Pleasure Versus Cost
“Is it worth it?”
A lot of times, you just have to ask yourself that and decide if spending money on something is worth it. For example, does it bring happiness, will it create good memories, etc.
There is a difference in being cheap and frugal. A lot of people misunderstand and think cheap and frugal are the same when they are entirely different concepts. Living in a mansion, but not flushing the toilet to save on water is cheap or giving your best friend a really cheap and tacky gift for their birthday when they got you a nice gift is cheap. Frugal just means using money wisely and not wasting it. A frugal person doesn’t mean a cheap person.
In arcades my kids do not play those racing games. They cost 4 quarters, a dollar, just to play one time. I CAN afford for them to play one of those driving games, but IT’S NOT WORTH IT!
To me, spending a whole dollar just for a kid to turn a steering wheel for two minutes is absolutely ridiculous and a complete wasting money. I hate to waste money on ridiculous things whether it’s a nickel or a hundred dollars.
Now inviting friends to a restaurant and paying for their food IS WORTH IT. Yes, I could save a ton of money by eating ramen noodles at home, but it’s not very fun. Going out to a restaurant, eating good food, not having to cook or clean, being with friends I love, and spending time with them is worth the cost of the bill to me. We will have a good time, we will talk, we will enjoy each other’s company and it will bring good memories. It will make me happy and them happy to enjoy each other’s company over some good food.
So if the bill is $45 for example, it’s definitely worth it. Now if I stayed home and ate Ramen noodles, I would have saved $44.50, but it would have not been fun or made me happy. It would not be a warm memory and I wouldn’t enjoy the company of my loved ones. So, it’s absolutely worth it.
And I still won’t pay a dollar for two minutes turning a steering wheel in an arcade, because that’s just a ridiculous waste of a dollar to me.
To be a successfully frugal person, you have to decide, “Is it worth it?” when you make decisions about spending money. Ask yourself certain questions like how enjoyable will it be, etc and decide if it is worth the cost. If it’s worth it to you and you can afford it, go for it. You’re not cheap, you’re frugal.