I’m delighted that Trey Givens found my offhand comment about “value-dense buying” of use to his thinking about his spending! Here’s what happened.
Back in early March, Trey blogged about the return of his credit card debt:
Last January, February, and March were not pleasant times for me as I struggled to pay off my credit cards. I was successful at it, but I did it in a way that just was not sustainable. Flash forward to this January, February, March in which I’ve managed to drive my credit card balance up to more than TWICE the total it was a year ago when I went on my push to pay them off.
I wrote the following quick comment in reply:
Your standard method of dealing with money (until now) sounds a lot like Oprah’s method of dealing with her weight: lose quickly by unbearable deprivation, then when the goal is achieved, binge binge binge. That leaves you worse off — physically and spiritually — than never going on the diet.Maybe your finances need a paleo diet? Do value-dense buying and avoid the junk?
Anywhoodles, the solution isn’t “moderation,” but pursuing your financial goals while keeping the context of your other goals and values. That sounds like what you’re doing, so I hope that works well for you.
A few weeks later, Trey blogged:
Ok, but no joke. That’s EXACTLY what I need! I even said so myself that I’ve been thinking about my spending and saving in a very wrong way. “Value-dense” is the focus I need!
So Trey has decided that OCON, despite the expense, is worth the money. I hope so! (Personally, I expect to have a fantastic time at OCON this year!)
Mostly though, I hope that I’ve hit on a useful metaphor for thinking about spending. What do you think?
