Just how much is too much? Who’s the Judge when it
comes to an individual’s spending?
I recently had a discussion with a friend after watching
this one particular episode of “My Dream Wedding” that featured a couple that
was so determined to realize their dream wedding regardless of what it would
take and how much it would cost.
The catch was, their budget; it cost them a
whooping 136,596 dollars to finance
the event this translates to about Kshs.12
million. While some of us were left intrigued, others were in awe and the
rest holding their chins in thought wondering if they had a chunk of the moolah
they would invest it elsewhere! As some would share in the same sentiments I
feel otherwise.
Here’s my
perspective:
Most of us if not all
have luxury goods/activities that drive us into a frenzy and regardless of
their expensive nature we would go rushing to the bank, right? Could be your
dream car, house, vacation or like the couple your dream wedding.
One would argue that
a wedding is just a one day affair and so you really don’t need to spend that
much. They might have a point, but look at it this way… you probably might
never have a second opportunity to make it happen. What if that was the last
thing you had to celebrate together? I believe in living a fulfilling life
within your means though, if your dream is big then the more you’ll have to
part with/the more sacrifices you’ll have to make to realize it and if you have
the cash and resources, why not? Of course by the time you are spending that
much you definitely will have sorted out the other key areas of your life. You
don’t want to walk out of a celebration broke!
Setting
Boundaries
Kat Kinsman – CNN once stated that, “It's easy to
get caught up in a nuptial excitement. At every turn, family members, friends,
experts, magazines, blogs are there to offer inspiration and instill panic. A
bride or groom's "nice-to-have" is inevitably someone else's
essential ("You can't possibly get married without a DJ, champagne toast,
church full of flowers, fill-in-the-blank!").”
At the end of it all the couple still remains
married regardless, your car doesn’t seize being a car because someone else has
a more expensive one.
Growing
up, I learned all kinds of money lessons from my influencers, but one thing
that stuck was the fact that after a hard day’s job after considering investing
my money on what I deem necessary, there’s me to reward.
You
want that expensive car, go for it! You want that expensive house, go for it!
You want to go on an expensive vacation… do it! Do it within your means, set the boundaries! Once in a while it’s always
good to reward yourself. I have interacted with people who are extremely
frugal, it is good to save but at the same time you don’t want to miss out on the
exciting bit of life.
Who’s
the judge?
More often we usually
judge other people’s spending and chances are, we’re usually right. Yet each
time we judge others’ spending, we’re less likely to actually look at our own spending
and do something about it. And just as we think someone else probably overspends
on “ridiculous” things, so do we.
I’m a believer of
spending extravagantly on the things I love, while cutting costs on the things
that really don’t matter as much to me.
It’s clear, that after
all’s said and done you are the ultimate boss when it comes to your spending,
search deeply within your conscience and if at peace… make the decision.
There
are so many things that we want out of life, but only a limited time on earth
to accomplish them. All these are possible, but we need to do it within our
means and let you be your own judge.
Could
be you are about to take that
pricey stride down the aisle, to the car dealer, on a vacation to the Maldives,
or you are yet to undertake on a pricey project; think critically,,, be your
own judge!
Written By:
Dorcas Waringa
1st August, 2014
