We all have bad days when we feel like blowing 10 bucks on a treat to make us feel better. Instead of purchasing a bunch of little things, try putting that money into a holiday fund instead.
Picture: Shutterstock
As finance blog The Simple Dollar points out, buying a bowl of ice cream or purchasing a new book every day might make you feel better in the moment. But in the long-run you’ll remember that time you flew to Vietnam a lot longer than you will that gloomy Tuesday you bought The Disaster Artist because your boss was being a jerk.
What will happen is that if you splurge a bit on most of those ordinary days is that you won’t be able to splurge for those peak experiences.
Buy a yummy coffee every morning and you’ve burnt up the cost of a trip. Buy a book or two each week instead of hitting the library and you’ve devoured a down payment on your dream home.
You won’t be able to adhere to this all the time. We buy those soothing purchases for a reason (not the least of which because we can’t fully separate rational purchases from emotional ones). However, if even half the time that you’re about to drop $10 on something just because you want it, you could be ready to go on a trip in a matter of months. That trip might just make you a lot happier than a series of small, forgettable purchases will.
Big Moments and Ordinary Days [The Simple Dollar]
Comments