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When, if ever, is it okay to splurge?
That’s a question that keeps popping up in the ongoing discussion of frugality. If you’re going to all the trouble of cutting back in every area of your life, isn’t it a bit counter-productive to occasionally stray from your newly-developed discipline and spend a lot of money on something that isn’t an absolute necessity?
Well….yes and no. Of course, spending any money on something that isn’t a necessity is going to affect your ability to save, but at the same time, as people, we need to occasionally reward ourselves for our good behavior. As frugal-minded people, we work tirelessly to cut out the fluff, but if we don’t occasionally stop to acknowledge the things that we’ve achieved, what’s the point?
So what are those rare instances when it’s okay to shake the cobwebs off your wallet and spend some cash? Here are some of our ideas:
1. A birthday, of course, is fine….especially if it’s a spouse. Nowhere in the frugal handbook does it say that you need to forsake your own well being for the next twelve months because you failed to get your husband or wife something nice on their special day. Now, if your spouse is adamantly opposed to spending, well then you lucked out, but for the most part, feel free to go the extra mile and do a little bit extra for your special someone. This also goes for holidays like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.
2. A child’s accomplishment. Did your little boy or girl just graduate from high school? Maybe they pulled their GPA from a 2.0 to a 3.5 over the course of the year. Whatever the accomplishment is, it’s okay to show your son or daughter that their accomplishments mean more than money to you and do something nice for them. You don’t have to go out and buy them a car or send them to Europe for three months, but dinner at a nice restaurant and a little greasing off the palm is okay in that situation.
3. Your accomplishment. Did you set a goal to save $____ over the course of a year? Did you succeed? Well, that calls for a celebration! Rewards aren’t just limited to others. If you accomplished something that a few years ago you would have thought impossible, feel free to go a little overboard for yourself.
There are exceptions to any rule, and these three are just a few. I’m sure there are a multitude of other instances when it could be considered okay to splurge. Feel free to enlighten me in the comment section.
Remember: the point of frugality is to spend less on the things you don’t care about so you can afford the things you really do care about.
The Frugality Game is your free way to improve your finances while having fun. Have you played today?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Yes, I always celebrate my daughters accomplishments. For every “A” she receives I give her $5.00. She is 13 years of age and going to the 8th grade. So this is very important!
Great comment. I like that the reward is tied to her accomplishment.