If you care about your financial future, and you’re working hard to save, you probably fall into the trap of minimizing your expenses everywhere you can. It’s good to save money where you can, and for most people being frugal leads to a better quality of life. But – and this is an important but! – you have to know when to splurge on the finer things to fully enjoy your life. Before you think I’m recommending you stop saving money and start burning through your savings account to have a good time, take a minute and hear me out. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t save, I’m just saying that you don’t have to let saving control your life completely.
Spend Just Enough to Fully Enjoy Your Life
Everyone is different, and what truly brings you pleasure probably isn’t what brings me pleasure. That’s why it makes sense to spend more money in the few areas that bring you the most pleasure while being frugal elsewhere.
For example, I love starting my day with a good cup of coffee. I used to purchase off-brand pre-ground coffee from my local bulk foods store to save as much as possible on my daily coffee ritual. That was until I decided to try switching to grinding my own beans. Once I tasted the difference between freshly ground coffee beans I decided to never go back to the cheaper pre-ground option unless I absolutely had to.
Not only that, but I decided to take things even further and begin purchasing expensive creamers and to start brewing my coffee using a French Press and a milk frother to up the flavor even more. Sure, it takes me longer to make my coffee in the morning than it used to, and I spend approximately 100% more on my cup of coffee each day, but I get much greater joy and satisfaction from that cup of coffee, and it’s still much cheaper than heading to the local Starbucks.
This example might not resonate with you at all. Maybe you’re a tea drinker. Maybe you just love enjoying a good bar of chocolate, or maybe you’re more interested in fine dining. The point is, that if you budget carefully you can probably add in a few luxuries into your lifestyle without really hurting your budget. By just spending another $1 per day on my coffee, I’ve significantly improved my quality of life, and I’ve also reduced my need to get drinks while I’m away from home.
Decide What’s Most Important to You
Instead of cutting out everything that brings you joy in life in the name of saving money. Pick a few things that bring you the most joy, and focus in on them each day. If you do this strategically you’ll be amazed at how much better your life can be when you spend just a bit more money.
Cut Out Unimportant Expenses
If you don’t have room in your budget for any luxuries, it’s time to evaluate what you spend your money on each month to see if there’s any “fat” you can trim. Maybe you go out to eat a few times a week and have marginal meals you don’t love. If you’re relying on fast food to fill some of your weekly dinners you may be able to swap in a Crock-Pot meal or meal prep some frozen meals each month to save money while removing the need to eat out. Heck, you might discover that you prefer your homemade meals better and that you don’t spend any additional time preparing them each month with the right approach!
I always seem to pick up monthly subscriptions that I don’t use. By just cutting out one or two monthly subscriptions to things like Hulu or HBO Max I made up the difference in my budget for my coffee habit and now I get to enjoy the best homemade coffee I’ve had in my life every single day.
Small Investments often Bring the Most Joy
You don’t have to go on $100,000 vacations to enjoy your life. You don’t even have to spend $1,000 to keep yourself happy. You’ll be amazed at how little you can spend to bring joy to your life when you focus on the things that you truly love. Think about the last time you felt really amazing during your life. What was it that made you feel that way? Perhaps it was an amazing book that you read. Maybe it was sitting down and chatting with a good friend. Whatever it was, this is what you should be spending your time and money on. Don’t lose sight of the things that bring you true joy, and don’t fall into the trap of thinking you need a bigger house, a more luxurious car, or designer clothing to feel good. Those things aren’t what will bring lasting joy to your life, it’s a gourmet cup of coffee to start your day, a high-quality pen to write with, and luxury sheets on your bed. Little investments bring the most joy, and you should start making them as soon as you can!
Feel Your Best without Spending Too Much
No matter what you love, it’s up to you to spend a little bit more to make sure you enjoy your life. Life is short, make sure you don’t sacrifice feeling fulfilled or having little pleasures to look forward to in order to boost your savings account slightly more each month.