Money should be spent. Period. And yes, that did just come out of my frugal-loving mouth.
But I differ from those who can’t resist the impulse buy. You see, I consciously choose what to spend my money on – a.k.a what’s important to me.
As a result, I end up saving in areas I don’t care so much about, so I can go and spend it on the things I love.
Breaking the no-spend habit
I think it’s perfectly OK to save money. In fact, I encourage it! But I hate seeing families save and save and save, and they are so used to saving that they are afraid to spend anything when they finally have some extra to do so.
“Sometimes people forget that it’s OK to spend the money they earn.” ~ J.D. Roth, Entrepreneur Magazine 9/2011 <– Click to Tweet
However, saving “just to save” and spending “just to spend” won’t get us anywhere, except developing a miserly attitude or digging ourselves deeper in debt. We need to have a purpose. Because without purpose, there is no point.
Think about what’s important to you and what’s not
We tend to buy a lot of things in the day-to-day. A package of Oreos at the grocery store, a cute top at Kohl’s, a new book that a friend recommended…..how much do you really think about each of those purchases?
If you’re like most Americans, not too much. It’s easy to spend without thinking. But what if you could save on the items that you don’t really care about, so you can spend it on what you do?
It’s really not that hard.
Every time you pick something up at the store, look at it and remind yourself of what’s important to you, and if buying this product helps you reach your goals.
If it’s something you really need, see if there is cheaper, more frugal option out there. Maybe you can borrow, buy it used, or make your own!
It can be as complex as crossing an item off your bucket list, or as simple as a latte versus a new book. It really depends on your personality, and again, what’s important to you.
Your priority might not be someone else’s, and that’s OK
Traveling is one of the places my husband and I love to spend money. I’d gladly give up a new outfit, tighten up the grocery budget, or live with one car, just so we can take a vacation every year.
Someone who doesn’t care for travel, might not understand our desire to spend money on plane tickets, fancy hotel rooms, or destination activities. They might, however, want to fix up their master bathroom and turn it into a spa-like atmosphere so they can relax at home.
Each one of us will choose to consciously spend our money in different places. <– Click to Tweet. We’re not spending money for each other, we’re spending it for ourselves. Aren’t you glad?
It’s pretty much impossible to afford everything, and if you can, you’re either faking it, or illegally obtaining it. So make sure the money you do spend, is spent according to your priorities and your desires.
You’ll be a lot happier in life if you do.
What sort of things are important to you, spending-wise?
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I’m reviewing a money saving book called, Pocket Your Dollars, over on Words With Books. If you need encouragement with your “why”, this read might be for you!
Hi! I'm Kalyn Brooke, the writer and money-saving author of Creative Savings. I'm a die hard Do-It-Yourselfer, type-A organizer, and obsessive budgeter. 
Great advice
We’re finally at the point where I can (very occasionally) buy that cute top in Kohls. It’s great feeling, but I don’t want to get too accustomed to it. I’d love to tell my money where to go, instead of having it tell me. Hmm – sounds a little like Dave Ramsey and Laura Vanderkam! 
That’s the attitude you SHOULD have. It’s easy to get carried away, especially if you have the right type of personality!
What a great post! Thank you for posting. Conscious spending IS important. We are working to become debt free and the debt that we have accumulated was because of UN-conscious spending.
Margaret @ Live Like No One Else
So glad you’re on the right track! It’s easy to just swipe that CC, isn’t it? :/
Yes, it is. That’s why we went radical and got rid of our credit cards about 6 months ago.
Great article. It’s much easier to discipline yourself for something you are passionate for. We aren’t really interested in “stuff”. Although I’m not a big traveler, I do like to have a nice vacation each year. We work to save each year for a nice vacation, and put as much money as we can into maintaining a debt free life. I’m happy to say after almost 18 years of marriage (yikes!) we are debt free except for our mortgage. My goal is to pay that off in the next 10-12 years. Being debt free before I even retire is worth the small sacrifices now.
That’s awesome! Along with the mortgage, we are working on paying off our car. Hopefully only 1 more year. One of our goals was to pay in cash for our next car, but the flood destroyed our old one, and we didn’t have enough saved up yet to go that route. Hopefully next time! Once we pay off a car, we keep setting aside those payments for a new car. That way we don’t get used to the extra money lying around.
Awesome! That’s exactly what we did. About 7 years ago we achieved our goal of paying cash for our vehicles. It’s a great feeling. Challenging lately since our income has been lower, but God is good! Keep it up, you’ll make it, and it is soooooo worth it!