding in 1986 cost $2,000

---

If you looked at the original article you will discover that I have not included many items on the author’s list. 

Let’s add all this shortened luxury list up and the total would likely be over $150,000 spent for nothing else but to maintain an artificially perceived social status. 

Here is a quote from the article I mentioned that sums this up better than I ever could.”

“Here are purchases frugal millionaires often refuse to buy because they know small money leaks can turn into big financial setbacks. These aren’t extreme sacrifices, they’re practical choices that keep money working instead of disappearing.”

---

[One of my favorite re-enactments sites. It was probably the original rendezvous]