Do you overspend on luxury items as a nurse?

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When you went into the nursing profession and received your first salaried job, did it make you want to spend more and buy luxury cars, electronics ,etc?

I ask this because I'm pretty frugal, but when I see a car or new gadget that I really really like the first thing that comes to my mind is "I'm going to get that when I become a nurse". Did any of you nurses felt like that with your salary where you just have to buy, buy, and buy because you can afford it but you don't need it?

Growing up poor you would think I would have been more careful with my money as I grew older. I entered the military after high school but the first time I really made "good" money was when I got out of the Army when I was 22 (in the army you get paid via paygrade, not for your job. So an e-4 LPN gets the same pay as an E-4 who works in the laundry. After I got out of the army and and got my first paycheck as an LPNI in the civilian world,,,, i was shocked. It was the first time I had a check that had 4 numbers in it before the decimal point.

I admit I went a little crazy. I bought a bike the day after getting paid. And I bought my then boyfriend one too. I ended up getting into a bit of debt that I eventually paid off. It was a lesson that is for sure. I am older now and instead of buying useless things, I go train at the gym. Everytime I get the feeling I want to buy the latest gadget I hit the gym. AT 40 I am now in the best shape of my life, lol!

I also do the 100 things(I try to narrow all my possessions to only owning 100 items) and buy almost all my clothes thrift, except for shoes. Must have good support! I feel better with less items. I just wish my 20 -something yr old self would have realized that. I'd be much farther ahead if I had socked more money away instead of spending it on bikes, playstations, etc.

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Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
Growing up poor you would think I would have been more careful with my money as I grew older. I entered the military after high school but the first time I really made "good" money was when I got out of the Army when I was 22 (in the army you get paid via paygrade, not for your job. So an e-4 LPN gets the same pay as an E-4 who works in the laundry. After I got out of the army and and got my first paycheck as an LPNI in the civilian world,,,, i was shocked. It was the first time I had a check that had 4 numbers in it before the decimal point.

I admit I went a little crazy. I bought a bike the day after getting paid. And I bought my then boyfriend one too. I ended up getting into a bit of debt that I eventually paid off. It was a lesson that is for sure. I am older now and instead of buying useless things, I go train at the gym. Everytime I get the feeling I want to buy the latest gadget I hit the gym. AT 40 I am now in the best shape of my life, lol!

I also do the 100 things(I try to narrow all my possessions to only owning 100 items) and buy almost all my clothes thrift, except for shoes. Must have good support! I feel better with less items. I just wish my 20 -something yr old self would have realized that. I'd be much farther ahead if I had socked more money away instead of spending it on bikes, playstations, etc.

"The hundred things"? Could you expand on that a bit?

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Being a nurse didn't really lead to me being able to buy more luxury items. It led to me being able to afford my own apartment, and then help the SO out with college. But I can honestly say that if I wasn't spreading so much of my money around to help him, I'd be stashing it in my retirement account as much as possible. I'd max out my work contributions and then put the additional yearly max amount of $5,500 in a Roth IRA.

That said, I do splurge on myself, but in small ways. I know plenty of nurses who drive vehicles that cost $45,000+, but it'll never be me! My splurges are like, going out to eat an extra one time a week, getting people better gifts for birthdays, buying the high quality chicken from my smaller/local grocery store instead of the normal stuff from Wal-Mart. For me, that's pretty luxurious, considering my $30-40 weekly food budget in college! :shy:

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When we sold our house a few years ago, we made a 585K profit. It wasn't a "chunk of dirt," it was a solid and very smart investment.

Yeah but you have to spend time and money making improvements on it and/or fixing things. With an apartment if something breaks then someone else can come fix it. If I wanted to be a handyman I would have gone to school to learn what I was doing. Besides with no house I am not tied down to one spot. I hate feeling trapped where I live.

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I didn't. I found that a majority of my classmates did and purchased new cars or a home. I didn't start spending $ until I started traveling.

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Yeah but you have to spend time and money making improvements on it and/or fixing things. With an apartment if something breaks then someone else can come fix it. If I wanted to be a handyman I would have gone to school to learn what I was doing. Besides with no house I am not tied down to one spot. I hate feeling trapped where I live.

For $585K profit, I didn't mind calling someone to fix things that went wrong (I'm no handyman, nor is DH really). Scheduling and paying for home maintenance can take a little time, but at the end of it, we made a fortune. It was WELL worth it. Fine that you don't want to own a home. But your statement that it is nothing but a chunk of "dirt" is silly. If you buy smart, owning a home can turn out to be a very good investment, far more lucrative than years writing checks to someone else. Done unwisely, it can be a huge albatross.

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Specializes in geriatrics.
Yeah but you have to spend time and money making improvements on it and/or fixing things. With an apartment if something breaks then someone else can come fix it. If I wanted to be a handyman I would have gone to school to learn what I was doing. Besides with no house I am not tied down to one spot. I hate feeling trapped where I live.

That's why I bought wisely. It depends what the market is like in your area. I don't want to fix anything, so I own a condo. I would be calling the handyman, rather than fix anything myself. I have only had to call once in 2 years.

My condo fees, property tax, mortgage, insurance, and interest total 1250/ month. Rents are the same and climbing where I live.

58 k for property tax? Not realistic. Property tax averages 1-3 k/ year for the smaller homes.

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Yeah and rent + renter's insurance can run as little as $250 a month if I am feeling extremely frugal or maybe $500 a month if I decide to live in a slightly nicer area of the city. I'm just sleeping there so I don't see the big thrill in caring what it looks like or anything like that as long as there are 4 walls and a roof.

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i felt like that when i first got my job. i'm making so much more then i ever have in my life, but at the same time, i moved out of my mom and dads house and started paying those loans I've been running from for so long. after awhile i had to reign myself in and go back to living like i had been before. kind of a bummer.

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Specializes in Tele, home care, med surg, dialysis, OB.

Yes, when I was in nursing school I fantasized about the things I would be able to afford once school is done. Somethings I did purchase, (a new car) and somethings are still just a dream. I've been a nurse for 10 years and I'm writing this while I'm on my dream Hawaii vacation. Enjoy your hard work!

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The first thing I did when I started working was buy a beautiful brand new car. You work hard so reward yourself. I was also only 22 and still living at home. Now that Im older and have a child my priorities def have changed. But if your young live your life and enjoy that extra cash for the first few years but just dont over do it. I would also recommend starting your 401k/403b right away too!!

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