It’s Okay to Buy Fucking Coffee
This weekend I bought a bouquet of peonies for $ 6 for my new apartment, kind of a little party. A few dollars were tiny drops in the amount of money I had just spent, considering the movers, higher rents, fees, and everything else that comes with the move. However, in contrast to these costs, flowers were impractical. Nice, yes, but pointless. And so, when I walked home with them in my hands, I could not get rid of the prick of guilt. Sure, it was only $ 6, but considering all the other money I just spent, was it necessary?
I often write about setting goals and tricking myself into spending more money. In the often black and white world of personal finance, goal setting is good, but spending more is bad. You shouldn’t buy coffee if you can make it for less money. You should start making contributions to your retirement account while you are still in the womb. You shouldn’t buy what you don’t need, even if it is small, when your emergency fund falls below the level approved by the experts.
Writing and thinking about it every day means that I don’t just feel guilty about buying bouquets of flowers for $ 6. I live in a state of constant guilt because, which may be shocking, I don’t follow all of these monetary “rules.” I make impulse purchases a lot, I certainly don’t save 20 percent of my income, and I live in one of the areas of the country with the highest cost of living. In the financial responsibility game, I struck out a long time ago.
Where does this wine come from? I’m sure some of this can be attributed to perfectionist trends that don’t need to be explored further on a finance blog. And another part of that, I think, is the prevailing belief in money forums, financial publications and comment sections that you need to do absolutely everything “right” as defined by a group of financial experts you have never met. and that there is only one correct way. Spend money on anything you absolutely don’t need and you are irresponsible and deserve to go astray.
But I won’t buy it. We all deserve to be pampered. We all deserve to buy beautiful things simply because. We all deserve to enjoy the fruits of our labor without worrying about making the most of every penny. We don’t need financial writers to criticize our life choices.
If the ultimate goal is to get rich, or at least achieve financial independence, give up a cup of coffee on the way to work and a $ 6 bouquet of flowers anyway. You have to be smart about your money and educate yourself so you don’t get fooled or cheated, but know that you are not going to postpone your retirement because you ordered an after-dinner dessert at a restaurant or paired it with an expensive bottle of wine. Investing, paying off your credit card and student loan debt, your holistic financial health are all things worth focusing on. Other things like the $ 6 peony bouquet just don’t exist.