Delayed Gratification Does Feel Good

We all know that we're living in pretty tough economic times. This means, essentially, that we have to really watch our spending and make our hard-earned dollars stretch even further than ever before. It also means that before we purchase big-ticket items, we must do our duty to watch for sales and make our money work for us. One way that I do this is by saving up for these items, as opposed to putting the purchases on a credit card.

To illustrate, I'm in the process of saving up for a new computer (my current computer will be passed on to my nieces and nephews). I would like to purchase the new "all-in-one" HP "touch screen" computers (they're so sexy, lol). Anyways, I'm setting aside a certain amount of money every paycheck toward this purchase. My friends think I'm crazy for living life this way, but I've found that when I set a little aside here and a little aside there for big-ticket items, I am more careful about what I'm buying and WHY I'm buying it. I've found, too, that I'm more satisfied with my purchases. In some cases, I end up realizing that I don't even need the item, and I end up putting the money, that I've saved up, into my high-yield-savings account. This happened to me last year when I was saving up for a high-definition cam-corder. When I was three-quarter way through to my savings goal for this item, I decided that I didn't want it anymore, and I just put the money away, and it was a good thing because, later on, I had the privilege of helping out a dear friend, who had fallen on hard times (she was laid off)by helping her catch up with her mortgage payments. She's since paid me back, and helping her was certainly more satisfying than any Sony Hi-Def, cam corder.

So, whether it be a new flat-screen/flat-panel, Hi-Def television or a new glass-top stove with dual-convectional ovens, I highly recommend that you save up for items like those. It will be well worth the wait. Who would have thought that delayed gratification could feel so good? :)