Splurge Or Save? The Unlikely Budgeting Tip To Help You Stick With It

August 25, 2015 - by Patrick Redo

So much of sticking with good habits depends on creating mental tricks to overcome your impulses. When sticking to your diet or budget comes with negative feelings and stress, you’re more likely to give up on your healthier habits or budgeting altogether. But if you work out a reasonable way to let a little strategic cheating in to your plan, you may find it easier to reach your goals.

The idea of having a “cheat day” for a diet is pretty well known, but it’s less commonly discussed as a tip for budgeting.

The idea behind it is the same though: if you explicitly plan to allow yourself to splurge a little now and then, it won’t feel like a failure when you inevitably do.

You can’t just decide when to splurge or save haphazardly. There has to be logic behind it so it doesn’t become a convenient excuse to give up on your goal.

Thrifty living is hard and it’s worth rewarding yourself every so often for sticking with it. So set yourself achievable goals, and make your “cheat days” rewards for when those goals are met. That new expensive restaurant you want to try, or that pair of shoes you keep thinking about – whatever your desired splurge of the moment is, write it down next to one of your budgeting goals.

Now you’ve got an extra incentive to pay off that debt or finish building that emergency fund.

So what’s your next little splurge going to be?

Getting your financial situation in order doesn't have to be difficult. A bit of patience and careful planning goes a long way. Dollar discipline is about smart budgeting. The better you budget, the better off you'll be. If you have questions regarding your budget or how to plan your “cheat days” contact us at allU.S. Credit Union and we will be glad to assist you.

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