Here's a little financial trap a friend and i were talking about. You get an unexpected windfall, a big ol pile of cash you weren't expecting. Or an expected debt turns out smaller than you were anticipating. Either way, things happen and you've got more money than you thought you'd have.
Then later, some little expense comes up. And you use the windfall to "justify" it: Oh, it's cool, I'll just count this unforeseen expense against that windfall I just got. They cancel eachother out and I still end up ahead. That's the line of thinking, and that's fine, the thing is (at least for my friend and I) there can be a temptation not to keep track of what you've "justified" in this way.
You might go on "justifying" more and more expenses with the same old windfall, that you got months ago, when it's already been all "justified away".
For example, you get a security deposit return that you'd totally forgotten about. Two hundred dollars beer money you totally didn't expect! Then, you have to cover a friend's tab. Fifty dollars down, but that's okay, you're still $150 ahead, you think to yourself. Another friend pleads for a loan, another twenty down, but you justify it, marking it against the security deposit. Then your dog gets sick and you get a vet bill, that's fine, just mark it off your windfall. Mother's day comes up and you splurge to get her flowers or some shit like that. Another twenty, you know the routine by now. Car repairs/upgrades set you back a little more, then they raise tuition, and so on, all the while you're still justifying it all with that security deposit you got three months ago.
That's the trap. Soon the amount of money you saved/gained is smaller than the total expenses you've "justified" with it.
By itself, this is harmless, it's not like you get charged extra for over-justifying. The danger is when you allow the justifying to influence your decisions and you start spending on shit you don't really want. Just buying it cuz you have this "extra cash" burning a hole in your pocket (even though in reality you spent that already). The ultimate danger is that you become less "conscious" of your spending.
But Glowing Face Man, I don't wanna be some stinge...
I'm not saying you gotta stop spending. Just stop fooling yourself by "bouncing checks" with former windfalls. If you feel like splurging on a new shirt, that's cool. You're rewarding yourself for being a badass. Acknowledge that: you're a badass, this is a cool shirt, and you've got enough money you can spend it DESPITE not having some tax return or lottery winnings to "cancel it out".
I think of this as conscious spending. As in, spending with your eyes open. It's different from being cheap, and it's also different from being an over-spender. Being aware and awake to why you're spending cash, if something is REALLY not a good buy, you'll see it and avoid it. When you do indulge in some luxury, it'll be even more rewarding: you're buying the next round of shots cuz you're the king and you can do whatever the hell you want. Not because you got some stupid rental deposit back.
Say your buddy GlowingFaceMan is at the mall and I see a scarf I like. I'll buy it, and my line of thinking will be something like this: "This is a fine ass scarf. This is a pimp scarf. I'm buyin this scarf cuz it has my name on it, and I don't gotta 'justify' the expense to anyone." (Well, that doesn't literally go through my head every time obviously, but it's the underlying principle)
Some people would think that's a foolish way to spend. But that's what's really going on anytime anyone buys any luxury. The only difference is GlowingFaceMan readers aren't fooling themselves with silly transparent justifications. What's better, to spend $20 on a shirt cuz "I got a mail-in rebate and I've got money to burn (bullshit, you spent all that six months ago)"... or to buy a shirt cuz "This shirt looks sweet and I'm gonna feel awesome showing it off".
You know, this doesn't just go for money either, it goes for all kinds of things. Like diet. Everyone jokes about the woman ordering five double supersized bigmacs and a diet coke. The mind has a way of justifying things we wanna do, tricking us into thinking, "it's okay to lay around all day cuz I accomplished a lot yesterday" or whatever. If you wanna lay around all day, that's fine but don't pull the wool over your own eyes. Be aware of the fact you're doing it cuz you're lazy and just feel like it. Magically, with this kind of conscious awareness, you just automatically become more productive, better diet, better spending, etc.
So many people are "asleep", not consciously aware of why they even do the things they do. The sin isn't the thing done, but the self-deception to justify it (which is also what locks the pattern in and makes it impossible to break away from sometimes). Shake the sleep crust out of your eyes and wake up!
Here are some other things you should read. I'm tempted to come up with some justification for you to read them, but come on, we both know that's BS. Just read them cuz they're fucking badass and you deserve to read them and it's a free country and you can do what you want.
