Adaptive Spending
A bad example
To be upfront about what you are about to read: this is not a do-it-like-me sort of thing… it is more on the line of this-is-not-the-way-to-do-it.
Most jobs have a yearly evaluation. This results, if you did your job, in an increase in income.
Before this moment comes, each year, we have the same conversation: this time, we’ll set aside the amount with which our salaries have increased. We’ll use this to pay our debt, we’ll use it to have something gathered for rainy days.
Well, easy to imagine that is never the case.
Somehow, we are experts in always spending more than we make. We are the leaders of this field.
The prices of what we usually buy did not vary that much. Just in case you thought that well, things cost more.
There are variations, of course, in gas, in bills (especially since we started working from home). But that is not it, believe me.
We’ve tried various ways to prevent this. From making budgets for everything, including a set amount to spend on whatever we want, no matter how useless or stupid, to moving the established savings amount right after the salary was received.
It did not work.
I admit, there was a short period, a few months when we decided to gather a certain amount of money for a medical intervention, when we managed not only to not go over our budget but also to set aside quite a lot (compared to nothing).
So it can be done!
Every time we try to determine what gets us to this point, we come to the following conclusion: food and useless stuff.
Don’t imagine quantity for the food part. But rather takeout instead of cooking. Bad groceries decisions. Too many sugar-based articles. The list goes on.
Just for the record, we are, indeed, fat. We don’t take the time to cook — just rarely. And we certainly enjoy the empty pleasures in life: chips and chocolate and ice cream.
What we always say is that once we’ll get the kids, we’ll have no other alternative but to take the time to do what needs to be done. So we kinda use this excuse to pig out now, while we can.
On the useless stuff pile, we have kitchen utensils we never use, a camera that is great — but rarely used, clothes that we don’t really need and seldom wear, other cute stuff — like little boxes, accessories that we never use, other kitchen appliances that often remain in their box.
You get the point — and I’m out of ideas now, but I know the list is quite long.
There is surely some psychological explanation for our behavior. We must hate to have a sense of security when it comes to money. Semi-joke here…
We all know the theory, we all know what we are supposed to do. And yet, how many of us actually do it?
If I ever get out of this vicious circle, I promise to come back with the solution.