Just Because You CAN, Doesn’t Mean You SHOULD
I stood at the mall, eyeing a pair of sunglasses. My old pair had just broken, and these were awfully cute. The only thing was, these were $159 Ray Bans.
I did a mental calculation on my bank balance, and realized that I could afford them. (And truth be told, I still might get them. We’ll see.)
But I walked out of there without them for a couple of reasons. First, this particular pair wasn’t exactly what I was looking for, since I would have had to have bought the display pair. I wanted a pair that hadn’t been tried on by potentially hundreds of people first.
Second, I realized that just because you CAN afford something, doesn’t mean you SHOULD get it.
Maybe there would be a better use for my money. Maybe my newly-broken pair of sunglasses could be repaired, and I wouldn’t have to replace them at all. Maybe I could find the Ray Ban pair cheaper online somewhere, if I still wanted to get them later.
The point was, I needed to think. It’s all too easy to just think “oh I’ve got the money” — whether it’s for an expensive pair of sunglasses or a meal at a fast food restaurant — without thinking about how spending that money might or might not align with your goals.
It’s not so much about what you’re spending now as it is about how your actions impact your plans. Better to be sure that a purchase or expense is really worth it, and that it fits with your life, before going ahead.
You are wise to resist the compulsion. Oftentimes, we realize our wasteful spending only when its too late. I have had committed such mistake many times and I have paid the price. :-)
Well, the thing is, I figured I could always go back and buy them if I changed my mind.
This goes along with learning to say no, and no with a smile instead of a sigh!
Yeah no can actually be something to be happy about!
So did you feel a sense of empowerment walking out of the mall without those sunglasses or did you feel remorse?
Regardless, I think you made a wise decision to walk away (even though I bought a $150 pair of Ray Ban’s last Novemember…lol).
Hm, actually I still felt indecisive, but I was glad I’d decided to investigate further first.
Yes, one needs to keep the “unseen effects” of spending in mind. That $159 could be a few months of Internet access or something else.
OTOH, it is ok to splurge every now and then, so long as you don’t compromise your main goals.
Exactly!