How do you justify buying something you want but don’t need?
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I make a simple calculation:
I divide X money over Y time.
I enjoy photography, and bough a fancy camera with a bonus at my last job.
In total I have probably spent 30k SEK on the camera and lenses, I bought it in early 2023, so let's say that I have had a year and a half to enjoy it, that is 18 months
30k/18months is about 1.7k/month so far, and in return I got thousands of photos, some of which can be found here:
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I want it.
That justification enough for me. If I can afford said thing, I'll buy it. Having it live rent free in my head is way more annoying than just forking out the dough for whatever dumb thing I currently am obsessing over.
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A friend of mine retired and later told me he has too much money saved and he wished he had spent it more when he was younger.
wrote last edited by [email protected]I know several people in the exact opposite situation though, which is rough to put it lightly.
A happy medium might be to think of retirement like any of your other bills and then play around with what's left over.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I want it and I have money for it. That's all the justification I need.
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I make a simple calculation:
I divide X money over Y time.
I enjoy photography, and bough a fancy camera with a bonus at my last job.
In total I have probably spent 30k SEK on the camera and lenses, I bought it in early 2023, so let's say that I have had a year and a half to enjoy it, that is 18 months
30k/18months is about 1.7k/month so far, and in return I got thousands of photos, some of which can be found here:
That's still quite an investment. Not many people have 1.7k/month to spend on a hobby.
I don't mean this as a criticism, of course, if you can afford it and it brings you joy then it's worth it.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I have a fun budget. A % of my monthly surplus goes I to it, and everything (excluding food) that I want rather than need come out of that pot.
I then have no guilt over spending my fun money, unless I think I could have more fun using it for something else.
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That's still quite an investment. Not many people have 1.7k/month to spend on a hobby.
I don't mean this as a criticism, of course, if you can afford it and it brings you joy then it's worth it.
wrote last edited by [email protected]1.7K SEK is about 154€ EUR or 180$ USD.
So its not insane money. Still a bit, but not as bad as it may seem.
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Don't overthink it. Life is too short.
But also: Don't underthink it. Life is too long.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I don't usually do it, so when I do it it means that I really like that thing.
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1.7K SEK is about 154€ EUR or 180$ USD.
So its not insane money. Still a bit, but not as bad as it may seem.
Ah, sorry, I did a default $£€ assumption! My bad!
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I research, then set it aside for a while (dependent on cost, cheaper = less time, expensive = more). If I'm still seriously thinking about it after that time, and I have enough of a budget that it won't cause issues, let's say if I have to put it on a credit card and can't pay it off without interest, then I generally will buy it.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
For starters, I have a one week grace period - If I still want it after a week, I can proceed if:
- I've spent more money on less amounts of fun/enjoyment than the new item gives me. (as in, it's not the stupidest purchase I've made),
- My credit cards are at zero.
Beyond that it's basically "I can afford it, and I want it. Why not?"
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
Entertainment is valuable, it's what helps us get through the stuff we don't want to do. Looking forward to, or fondly remembering back on, the stuff we did/do for fun.
Budget for it. If what you want fits in that budget, and there is no other downside preventing you, then go for it.
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But also: Don't underthink it. Life is too long.
Not for me. I'm not sticking around all that much longer. I'm already past the time I thought I'd check out. Men in my family didn't make it past 60. My brother made it 5 years ago. I've got 3 to go. And I'm not actively trying to extend life. Give me all the great food & beer I can manage. Cheers!
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
If I buy it I'll forget about it.
If I don't buy it, I'll spend the next twenty years thinking about that cool think I didn't buy when I had the chance.
It was a stupid little statue of a fairy sitting next to a mirror and I still wish I'd brought it.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
wrote last edited by [email protected]At one point I had a change jar. At the end of my day all my pocket change went in the jar and I forgot about it. This had multiple benefits: any purchase I made during the day took at least five bucks out of my pocket (no $1 or $2 notes in my country), so I had to think about it carefully. I always had money in the house, but in a form that made it inconvenient to spend. And after a couple years of ignoring the jar, I had about $200 that was outside my normal budget. I could spend it how I wanted! If I felt like buying a couple hundred bucks worth of jellybeans, I could do it without guilt.
Now I'm no longer single. My wife steals my change to buy leftover fabric swatches at car boot sales. That makes it harder but man, I deserve a Lego pirate ship.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
We have a rule of three. If there's something you see that you want and end up coming back to it 3 or more times, you buy it.
I've gotten a number of items this way, like my Deadpool jersey. I couldn't justify spending like $40 on it to myself, but I really liked the design and material. I kept finding my way back to the stand, so I bought it at the direction of my wife before we left. I love that thing in the winter because it keeps me cozy without making me sweat.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I don't. I get things I want if they will not jepordize things I need. So there needs to be excess slack in the budget.
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Hello again Lemmy! I have another question.
Context: I took a motorcycle safety class, was nervous but enjoyed it, researched motorcycles, found a few I liked, talked to a dealer about them but ultimately, I couldn’t finalize a deal, talked myself out of it basically
I was curious how others might justify a purchase that has no purpose other than wanting something.
For clarity, I don’t need anyone to justify me buying a motorcycle. I want to read about your thought processes for buying something you want
As always thanks for replying and have an awesome day/night!!
I find cultivating some creative outlet and hobbies provides a resilience against my desire to ride the hype on the latest thing/tech/game/book/etc. Also using lists, waiting for sales, and spending more money where I spend most of my time.
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I find cultivating some creative outlet and hobbies provides a resilience against my desire to ride the hype on the latest thing/tech/game/book/etc. Also using lists, waiting for sales, and spending more money where I spend most of my time.
This is a good way to look at it. Invest in something with long term benefit vs spending on fads.
Appreciate this!
