I have an old MP3 player lying around. I bought it about 8 years ago and it haven’t been in use much since then. I keep it because it is a symbol for me of my own past mistakes and situations we hopefully won’t find ourselves in again. Ever.
So we bought this MP3 player about 8 years ago. We didn’t really need it and we certainly couldn’t afford it at the time. But we bought it anyway for reasons I can’t even tell you. Because we wanted it? Because we thought we needed it? Because we deserved to buy something? Could be one of those or all of the above, but still; not good reasons.
At the time, our financial situation overall was not good. Partly because we were a young family with a baby, working but also studying, and partly because we didn’t know how to manage financially. We didn’t have a lot but still spent too much. We weren’t organized enough, didn’t plan ahead enough and were often too spontaneous and emotional in our choices. Today we are still all of those things, but on a much lower scale. We have learned a lot since then, most of it the hard way, but do believe that behavior can be changed for the better.
Most of the changes we made and still make, are small and slow, like meal planning or writing down our expenses. They take time to get used to and take time to take effect. Here are a few more of the things that help us help ourselves.
So the MP3 player is really just an example of past times and past behaviors, because believe me, we did plenty of other bad decisions 😉 I emphasize this one, and come back to it once in a while, because it is a purchase that we both remember and feel bad about and to this day I can even tell you the exact price of it – 1450 NIS (USD 360)!
So what did you buy and wish you hadn’t?
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