Wanting More Is Expensive. Your Bank Statements Prove It.
At the beginning of January, along with millions of well-intentioned people whose pants mysteriously shrank and whose credit card debts had swelled, I came up with my New Year’s resolution: I was going to change my spending habits and SAVE MONEY!
Having gone 42.5 times around the sun, I finally wanted to be a “responsible adult” and start doing things like investing. I have a pension and a tax-sheltered retirement account, but I wanted to build my wealth in other ways.
Like losing weight, this was something I’d previously attempted. It was usually born out of sheer frustration and terror from my ballooning debts that seemed impossible to pay off.
But it’s the inverse of dieting in that I needed to spend less than I make and maybe even try to bring in more money. It’s so simple.
Filled with fresh determination, I would subscribe to some online budgeting software like Mint, YNAB, or Every Dollar. These programs import all of my purchases from all of my accounts.
And yet, they didn’t work. They never, ever worked.
Why?
Because budgeting goes against something ingrained in me and countless other humans: I want more than I can afford.
