I want something… Halo 3
One of my little hobbies that really isn’t necessarily productive or anything like that is gaming. I know some people cannot understand why someone would be willing to sit in front of a TV for hours at a time, drinking Mt. Dew, and 
trying to keep their fingers from not cramping up. Walking through Target the other day and there it was, the Halo 3 preorders are available to reserve a copy for the 9/25 release at midnight. I want this game very badly.
What could I do with $60 though? My Zales credit card could get paid off that much faster if I added $60 to the payment, and I would kill that account maybe a little bit quicker. I could save that $60 for Christmas and just hope a copy is available later. The last one that came out around the same timeframe was Halo 2 and my wife held it hostage from me because it was for Christmas. I can’t go through that again, it’s not a healthy or normal behavior and puts me in a really bad mood.
This sucks so much. My wife has no problem with me buying it since she has a tendency to buy things she is after. She knows better than to go and buy a car or something stupid like that, but I have come home to certain purchases that ran us a few hundred in the past. That is the past though and we have both bought stupid expensive things that I would like to actually pay for now. Not all expensive things are stupid. I’m referring to the Zales account. I still don’t own my wife’s engagement ring and we’ve been married for over a year and engaged a little more than a year prior to that. All the other rings and earrings and jewelry she wears are completely paid for, but not the engagement ring! It feels selfish to actually want something but know that money could be used for another goal.
I got the Xbox 360 system for Christmas last year. It was probably paid for with my wife’s credit card too, so we don’t really own the stupid thing. Sometimes I look at the things in my house and try to figure out whether or not we own it or if we’re still paying for it. All of our furniture is completely paid for which is really nice because it’s nice furniture and the couch feels comfortable to sit in. My basement so much crap in it I can’t completely know for certain what is and isn’t paid for yet. Either way that file box I have with the copies of the statements for the credit cards still have balances on them. Those balances were built up buying something.
This is really hard for me. I try to sacrifice so much and am now plagued by my own want. Now I don’t really know what to do.
I can understand how this could be difficult for you. Afterall, in the past it was easy to just buy now and pay later, but I think that by delaying this purchase until you feel a bit more comfy with your credit cards could show alot of financial maturity.
Also, do you have a small amount allocated each month for fun money? Even $20/month to just do whatever, no questions asked? You could save up for three months and buy it guilt free.
This could also be a lesson to your wife on the concept of delayed gratification. Lead by example. It will feel so much nicer when you have saved up for it instead of bought it right away.
Best of luck! Keep us posted on what you do!
What about selling some of the stuff that’s just taking up space in your basement and using the money to get Halo? Maybe a little labor intensive, but if you’re planning on moving within the next year anyway to a smaller place it’ll kill two birds with one stone.
I like Jillian’s idea. Rather than buying H3 with your earned income you should find another way. Like selling stuff.
Or if you move some of your interest onto 0% credit cards like you said you were going to look into, you can reward yourself by buying the game.
I mentioned some books in your last post. Another one that might motivate you is ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad.’ Alot of people hate the author and his books, but I think his general principles are sound and certainly describe a path to financial freedom.