by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: October 01, 2009

Everyone wants everything now, but that isn't the best way of looking at things. There is a lot to say for delayed gratification. Instant gratification can be fun, but delayed gratification is much more satisfying. There is a lot to say for waiting to get what you want.

Here is a guide to delayed gratification for dummies:

Feels better- It just feels better to save for what you want. Sure, you could go run up your credit card bills. It is much more fun to save for what you want. It gives you a goal to reach for and when you reach that goal, you will feel better about yourself.

Saves you money in the end- If you wait to get what you want until you have saved the money for it, you will save a lot of money. Purchasing items on a credit card sounds like a good idea, however, when you look at the whole picture, you may realize that you are spending far more money for the item than you would have if you had just saved the money in the first place. After you add up all the finance charges and if you are late even one time, the price of your product has gone up tremendously.

Gives you a sense of pride- When you can say "this is mine, I own it and it is paid for" you will feel a sense of pride that you were able to do it without adding to your debt. It is easy to pull out that credit card, but it will not give you nearly as much pride as paying cash for it. Give it a try and see how much better it feels.

Impulse buying- If you wait until you save enough money to get a product that you want, you can avoid impulse buying. Impulse spending is usually very wasteful. You don't use the product that you are buying. It will usually end up in a corner someplace taking up space in your home that could be better used. Impulse buying, rather than instant gratification will waste more of your money than you really want to admit. Delayed gratification will allow you to really think about what you are purchasing. You may change you mind about wanting it in the end.

No bills- You don't have to wait for the bill to come in to pay for your purchase. You will eventually have to pay for you items anyway. You are better off if you pay for them right away. You will find yourself in a pickle at times trying to pay for things on top of the bills that you already have. This can mean that you will not have enough money to live off of when the bill does come in.

Delayed gratification is very satisfying. It is one of the best ways to handle you money. You will have more money in your bank account and less money to shell out each month. Give it a try and see how much better you will feel about things. You might be surprised and amazed with what you can do.

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