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Coveting what others have

April 28th, 2017 at 04:18 am

I wanted to write about sometimes wanting what others have. I covet it too. I admit it. I'm only human. I feel bad that other bloggers feel bad about wanting what others have. Who doesn't? I feel we'd all have to be saints if we didn't.

I'm okay with most things. I hate cleaning so a big house isn't my thing. I am not a clothes horse or into fashion so that's not a big deal. We eat out enough and love cooking so I don't feel that either. But I admit I covet other people's cars. It's only happened more recently.

I've been lusting after other people's minivans or 3rd row suv. I think about how nice it would be to have a car with the extra space. I debate internally is it worth it. I know it's not practical. I know it doesn't make sense, but I still want it.

It's also possibly something I'll do even if it doesn't make sense. However I realize that I'm only human. I'm not perfect and most people as humans can't be satisfied with everything. I also think it's not a bad thing to want something. But maybe it is.

I think we just need a bit of perspective. That it's okay to want things others have. But realize that there are trade offs and are we willing to do it? it's not wrong to have the big house or fancy car. Maybe the trade off is never eating out or traveling. Maybe the trade off is not saving as much.

But whatever it is, it's okay. We aren't meant to always lived deprived. It's okay to not always be frugal and stretch every dollar. I repeat that to myself. It's okay. If we save 20% it's not the end of the world to not be saving 40%. At least we're saving something.

I may end up "gifting" myself a minivan or suv eventually. Even though I don't run my ridiculously reliable subaru into the ground. After all I've been coveting it for quite awhile.

5 Responses to “Coveting what others have”

  1. creditcardfree Says:
    1493384933

    I think it's fine to want things, too. Buying something reasonable for one's income is also important. As a mom with a minivan...I love mine! It's nice with kids and taking their friends places. Nice for longer road trips and moving. Smile Mine has 122K miles and is 9 years old. I'm hoping to keep it for at least five more years.

  2. PatientSaver Says:
    1493398599

    Everyone has a more or less fixed pot of money from savings and income, and everyone has different priorities about how they spend their money. However, the novelty of a new car wears off very quickly.

  3. ceejay74 Says:
    1493407786

    Well said, LAL. After many years of being pretty strict and then loosening the purse strings, I've realized I'm a spender, in that certain things give me enough pleasure to offset the pain of parting with the money they cost. I sometimes feel kind of bad that I'll never be naturally frugal. But other times I think it's OK as long as I take care of the necessities and have an eye toward financial security.

    It's really the same with coveting, I suppose. It may feel like we should be above such things, but it's a natural human instinct like jealousy and competitiveness. Having the feelings is natural and understandable, and manageable as long as you're able to put these urges into perspective and figure out what's reasonable for your life and budget.

  4. My English Castle Says:
    1493415100

    Agreed. There are not many things I want, and sometimes you can spend. I tend to have a bad all/nothing mentality with many things, and have to talk myself into moderation.

  5. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    1493514086

    I feel like everyone is really hard on themselves about not being perfect. About not saving every penny and making everything stretch. I am getting to the point where sometimes you just gotta say enough already. We are all human and make mistakes or make choices that aren't always financially wise but we do it because it makes us happy. I feel like we can't always do the right thing because sometimes the right thing is wrong.

    I'm still mulling over the car. A lot of things need to change and maybe me working a bit more than just a few hours might justify the car. And how much we spend on a house. So many things are going to change that will influence my mind.

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