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The treacherous now

August 4th, 2006 at 06:00 am

I've noticed in this last year that its not the wants/needs that destroy your frugal will, its the now. Its really not the wants/needs that you have to control, its the later/now.

For example:

"I want it (later)" means that you can negotiate a good price, think about how you can use your want, and talk yourself out of your want when you realize that it won't be used, doesn't match, not your size. For example, I bought an MP3 player in April. I wanted one for at least a year, but I figured out that I really wanted the fantastic ability to carry my entire CD collection in my pocket, and I use it every day. Its still a want, but if I use it every day for a couple of years its a treat that will work out to .33/day.

"I need it (later)" means you have time to save and you have the luxury of treating yourself by satisfying your needs early.

In both cases, the "later" gives you control.

"I need it (now)" means that you had better have planned ahead. Yikes, but things happen. Its dispiriting, but to the frugalista there is no shame.

"I want it (now)" feels you are fighting the entire credit card and consumer industrial complex, not to mention all of your non-frugal friends.

The now is the whim. The now is your friend or your family saying "cheap bastard" to you. The now is low blood sugar that you had better fix by that candy bar. The now creates its own emergency.

And all those strategies - the counting to ten, the stepping out of the store for 24 hours, the buying of loss leaders, the ordering the appetizer instead of the entree?

All shifts of "now" to "later".

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