Everyone makes (financial) mistakes

Pulled from my blog at http://www.caviartastebolognabudget.com

It started with a fish.

A Lucky Iron Fish, to be exact. It made its way into my house after a trip to Niagara. It seemed like a great idea at the time. The concept for the Fish is that you put it into boiling water, leave it for 10 minutes and then cook as usual. The iron that leached into the water is now infusing your food. It is clinically proven (also read as: not pseudoscience) and has been helping people for years. The Fish as a whole is a great concept and the work the company is doing in Cambodia and beyond is fantastic. The big question is; did I need one? Not really.

The Fish was a frivolous purchase. It was novel and I decided I was bringing one home. I even justified it the purchase in my mind, turning it into a need for just long enough to find my debit card. While husband and I definitely do indulge in our occasional treats, we try not to be wasteful. I had already spent my “allowance” for that trip and should not have even entertained the thought of buying anything else, but I did. I couldn’t change it, I couldn’t take it back and had to live with the consequences.

Every time I make the occasional mistake like this, I try to learn from the situation. I look at new strategies of how to say no to the things that I talk myself into “needing.” We all slip up every once in a while, but it’s not the end of the world. Own your mistake, re-budget to compensate for the error and figure out a way to avoid the situation in the future. I always tell people; it’s only worth regretting if you didn’t learn. I promise you, these “Oops” moments happen less often with every experience.

So don’t be too hard on yourself.

But please learn from it.

~A