Eight Rules of Leadership
Subjective Reality
The Joys of Change
Then later, some little expense comes up. And you use the windfall to "justify" it: Oh, it's cool, I'll just count this unforeseen expense against that windfall I just got. They cancel eachother out and I still end up ahead. That's the line of thinking, and that's fine, the thing is (at least for my friend and I) there can be a temptation not to keep track of what you've "justified" in this way.
You might go on "justifying" more and more expenses with the same old windfall, that you got months ago, when it's already been all "justified away".
For example, you get a security deposit return that you'd totally forgotten about. Two hundred dollars beer money you totally didn't expect! Then, you have to cover a friend's tab. Fifty dollars down, but that's okay, you're still $150 ahead, you think to yourself. Another friend pleads for a loan, another twenty down, but you justify it, marking it against the security deposit. Then your dog gets sick and you get a vet bill, that's fine, just mark it off your windfall. Mother's day comes up and you splurge to get her flowers or some shit like that. Another twenty, you know the routine by now. Car repairs/upgrades set you back a little more, then they raise tuition, and so on, all the while you're still justifying it all with that security deposit you got three months ago.
That's the trap. Soon the amount of money you saved/gained is smaller than the total expenses you've "justified" with it.
By itself, this is harmless, it's not like you get charged extra for over-justifying. The danger is when you allow the justifying to influence your decisions and you start spending on shit you don't really want. Just buying it cuz you have this "extra cash" burning a hole in your pocket (even though in reality you spent that already). The ultimate danger is that you become less "conscious" of your spending.
But Glowing Face Man, I don't wanna be some stinge...
I'm not saying you gotta stop spending. Just stop fooling yourself by "bouncing checks" with former windfalls. If you feel like splurging on a new shirt, that's cool. You're rewarding yourself for being a badass. Acknowledge that: you're a badass, this is a cool shirt, and you've got enough money you can spend it DESPITE not having some tax return or lottery winnings to "cancel it out".
I think of this as conscious spending. As in, spending with your eyes open. It's different from being cheap, and it's also different from being an over-spender. Being aware and awake to why you're spending cash, if something is REALLY not a good buy, you'll see it and avoid it. When you do indulge in some luxury, it'll be even more rewarding: you're buying the next round of shots cuz you're the king and you can do whatever the hell you want. Not because you got some stupid rental deposit back.
Say your buddy GlowingFaceMan is at the mall and I see a scarf I like. I'll buy it, and my line of thinking will be something like this: "This is a fine ass scarf. This is a pimp scarf. I'm buyin this scarf cuz it has my name on it, and I don't gotta 'justify' the expense to anyone." (Well, that doesn't literally go through my head every time obviously, but it's the underlying principle)
Some people would think that's a foolish way to spend. But that's what's really going on anytime anyone buys any luxury. The only difference is GlowingFaceMan readers aren't fooling themselves with silly transparent justifications. What's better, to spend $20 on a shirt cuz "I got a mail-in rebate and I've got money to burn (bullshit, you spent all that six months ago)"... or to buy a shirt cuz "This shirt looks sweet and I'm gonna feel awesome showing it off".
You know, this doesn't just go for money either, it goes for all kinds of things. Like diet. Everyone jokes about the woman ordering five double supersized bigmacs and a diet coke. The mind has a way of justifying things we wanna do, tricking us into thinking, "it's okay to lay around all day cuz I accomplished a lot yesterday" or whatever. If you wanna lay around all day, that's fine but don't pull the wool over your own eyes. Be aware of the fact you're doing it cuz you're lazy and just feel like it. Magically, with this kind of conscious awareness, you just automatically become more productive, better diet, better spending, etc.
So many people are "asleep", not consciously aware of why they even do the things they do. The sin isn't the thing done, but the self-deception to justify it (which is also what locks the pattern in and makes it impossible to break away from sometimes). Shake the sleep crust out of your eyes and wake up!
Here are some other things you should read. I'm tempted to come up with some justification for you to read them, but come on, we both know that's BS. Just read them cuz they're fucking badass and you deserve to read them and it's a free country and you can do what you want.
Eight Rules of Leadership
Subjective Reality
The Joys of Change
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