How to Figure Out if an Expense is Actually Necessary

Food is essential to stay alive. However, you can’t use that fact to justify having dinner at the city’s most exclusive sushi restaurant. If your budget is tight this month, your body can be just as well-nourished at one-tenth the cost by buying groceries and cooking at home. Similarly, transportation is necessary for you to maintain normal activities of life, but any reliable car will do the trick; you don’t need the latest model just to get from one place to another. However, cell phones and data plans, which may seem like a luxury, actually fill a crucial niche of utility; there are no cheaper alternative technologies.

This is a good question to ask yourself when you’re contemplating a big investment such as education. Likewise, high-quality tools that will allow you to advance in your craft or profession are often necessary when viewed in this light, whereas an expensive concert ticket or spur-of-the-moment vacation fails this test. Long-term thinking is the key here: instead of getting distracted by the momentary thrill of a possible purchase, think of yourself in future years. Will this purchase still matter to that future you? If it will, then go for it if you can.

Sometimes our purchase decisions stir strong emotions, and noticing how you feel is another valuable guide to distinguishing luxury from necessity. Paying rent or buying light bulbs or laundry detergent are not transactions that generally stir any self-doubt within us. It’s just a thing you do to keep the routines going. However, if you notice yourself feeling anxious about a spending decision, that’s often a good indicator that you’re thinking of buying a luxury item. Instead of just thinking how bad you’ll feel if you don’t acquire the item, try running a positive alternative scenario in your mind: picture yourself putting the same money into a savings account instead, and then check your feelings. Do you feel more relaxed? That may be a good reason to at least postpone this decision for a while.

It’s important to your well-being to enjoy a few luxuries with the money you work hard to earn, but wise budgeting means understanding which items are necessities and making sure those are covered first. After that, you can budget for the “frills,” whether that means a fancy latte on your way to work or a weekend at a beach resort.