OK, I’m calling it. It’s time to get over the guilt!
Why, particularly as women, are beating ourselves up for spending money? Whether it’s on a night out, a new outfit or a pair of shoes or a few too many drinks on a Friday night, we need to be able to spend the money we earn. And we need to get over the guilt that comes with our indulgences.
But, you say, “That doesn’t work when I’m saving for a house.” My response is, “It does when you plan for it.”
The best way to do this is to build some “play money” into your spending plan or budget.
Just because you’re on a budget and you’ve got some heavy duty saving to do, doesn’t mean that you have to continually go without. It just means that you have to switch from mindless spending to mindful spending.
If you want to have a spending spree, you might need to save for a few weeks to do it, but if that’s what you want to do, make it happen!
Think about what you want to buy or what you want to do or where you want to go, figure out how much it will cost and then plan it, tuck your play money aside each week (or sell something to generate some extra cash) and when you reach your goal, go spend it!
Going without and continually denying yourself is what usually leads to a major blow out – and we don’t want that to happen.
Making a mindful decision is the aim. If you decide that it’s important to you to spend the money, then go ahead and spend it – guilt free!
The key here is to keep your motivation high for the goal you’re saving for – whether it’s a house or a holiday or a new car – keep your eye on the prize and then make your spending decisions with your goal in mind.
Life isn’t about denying yourself the pleasures. They’re what makes life rich. Get over the guilt! Buy the shoes. Just not every week. And not without planning for it.
