The madness of Black Friday is here. Before we build our carts, let’s take a moment to think about how and why we spend.
In our work-heavy lifestyles, many of us buy “vices”—conveniences or comforts that make life a little easier when personal time and energy feel scarce. It’s okay to lean on these purchases when needed, but recognizing their role in our habits can help us spend more intentionally.
A common theme I hear among our clients working towards financial freedom is "I want to maintain my current lifestyle after I stop/reduce my working hours". We are not here to deter you from this goal.
We do see, however, that the spending our clients do in their current lifestyle is often correlated to the time and energy they put into their work-filled lives. The more time and energy we spend at work, the more we are likely to spend on convenience, luxury, quick dopamine hits, and impulse purchases.
How are You Spending?
This holiday season, bring more awareness to the way you're spending money. How much of your spending is related to the time and energy your household is spending on work?
I really like these points of wisdom I've collected in the bit of research I've done on how we spend during our working years:
Spend $ Where You Spend Your Time: If a purchase improves a space, activity, or feeling central to your life, it’s likely worth it.
Thrift When You Can: Secondhand shopping saves money and the planet. Before buying new, ask your community for help—it’s a great way to connect. And don’t feel guilty if you choose new for convenience or comfort. Balance matters.
Make Space for the New: Decluttering before buying fosters intentionality. Black Friday thrives on impulse; slowing down helps us focus on what truly brings joy.
For those of us with children, we have opportunities to enforce positive spending habits:
Experiences Over Stuff
While shiny new things can be attractive to anyone, especially kids, showing those we love that we're intentionally gifting our time is an incredible gesture.
Get creative! You can decorate a card that represents a specific experience (e.g. a trip, movie date, or special dinner). Include stickers, drawings, or magazine clippings for that particular experience.
Set a date to make it real.
Hype it up! Encourage your gift recipient to plan their dressing attire, pick an awesome playlist to accompany the experience, and talk about it to build excitement.
Be 100% there. Make the experience count by eliminating distractions. Before setting out, take two minutes alone to breathe, meditate, and allow yourself to let go of what might be worrying you or stressing you out, and remind yourself why this experience matters to you.
Early Investing (and guilt-free spending)
Opening an investing account for our children is an amazing way to show them how saving can grow their future. This is obviously an age-dependent exercise, but studies show this can be an effective tool for kids aged 5+. Creating an investing account for your child can have some of the following benefits:
Break down the learning barrier to investing (for you and your child!)
Spark an early interest in investing
Encourage delayed gratification
Demonstrate the benefit of time in markets that have volatility, and a great potential for growth
Remove shame in spending responsibly for the present, while knowing there's also a growing amount for the future
Set guidelines for when you will gift money/things to your child, and when you expect them to save for their own purchases
Finally, ditch the shame about spending
When you've thought through your spending, give yourself permission to ditch the shame around the purchases you wind up making. Here's a little decision tree that might give you inspiration into how you make decisions on intentional spending. 🤓
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