Shiny Things

Up until recently, frugality had never been my strong suit. It’s just that there are so many pretty things in the world and I wanted all of them! You don’t even want to know how many times I had attempted to stick to a budget, only to give in to the temptation of buying the first shiny thing that I saw. The funny thing is that I’d take special care to make sure that I was not buying anything big. I’d use the excuse, “this is just a small purchase and it’s such a bargain!” But the small stuff adds up. $5 here, $20 there, and all of a sudden my bank account was like a wasteland!

Recently, I battened down the financial hatches, and became a savings queen! I eliminated all the small purchases and focused only on purchasing important things. My next planned big purchase is a new (to me) car! Don’t get me wrong, I love, LOVE, my current car. But she’s clunking on 15 years and almost 300,000 miles. It’s almost time to put the sweet girl to rest. She’s still got at least a year or two left. So in the time that I’ve got left with my sweet car, I’m putting away my nickels to buy my next new (to me) car.

The Deal of a Lifetime?

That almost changed last week when I received a letter in the mail from a local car dealership. I was being offered what seemed to be the deal of a lifetime! The letter told me that I couldn’t pass this opportunity up. But after visiting the car dealer, doing some investigating, and fine print reading, it turned out that this “amazing opportunity” that was cloaked in rebates, special discounts, and “savings” would have wiped out every cent that I worked so hard to raise. It would take a significant chunk of my monthly income, making it impossible for me to continue saving.

I left the car dealer disappointed that I didn’t leave with a new car, but with an excellent reminder that I love shiny things! There’s nothing inherently wrong with shiny things. But I have to question if the glow of any particular shiny thing is keeping me from the things I want most.

What about you? Is there a shiny thing that’s keeping you from what you really want?

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV).

If you liked this, you might also enjoy Tips for Saving Money | How to Stop Spending Money on Unnecessary Things You Don’t Need 

Jael Amador writes from New York.

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