17 Jun 2021

Take this with a grain of salt. I'm not saying "hey, you know that car that you've been trying to save up for forever. Screw that! Don't save your money for it! Buy whatever you want!!!"...

Obviously, set goals, keep a budget, albeit, a loose one, invest if you want, and keep dosh aside for emergencies... 

But see, I used to be a stinge. Even if I wasn't saving up for anything in particular, I was always hesitant about buying that festival ticket or that funky t-shirt I'd had my eye on for ages. I was like Gollum with the ring, my money was "my precious"... Gollum didn't have much of a life did he? Neither did I.

When I learn to balance saving with spending and just loosen the leash on my bank account, that's when my life really took a turn for the better. Seriously. Here are 3 reasons why you shouldn't save your dollarydoos. 

1. Oversaving won't make you happy

I'd been grinding, grinding, grinding. Working 3 jobs to save my money up - just for the sake of having savings. I reached my $$$ goal and it was honestly underwhelming.

If I had something in mind to buy - like a car, a travel trip, a new surfboard or a house mortgage, hell yes! What an achievement. But all I had was a tonne of money from months, hell, years, of constant work. Of running from one job, hurriedly changing my uniform and rushing to the next. From missing out on friends' birthdays, to saying no to events because they were too pricy...

Was I on crack??!? Seriously. I missed out on so so much and for what?! I'm bitter at my past self but hey, lesson learnt: Tonnes of money won't really make you stoked. I mean, money is just a currency - it's the things we use it for that can bring happiness: like a trip away, skydiving, a new instrument, a concert... I was robbing myself of those luxuries that spice life up.

2. Your quality of life can level up

Looking after yourself can cost money. But oh man, can it give you an abundance of pros.

Have you always wanted to join a gym in the hopes that it'll finally kickstart your health journey? Just do it.

Do you think seeing a therapist will aid your mental health but have never wanted to fork out the $$$? Just do it.

Are the shoes that you've had for 7 years wayyyy past their prime? Or is your mattress like sleeping on a bed of knives? Is your skin breaking out but you don't have any skincare products? Sometimes we really should stop trying to shine it on with crap and just treat ourselves that make life all the more smoother.

3. You'll miss out on life

This is the mothership of reasons, hence why I left it to the end. 

I'm not here to spurn you into an existential crisis but the truth is, you're young...but you won't be young forever. One day, you'll be on your deathbed, reminiscing on the good ol' days of your youth. Do you wanna look back on those days and think "bugger, I just worked the entire time, holding onto my dosh like I was scared it'd run away from me" orrrr "I went to so many festivals, met a million people, did a million trips with my friends, went to events, tried a zillion different hobbies that required $$$ like surfing, DJ'ing, snowboarding, and mosaicing,"... that list would go on and on and on.

Yes, your bank account will suffer a blow when you buy that $400 festival ticket. But jeez Louise, you'll make that money back eventually! What you won't get back is years of just focusing on grinding, hustling and working when you could have found a balance between saving and spending while just living a little. 

Like my past self tells me every day, just spend your damn money on memories. On life. Yeah, you won't have as much savings as you might want and yeah, sometimes your card will decline when you try to buy a coffee but far out, at least you're having a good life, abundant with memories for your deathbed.