Occasionally, Logix will invite members of the community to contribute to our blog. These guest posters bring unique perspective to financial subject matter, but the opinions expressed may or may not represent those of Logix. The article below was originally posted in January, 2016.
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We’ve made it to the New Year, congratulations. This time we are going to stick to our savings goals and make sure we don’t over spend. These thoughts are easy to keep in when we are looking at piles of broken toys and seeking lost receipts from Christmas for things we desperately want to take back. As we stare at the dismal aftermath of the holiday shopping season, many of us are plagued with the dreaded feeling of buyer’s remorse. Its casualties are left broke and disappointed - but do not fret for all is not lost.
If you are one of the lucky few who happens to find the receipt to that next gen plasma screen that you can’t the differentiate from the one you already have, then congratulations are in order. On the other hand, if you are stuck in squalor behind your December spending, take a deep breath and revel in the fact that you had the agency and financial backing to make those purchases in the first place. This is to say that you have a steady enough income or good enough credit that you could by the plasma screen for yourself.
It might be a little cash and a lot of credit, or the other way around, or just enough of both. But you can’t turn around your financial health without a little fuel in the tank. Hindsight is 20/20 but it doesn’t help you to look backwards when you are moving forward. Take whatever guilt, shame, or remorse that you are harboring and chuck it out with your Christmas tree. It is fine to make a choice that you look back on with disdain, you are an adult afterall. The key is not letting that purchase turn into a habit, or using this feeling to recognize you may have a problem with spending.
Don’t beat yourself up, but make yourself better. Take that feeling in the pit of your stomach as you take out the cardboard and styrofoam garbage and turn it into resolve. Let that feeling fuel a resolution to not ever feel this feeling again. Perhaps keep a piece of cardboard and write “Never Again.” on it as a reminder. If you were looking for finance advice here, know that you are getting something better, something you’ve always had but never knew. You are getting financial motivation!