The world is full of all kinds of negative thinkers and naysayers who would love it if nobody were ever successful at anything. For people like that, there is only one reason to ever spend money; because your very life depends on it. These are the type of people who water down their shampoo because they want them to last just that much longer, and who will happily spend hours going over sales cycles, clipping and organizing coupons because they can save a few bucks on their groceries. While there is nothing wrong with wanting to get a great deal on something, these are often the same people who never take a vacation, squeeze themselves into the tiniest house that they can possibly stand to live in, and drive a car which has a general’s level of decoration on its bumper from supporting numerous presidential candidates. These are the scrimp and saver types, and theirs is not the only way.
Of course, there are also the types of people who never seem to have more than a hundred dollars that they don’t need. For people like that, there is always some issue which prompts them to spend to the point where they have to go awhile eating only noodles (or take out a loan for their steaks). While this way is definitely hedonism approved, it is also not necessarily the best way to run a life. After all, it does not offer a very good return for your efforts, and there is not much security in the future for a life like this.
Fortunately, there is a middle ground that a lot of people can very easily get into, with only a few small shifts. It is called conscious spending, and it’s the latest thing. But unlike most trends, this one has some staying power, because some people have been practicing it forever. For the people who spend consciously, there are the things they do not care about, and also the things that they do. They can spend lavishly on what they really want, and save stridently on the rest.