ˈspen(d)ˌTHrift/
noun
1. a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way.
synonyms: profligate, prodigal, squanderer, waster;
informal big spender
"he is such a spendthrift"
There is no pill to cope with this, I didn't even know I was one. I admired Bettye Johnson, many years ago. She saved money as she made it. She would save for her rent, car payment, utilities, etc., as she went along. She was a dealer at the Nevada Club. As she made tokes, that money was not hers, payment money. I always admired that quality in people, I admired it from afar, it was not a personal trait I enjoyed.
My aging Father and my Brother were sitting talking one afternoon, money came up, Dad thought he should put a "spendthrift" clause in his will, set up a trust or something. I thought he was crazy. I had no idea what a spendthrift was. I wish someone, years ago, had started a "Spendthrift Anonymous." "My name is Joe, and I am a spendthrift."
I wish, now, that I had attended one of those sixty years ago, maybe even seventy. I guess, in some respects, it is the same as being an alcoholic. What, a savings account, rainy day? First things first. For the time, I made an excellent wage in Reno. Some people saved their "tokes" whereas I looked upon it as spending money, money to blow.
A cocktail waitress from the Riverside Hotel, who I knew, made good tokes, saved them, saved all she could. It was an obsession with her, saving money. After a few years, she moved to Vegas, opened a retail store, catering to dealers, and paid cash for all of it. I admire her, talked often about her, used her as an example of what one can do, but, never learned or practiced any of what she did.
And, we spendthrifts never learn. On one occasion, years ago, I had a nice room in a gigantic house near downtown, paid rent by the week. Blew my paycheck, rent due, no money. I walked the streets all night. Never forgot that incident. I had friends I could go to, but, I think I was punishing myself for being so stupid, which goes along with being a spendthrift.
How many opportunities have I "blown" you ask? I would rather not look back on ALL of those. I regret all of those, but, I pacify myself, and maybe there is truth to it, I am 81, in reasonably good health, as of this moment, all of my kids, grand kids, and great grand kids, and my wife of almost fifty years are well. As I sit here this Sunday morning, listening to some soft "Easy Instrumental" music on the TV, my pond is free of "ripples."
I am signing off for now, Walmart is having a sale and I want to get there before the stuff is all picked over. "What, I don't know what the sale is on, what does that matter?"
My aging Father and my Brother were sitting talking one afternoon, money came up, Dad thought he should put a "spendthrift" clause in his will, set up a trust or something. I thought he was crazy. I had no idea what a spendthrift was. I wish someone, years ago, had started a "Spendthrift Anonymous." "My name is Joe, and I am a spendthrift."
I wish, now, that I had attended one of those sixty years ago, maybe even seventy. I guess, in some respects, it is the same as being an alcoholic. What, a savings account, rainy day? First things first. For the time, I made an excellent wage in Reno. Some people saved their "tokes" whereas I looked upon it as spending money, money to blow.
A cocktail waitress from the Riverside Hotel, who I knew, made good tokes, saved them, saved all she could. It was an obsession with her, saving money. After a few years, she moved to Vegas, opened a retail store, catering to dealers, and paid cash for all of it. I admire her, talked often about her, used her as an example of what one can do, but, never learned or practiced any of what she did.
And, we spendthrifts never learn. On one occasion, years ago, I had a nice room in a gigantic house near downtown, paid rent by the week. Blew my paycheck, rent due, no money. I walked the streets all night. Never forgot that incident. I had friends I could go to, but, I think I was punishing myself for being so stupid, which goes along with being a spendthrift.
How many opportunities have I "blown" you ask? I would rather not look back on ALL of those. I regret all of those, but, I pacify myself, and maybe there is truth to it, I am 81, in reasonably good health, as of this moment, all of my kids, grand kids, and great grand kids, and my wife of almost fifty years are well. As I sit here this Sunday morning, listening to some soft "Easy Instrumental" music on the TV, my pond is free of "ripples."
I am signing off for now, Walmart is having a sale and I want to get there before the stuff is all picked over. "What, I don't know what the sale is on, what does that matter?"
