“Money, it’s a gas” Pink Floyd

Gas:  any such combustible fluid used as fuel

Money, it’s a gas. And besides driving us to build our careers, education, and countless other aspects of our lives around it, its most relevant purpose is, unquestionably, consumption. Whether it’s trendy subscription services or your daily coffee run, we are all compelled by marketing and influencers to buy and keep buying. Aside from something as innocent as a daily coffee habit, we are also continually pressured by the “keeping up with the Joneses” phenomenon to spend excessively. It is certainly appropriate to spend money on a special occasion or family experience, but spending lavishly every day can become a future burden. The short-lived enjoyment of these conspicuously consumed goods may put your financial future in jeopardy. To recant the old cliché -- “money can’t buy you happiness”. And having a solid nest egg will certainly place you in a better position than having years of debt to pay off. It is with hard work and good fortune that we come by our money, and we should think diligently where we spend it. James Roberts, a Marketing professor at Baylor University is the author of Shiny Objects: Why We Spend Money We Don't Have in Search of Happiness We Can't Buy. Roberts states: “The thrill from material purchases is usually short-lived…Often, the boost we get from spending on ourselves quickly disappears." In the fast-paced modern world we live in, it is all too easy to spend on a quick thrill, but overall, even the slightest prudence will make you better in the long run.

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