5 Lies we tell ourselves to Help us Continue Spending

Carrie Bradshaw, the Queen of Investment Shopping

I don’t want to wait! I kind of want to enjoy it now, not in a year.

Ahhh … delayed gratification.

No one wants to wait for an iPod.

But you know what, unless it’s a fridge or something really essential to your daily life and habits.. it can wait.

Even if it’s a BBQ, and it’s in the middle of summer, with the steaks sizzling all around you.

If you can’t afford to pay for it in cash and still make all of your bills, then don’t buy it.

Hey, at least I didn’t buy the $150 version.

Buying the $50 one is like saving $100!

SPAVING, even.

(FYI: Spaving = Spending + Saving or Spending to Save)

I l-o-v-e-d using this justification when I shopped blindly.

It was such f*cked up math and logic, but it worked in my head to let me justify a bad purchase.

Nothing is saved until you put the money in the bank and leave it.

I deserve a treat, it’s a reward for such a long, hard day at work

You had a bad hair day, someone yelled at you, and you need a pick-me-up.

So you head to the stores and SPEND.

Retail Therapy right?

Trust me, I know what kind of high it is.

It feels awesome to get the purchase, you feel like a lion who has just scored a big juicy zebra.

But that high doesn’t last. It’s fleeting.

And afterwards, you kind of feel sick, looking at your unnecessary, probably UNWANTED purchases.

Who really needs another black top in their wardrobe?

Sure, financial security isn’t as sexy as buying a flashy pair of red patent leather heels.

But without the security, you feel unstable.

Being financially secure and of having solid savings banked to help you weather  through tough storms, is a feeling of security, not sexiness, that will last and help you sleep better at night.

Think of it as an investment in sleeping better and de-stressing.

You only live once

We’re young! Live once in your life. Spend. Money will always come and go.

But when you’re old, whatever shall you do? Eat out of cat food cans? Beg for money? Wish you had done things differently?

Regret always leaves a bitter taste in your mouth.

It’s an investment

Yeah. Investment shopping. You buy new clothes and shoes for your wardrobe because you go to work to make the dough.

Those clothes and shoes are an investment in your career!

True. But that only works once. After that, you’re just wasting money on a false justification.

A true investment is something that makes you money over time.

If your shoes or suit does not appreciate in value over time, then it is not an investment.

What are some of the lies you tell (or have told) yourself?

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.