"Maddie's Moments" - what I know now - Instant gratification
So, here’s my monthly share for October
So many of us now have grown up in an environment in which we reward ourselves right away. Our parents experienced an easier lifestyle than their parents did and so on. With each passing generation, the ability to provide for our basic needs has gotten easier. And with that has become an emotional and mental attachment to reward ourselves every step of the way. And how many of us have found ourselves purchasing items that we “thought” we really “needed” when it wasn’t something we needed but something we wanted? And convinced ourselves to move forward with the purchase – whether we could afford it or not? What about if we looked at rewarding ourselves differently? What about if we didn’t deny ourselves a reward but made ourselves wait a week or even two to make that purchase to make sure it really is a right fit – fitting into a broader scheme or goal in our life? Saving up for something really makes the purchase seem more “legitimate” and therefore even more rewarding. There’s no guilt each month as you pay off the purchase – and no regrets for purchasing something we find we really aren’t enjoying as much as we thought we would. And our debt would decrease dramatically – an additional bonus!