Budgeting is about much more than saving.

Many of us who have lived on very little money in the past will often have a lot of difficulty spending on ourselves. If you've had to ration your food to avoid going over-budget or hungry while affording rent, dropping $500 on a new bike can seem extravagant (God forbid $1500 for a fancy one).

And yet, when we have money it is this very fear of scarcity that prevents us from being able to enjoy the fruits of our labour.

Budgeting is deciding what is important to you.

Naturally, your essential living expenses are crucial - you cannot survive and thrive without budgeting for food, rent, electricity, water, etc.

Beyond that, however, our purchases are reflective of what we value. By reframing luxury purchases to represent our values, we unlock an entirely new realm for self-development. Nobody can afford everything, but we can all afford one thing we want. When we assign dollar values to our dreams and prioritize one or another we decide for ourselves who we are becoming.

If it's big, pay for it in parts, not all at once.

You may technically have the money to pay for your thing outright, but that doesn't mean you should pay for it immediately.

Particularly if you're following zero-based budgeting, that money is likely earmarked for another purchase in the long-term like expenses or investing. Even if it isn't (yet) it may be better to spread the purchase out for yourself. Splitting up the payment will make it smaller in your mind.

If you already have the money, this reduces the stress of making this decision. If you want to spend $3000 to get laser eye surgery in June and it's January, you don't need to decide to put down that entire amount immediately. By spreading it out over 6 months, you can set aside a much more manageable $500 each month.

Practice budgeting even if you can't afford it (yet).

Even if a goal seems like it could take years to save for, add it to your budget. With this strategy, seemingly impossible goals are just a matter of time.

If you wanted to get the same $3000 laser eye surgery, you would simply need to save $500 per month the same. If you can't afford that much, you can adjust the date out.

Initially, when budgeting for laser eye surgery I was also paying off debt, so I dated it out for 4 years, making the monthly payment $62.50 per month. More than I spend on Netflix, but less than I spend on coffee.

I hope this helps you learn to invest in yourself guilt-free.

Best of luck on your financial journey!