Instant Gratificationism

The other day I was slicing homemade bread. It’s something I do often and don’t have to put much thought into. I had baked four loaves and as I finished slicing my last one it occurred to me that I had eaten 4 slices of bread in the midst of completing my task. Aloud, I scolded myself, “control yourself woman.”

Constantly Every now and then I amaze myself with the wealth of impatience and lack of self control I posses. I see something I want. I want it at that moment and I want a lot of it. I would say that my instant gratificationism is what has gotten me into much of the trouble in my life. It’s been a slow lesson I’ve been learning but looking back I’m so glad I can tell you I am a recovering must-haver.

The normal, acceptable mindset of consumers is to have what you want at any cost. For instance, if the only way you can take that beautiful kazillion-inch plasma television home in time for Monday Night Football is by charging it to your credit card (which you have no way of paying off in 30 days), then do it. That’s what credit cards are for, right? Or how about this one – your dream car goes on sale but you’re still a little upside down on your current car loan. The deal seems too good to pass up so you just roll over the upside-down amount into your new loan. Totally normal.

Instant Gratificationism is the driving force of payday loans, store credit cards, and rent-to-own stores. We’ve fooled ourselves into believing that having something instantly is worth a little poor judgement on the money-side of things. How wrong. There is so much more to be gained by waiting.

I feel foolish typing this because I am so far from being a person of any authority on this topic. Truly, I am expressing what I should know by now but I’m still learning. Here’s what I’m learning about the value of waiting for things:

You don’t really want all those things you think you want. If you wait on something for a little bit before buying it you might find that you don’t end up wanting it anymore. That bug-zapping fly swatter you HAD to have from the infomercial in July, old news. The $.25 plastic one seems to do just fine after the initial awe fades.

There is a LOT of satisfaction in getting a real deal. If you have the patience to wait for it, there will be an incredible sale on your must-have item. Waiting until you actually have the money to buy it and getting a great deal is a winning combination.

Remorse makes my stomach feel woozy. There’s a good reason for it. If I’ve thrown caution to the wind and made a hasty and poor financial decision for instant happiness, I may have fooled others but I did not fool myself. I might get a headache. I’ll definitely get nervous, maybe even defensive about my foolish decision. The outcome is just poor, every time and my tummy doesn’t like it.

On the other hand …

After waiting for something I truly want it is thrilling to finally have it. This has pertained to many areas in my life. I always want things sooner than I should have them. I grumble and whine while I wait, then I get what I’ve been waiting for and see that it was perfect timing. It makes finally having it seem that much more valuable.

This is much easier for me to type than to actually DO. I’m still learning, still working on things, still growing and maturing. Has anyone out there mastered the art of waiting for things?

(Yes, I made up words. Not for any reason. I just felt like it.)

Why I do what I do ~

Have you liked Domestic Cents on Facebook yet?

If you enjoyed this post you may want to subscribe to free updates by RSS feed or Email.

Tagged as: Debt, Frugal Living, Managing Time, Personal Growth