My friend Desiree is an astronomy addict. She and her husband, Mitch, were the ones who took me to the George Observatory a few weeks ago to take my first real look at Saturn. She also found out that she could do way more star-gazing for free if she joined a few astronomy clubs in and around our area.
At her first meeting, they showed her a close-up of the moon like she had never seen before on a 42” screen attached to a Takahashi telescope. She’s now jonesing for this $18,000 astronomy machine…
The weird thing is, even though I’m a frugal, money-hoarding squirrel, I think she should get one if it would truly enhance her happiness.
I greatly value happiness. I also believe that money can be used as a tool to achieve greater contentment. Being in the poor house doesn’t lead to peace of mind, so I also highly value budgeting.
So, I suggest saving for a HUGE splurge the same way you’d save for anything else. Set aside a certain amount of money from every paycheck for the item of your dream.
Desiree could be the proud owner of a Takahashi in 5 years or less (depending on interest) by setting aside $300 a month. If that is too steep, she could put aside $150 a month for 10 years and take advantage of technological advancement while she waits. As newer models come out, the older models are bound to be marked down.
In the meantime, she can happily use the impressive telescopes that the clubs provide. She may discover that she doesn’t even want to buy her own at all…although I saw the awe in her eyes when she was simply using a lesser telescope. I see a Takahashi in her future.
What are you saving up for? Anything crazy in your future?
I know my husband wanted his own pinball machine for a while, but now I see him developing dreams around Curling. I personally have aspirations for an Alaskan cruise.
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4 weeks ago
We're planning an Alaskan cruise as a reward when we pay off our debt.
ReplyDeleteJason, I sooo want to go. We're also thinking about a 3 week European cruise to celebrate early retirement in 25 years...I know, that's a very long-term dream expense...LOL.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are talking about a second honeymoon in a couple years. We'd like to go back to St Lucia. Vacation will be dependent on a bonus that year, meaning we only go if I get one.
ReplyDeleteSmaller dream for me is to save some fun money and buy a WII, XBox or Playstation. Just have a few other things I need before that happens.
MikeS, I hope you get the bonus!
ReplyDeleteWhen you reach the point of purchase, we are very happy Wii owners. My favorite game is Resident Evil 4 for the Wii...you make a slashing motion to use the knife. Or of course, Mario Kart.
My husband also wants the Playstation 3 (mainly for the new God of War game), although he's been putting it off for years already...
I want to go on an Alaskan cruise-tour myself, but I plan on waiting a years until my youngest is old enough to enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteI also have an African safari in the works (probably at least 12 years out or more). This will be a big one because I anticipate it being well over 25K for the trip.
For now, I'm happy going on small weekend trips. I took my older daughter overseas for a month when she was one. I don't think I'd like to do that again for a while!
Julie, we love weekend trips too. We just visited friends in Austin and Waco and had a terrific time at a play and the zoo.
ReplyDeleteBFS, I'm originally from a Dallas suburb myself. I loved visiting Austin, Houston, and Galveston on weekends!
ReplyDeleteJulie, San Antonio is a lot of fun too, right? We loved going to Schlitterbahn one day and the Alamo and Believe It or Not Museum the day after. :-)
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