Joy-Mari Cloete

Joy-Mari Cloete

14p

11 comments posted · 0 followers · following 0

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - The Art of Being …. ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Does asking for tap water in a fancy restaurant count? It really shouldn't but they make me feel as though it does.

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - I don't know enough ab... · 1 reply · +1 points

Oh shit, this is bad news. So sorry to hear about this, FB :(

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - Image all boils down t... · 1 reply · +1 points

FB, I always wonder about this. I'm looking at properties to *buy* so estate agents are always surprised that I drive a scooter.

Estate agent: "So, where are you parked?"
Me: "Oh, right over here" and I point to the scooter
Estate agent: "Oh."

I'd much rather invest the hypothetical car payment in stocks and a retirement annuity...

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - What I am NOT buying (... · 1 reply · +1 points

All of 'em! But, well, they're pretty damn expensive, which is probably a good thing because I need to focus on buying shares and rebuilding my emergency fund. Your blog has been an inspiration, FB ;)

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - What I am NOT buying (... · 3 replies · +1 points

I am NOT buying another handbag, though I'm lusting after those damn LV ones... I'm trying to go without a handbag these days -- I only need to carry my keys and debit cards with me. So there's no need for a handbag and my back gets a break from carrying everything around.

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - Appearances do count f... · 2 replies · +1 points

So *how* do you judge based on appearances? Also: you dispel the myth that only uneducated people judge based on appearances and then go on to say that *you* also do it. In fact, you say that everyone does it, albeit to some extent. Does that make it OK?

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - Luxury or Necessity? (... · 1 reply · +1 points

I don't see any of those as a necessity, though life would definitely be different without wheels: our public transport system isn't the best in the world.

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - Ranting about smartpho... · 0 replies · +1 points

I too wasn't too impressed with smartphones until I 'converted' to phones-that-can-do-more-than-just-phoning in 2004 and I've been very happy thus far. But I now need to manage my addiction to gadgets and the internet.

So I'm trying to spend more time without my phone and more time doing analogue reading, ie, reading books. I don't always take the phone with me when I drive somewhere. It helps that I do not carry a handbag. So it sometimes happen that I get sms messages hours later. And you know what? The world has not come crashing down. My Twittering has calmed down -- I used to send 20 tweets a day but I'm down to 20 tweets over a 1-month period. And I don't feel that I'm missing out on much substance either. There's still too much to read.

This is an excellent observation and I agree: "And the whole point of a discussion is not to get the answer instantly, but to figure it out through talking, what you think the answer is."

The bestest thing about my smartphone is the calendar function. I try to attend as many public lectures on various topics and I would definitely lose track of them without the phone's calender function.

13 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - What have you eliminat... · 0 replies · +1 points

Sugar. Or as much as possible. It's amazing how this saves me money.

Ditto on shampoo, paper towels, and fabric softener.

14 years ago @ Fabulously Broke in th... - How to make saving mon... · 0 replies · +1 points

Oy, my comment got lost? So I was saying that I save money into an account that I can't touch for 12 months. I also save money into a second account that I can't touch for 6 months. This helps me to save up to buy minor luxuries (contacts count as a luxury these days...) and medium-size luxuries (a much needed holiday).

I'll supplement this with a retirement annuity in a bit and it's great that my government incentivises me to do this -- they refund 18% of the money I contribute towards the retirement annuity.