Is emotional spending the great tie that unites us all?  Like dating the wrong person? We all know what it’s like to mistake someone as interesting when they’re really just convenient.  The same can be said of an impulse buy.  Sometimes it’s better to leave that previously loved item on the shelf than take it home and make it your problem.

The past couple of years have probably added as many years to our faces as they’ve shaved off from our lifespans.  While you can fix your face, you can’t get those stolen years back, however, you can sure try.  How is that?  Through indulgences, of course.  Extravagance.  Every day is your birthday.  In the words of the great Donna Meagle: “Treat Yo’ Self!”

The reason these words caught fire like a cheap wig near a lit cigarette can be attributed to one thing: Relatability.  We all deserve nice things.  Especially after the pandemic we’ve been through.  The birthdays we spent at home.  The anniversaries that went without expensive dinners and gifts that purchased another year of time together.  Unless you believe in reincarnation, you do, in fact, only live once.  However, according to a somewhat-trusted psychic, this is not my first rodeo.  My former life was full of riches, glamour, and a predilection for the finer things, the latter which has carried over to this lifetime.  

Typically I make an extravagant purchase right around the time I face a devastating life experience.  My last two purchases came days and minutes before a bomb was dropped on my life.  Each time surrounding a period of financial hardship ensued.  At this point a ball-out moment is more of a premonition that the fecal matter is about to hit the blade.  This time the tea leaves manifested as a pricey piece of jewelry that cost more than my rent.  The result of an opened can of rosé, mixed with rage and what I can only describe as “bitter bidding” (the act of driving up the price on an auction item—because if I can’t have it, someone should REALLY have to pay for it).  Oh, when treating yo’ self goes wrong…

Stress makes us go in one of two directions: hold onto every resource, or blow it all in the name of YOLO.  Have you ever spent an exorbitant amount of money on a non-refundable item?  Do you then compile a mental list of investment pieces already in your possession and tally their resale value so you can sleep that night/pay your rent?  If so, please let me know.  Until then I’ll be deleting my shopping apps, polishing my silver, and diligently applying retinol.