Figuring out our spending habits is the most difficult part of anyone’s financial journey. When we have a surplus of money, we don’t quite know how to spend it. When we don’t have enough money, we imagine the things we would spend it on. Often times, the imagination is better than the reality.
I think the minimalist movement has the right idea. As a short-term experiment, I would be open to trying that lifestyle. The normal things in our lives get taken for granted. Once we start to eliminate, we discover what we truly can and can’t live without.
Identifying necessary versus unnecessary spending
This idea of guilt-free spending is very real. The ultimate balance in achieving financial independence is reaching a point where your spending is guilt-free. It is quite a balancing act, but once you get it right, most of the stress in your life associated with spending will fall away.
Think back to the last time you paid the important bills and had one of those good months where some money was left over. Have you ever felt conflicted about how to spend it? Going back and forth on whether to spend it responsibly or treat yourself to something well-deserved or overdue?
Chances are, if you are like most of us, you chose the latter. Unfortunately, like most of us, you will have some feelings of guilt for spending on yourself. This is where everything hangs in the balance. If you can differentiate between unnecessary and necessary spending, you will be in a much better place in the long term.
What is necessary and unnecessary spending? The answer is subjective, but let’s look at some examples:
Scenario 1
You’ve been working 30 days straight, long 12-hour shifts without having time to do anything but work, go home, and do it all over the next day. At the end of that month, with some extra funds available, although you have debt, you spend it on some R&R.
Scenario 2
You’ve been working 4-day work weeks, relatively short hours for about a month. You spend plenty of your free time and money on yourself and on hangouts with friends and family. At the end of that month, you find yourself with some extra cash. Although you have debt, you choose to spend those extra funds on yourself.
Invest back into yourself
If you’re like me, you hopefully see the first scenario as a good way to spend money without feeling guilty about it. When you need time to take care of yourself, take it. Be kind to yourself in knowing you are human and need breaks. I can relate to having such a burden on my shoulders that I would feel guilty, feel like I was letting family members down if I stopped for a second and did something for myself.
Remember, spend money without feeling guilty about it, the best way to take care of anyone is for you to be at your best. As you slowly start to win those small internal battles, your mind will be filled with less conflict, and success will slowly follow.