Money can buy happiness, if spent the right way.

source
I learned this through Gretchen Rubin’s The Happiness Project. I will never forget when she decided to spend her money to a new set of crisp white shirts. Despite the temptation of other clothes around, Gretchen was firm with her decision. Gretchen’s point was at the end of the day, she would always stick to her favorite white shirts.

I’m very guilty of buying things I don’t really need. The mall wide sale is a great temptation culprit. It’s always tempting to purchase items marked more than 50% off its original price.  I take these items home, only to later realize that they are useless and contribute to the never-ending chain of clutter. The ending, the hard-earned money was wasted. The opportunity to spend for other useful and meaningful things was never experienced.

I know the lesson but I will never claim learning. For sure, I’m bound to make another useless expenditure. In order to at least avoid the mistake, I decided to make a list of the things I want to own and achieve. The idea of writing down everything was also inspired by Carol. The list serves as a personal approach in redirecting efforts and resources. If I know what I want, I can easily figure out whether my hard-earned money is spent the right way.  A few of the items in my list include another travel opportunity, bags from Kate Spade and Tory Burch, new shelves for my books and my working space at home. My list will help me keep on track. If I receive my freelance earnings, I’d rather go home and spare the money. I’m postponing spending to achieve a happier ending.