One of the many exciting things about the holiday season is how spending seem justifiable. We buy gifts for our friends and loved ones, we spend a little more on meals, and we buy ourselves something nice. These are all okay, so long as your resources can afford them while keeping the rest in case of emergency.
But does it ever occur to you to spend the money you have or save it for later instead? Both your answer to this question and whatever action you take are acceptable. It doesn’t necessarily matter which ones you choose between spending or saving. What matters is the cost and the benefit of your action in the long run.
Christmas, for some, means more shopping, more dining out, more buying items we may or may not need. It is that time of the year, other than our birthdays when we let loose our usually tight grip on our resources. But it would be wise to know if the money that will leave your pocket can bring out great benefits.
Spending Now
We love to buy things for the people we value. Some of us would even spend more for others than for ourselves. As mentioned earlier, it’s acceptable no matter how you use your resources. However, you have to ask yourself if the purchase can be made some other time?
Doing so can make room for other options on how you can reap more benefits with the money you have, like investing or signing up for a business that can generate passive income. You have to ask yourself whenever you spend your money to purchase something if you would still have enough for other things by doing so. If it can’t be helped, by all means, use your money for your purchases. But if you want to have more flexibility in the future, in terms of spending, you could either hold off checking out your cart, or you can make your money earn for you first.
When you spend now, you pay for the cost of your purchases, or wherever you use your money, regardless of whether you would still have enough left with you or not. One of the benefits of spending your money now is you get that item you have been eyeing for months. Not all products stay on the shelves forever. Like everything else in the market, some run out of stocks, and you may miss the chance to get them if you don’t buy them now. However, you have to gauge the cost and benefit of taking this action.
Save for later
Many of us would argue that we work hard, day and night because we like buying nice things. That mentality put things into perspective. We work so that we can spend. However, spending isn’t the only thing earning is for. Most of the time, savings widens the range of what we can purchase later. When we save the money we have now, we become flexible when it comes to our purchases in the future. But saving isn’t always about keeping your money in the bank, putting it in a piggy bank, or under your bed.
Venturing into businesses that could generate additional income on top of your monthly wages is another form of saving. It’s the kind of saving that could make your money grow, aiding you to achieve financial freedom. When you save your money by signing up for a business, you create more income streams for yourself without working for it.
These days, co-ownerships have become a trend for young professionals and the general adult population. This kind of development strengthens the country’s financial literacy. As more people realize that creating an additional income stream is key to financial freedom, we see more people become flexible regarding their purchases. Some, through these ventures, manages to purchase their first car or finally pay off their new home.
Big or small, whether you spend your money or you save it for later, by adding an income stream, managing the cost and measuring the benefits of the action could create an impact on your life. This Christmas, make the right choices by assessing which one would benefit you more.