# Money question for no apparent reason **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 13, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299 "2021-11-13T17:36:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/1 "2021-11-13T17:36:27Z")
Actually, the reason is that I’m working up my budget for 2022, the first year both of us will be retired. The last line on my spreadsheet is what I’m calling Discretionary - after all the bills are paid and a little is tucked into savings, what do we have for dining out and such? I don’t want to know your actual budget - none of my business anyway. BUT in my fanciful world, once all your obligations are accounted for, whatever they may be, you get to name your own figure for fun money according to your definition of fun. How do you define fun? How much would you like to play with? What would you do with it? For me, I’d like $300 per week that I wouldn’t feel guilty spending. It would cover a few nights of dining out, and maybe a movie night, or buying something I want to buy just because. I think some weeks I’d be hard-pressed to spend that much - we don’t live a very extravagant lifestyle and we don’t drink, so dining out is cheaper for us than for some. I’ve been frugal for so long, I don’t think I could comfortably spend much more than that on whatevers. And since I’m not likely to hit the lottery as I don’t buy tickets, I’ll probably never know what it would be like to have lots of fun money anyway. Your turn! ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/2 "2021-11-13T18:07:24Z")
My definition of fun is something that’s done solely for the sake of enjoyment and enjoyment alone (although of course other stuff always gets blended in - sports is fun but also good exercise, etc.) I’m a cheap guy, even $100 per week for fun is pushing it for me. But my fun tends to be less of the “every week” variety and more of the “a few big things a year” type. For instance, I almost never watch movies at the theater, but I’d like to go on an Alaskan or Caribbean cruise at some point. So I tend to save up for my fun and do it all at once in one year. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/3 "2021-11-13T18:10:21Z")
My fun money goes towards alcohol, food stuffs like prime cut steaks, and ordering out. Anything left over goes to savings. “Savings” is kind of fun for me as I like to watch it grow and see how long I can go with out dipping into it. My rule is, any unexpected bill under $500 comes out of savings. Any bill higher goes on the credit card I never use. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/4 "2021-11-13T18:18:17Z")
Some fun is experiential. Anything that you might mentally qualify as ‘making memories.’ Taking a trip, going to a super fancy restaurant, that kind of thing. Some fun is fleeting. Going to the movies, having a spa day, going out for drinks. Good for your mental health but probably not something that you’ll remember down the road. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/5 "2021-11-13T19:42:09Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > My definition of fun is something that’s done solely for the sake of enjoyment and enjoyment alone What you gonna do when you get out of jail? I’m gonna have some fun And what do you consider fun? Fun, natural fun That’s a good question. I spend too much money on stuff for the household that I get some enjoyment, for example I got a pressure washer. Is that fun money or not if it’s practical? ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/6 "2021-11-13T20:01:10Z")
Pressure washers are a blast ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/7 "2021-11-13T20:11:44Z")
Damn it, come here you little squirt! ---
**Author:** ![Kropotkin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kropotkin/32/18045_2.png) [@Kropotkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kropotkin)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/8 "2021-11-13T20:17:19Z")
Hoser! ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2021, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/9 "2021-11-13T23:13:27Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Fun, natural fun I thought it was “fun, nasty fun.” But I haven’t heard it for over 30 years. $300/week would be very high for this household. We don’t dine out though. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/10 "2021-11-14T05:59:56Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > How do you define fun? How much would you like to play with? What would you do with it? For me, ‘fun’ money includes things like buying stuff at the grocery store I wouldn’t normally buy. Spending extra money on good tasting food that I normally don’t buy due to the price. Other than that, not much. Especially with covid. pre-covid I used to like going to concerts and stand up comedy, but don’t do that much obviously with the pandemic. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2021, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/money-question-for-no-apparent-reason/954299/11 "2021-11-14T18:30:11Z")
I’m retired and am financially secure. (I own my house; have several sources of income with 3 pensions and a savings account; no debt; sensible spending habits.) I have two sources of fun: short and long-term. Short term is low-key stuff like a restaurant meal or an impulse buy (e.g. book or downloaded film.) Long-term is an annual visit to Vegas (I live in the UK, so it’s 6,000 miles!)