{"id":8525,"date":"2020-05-25T07:30:18","date_gmt":"2020-05-24T23:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/?p=8525"},"modified":"2020-05-25T01:34:51","modified_gmt":"2020-05-24T17:34:51","slug":"lifestyle-inflation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/","title":{"rendered":"[PERSONAL] Upgrading vs Making Do: My Dilemma with Lifestyle Inflation"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_83 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#The_reasonings_Ive_used_to_justify_my_lifestyle_inflation\" >The reasonings I&#8217;ve used to justify my lifestyle inflation<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#%E2%80%9CI_can_get_this_more_expensive_item_for_cheaper%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;I can get this [more expensive item] for cheaper&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#%E2%80%9CBuying_this_will_enable_me_to_earn_more_money%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Buying this will enable me to earn more money&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#%E2%80%9CYouve_waited_long_enough%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;You&#8217;ve waited long enough&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#%E2%80%9CBe_frugal_not_cheap%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Be frugal, not cheap&#8221;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#%E2%80%9CYou_can_afford_it%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;You can afford it&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/#A_Vain_Conclusion\" >A Vain Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div><p>I have a very complicated relationship with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investopedia.com\/terms\/l\/lifestyle-inflation.asp\">lifestyle inflation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In personal finance literature, lifestyle inflation is <strong>bad<\/strong>, full stop. It is the ruin-er of life, the reason for debt and bankruptcies and subsequent financial hardships, broken families and in the worst-case scenarios, suicides.<\/p>\n<p>Yet even knowing this, and even as I write this as a personal finance blogger (who is supposed to know what she&#8217;s doing), I, too have let lifestyle inflation happen in my own life.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>For example:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I used to drink instant coffee. Now I drink <strong>drip coffee<\/strong> with actual ground beans.<\/li>\n<li>I used to have housemates. Now I live by myself, thus paying the <strong>full rent<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>I used to sweep the floor manually, with a broom costing like RM15. Now I use a <strong>cordless vacuum cleaner<\/strong> costing RM700+ (and love it).<\/li>\n<li>And also, I just bought myself an <strong>iPhone<\/strong>, my first premium phone. My last three phones were all Xiaomi brands, costing only up to RM1200 or so max each.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>To make things worse, I do all this in full awareness and knowledge that my income is not consistent: I am self-employed. I&#8217;ve been lucky enough to be earning okay for the last few years, but who&#8217;s to say it will continue?<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s especially scary when I think of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dictionary.com\/e\/pop-culture\/cancel-culture\/\">cancel culture<\/a>. Much of <a href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/blogging\/income-malaysian-blogger\/\">my income<\/a> now is tied to my identity as &#8216;Suraya the personal finance blogger&#8217;. If one day I do a boo-boo and gets &#8216;cancelled&#8217;, there goes the income too.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t think I think about this? Of course I do. I have an exit plan in case that happens, too.<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, back to the topic.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_reasonings_Ive_used_to_justify_my_lifestyle_inflation\"><\/span>The reasonings I&#8217;ve used to justify my lifestyle inflation<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Many of my lifestyle inflations are not whims. They are intentional. I&#8217;ve used various reasonings to justify the upgrades. For example:<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CI_can_get_this_more_expensive_item_for_cheaper%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>&#8220;I can get this [more expensive item] for cheaper&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&#8216;Brew your own coffee to save money&#8217; comes up in almost every article about saving money, does it not? Therefore, I justified it.<\/p>\n<p>Sure, I saved a lot of money if I compared my (wonderfully delicious and fragrant) home-brewed coffee with the Starbucks version. (I calculated. Less than RM1 per mug vs RM10 from Starbucks)<\/p>\n<p>But the instant coffee was still delicious and that was just a few cents per mug.<\/p>\n<p>Related:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/saving-money\/save-money-on-coffee\/\">Malaysians Share How They Save Money on Coffee<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CBuying_this_will_enable_me_to_earn_more_money%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>&#8220;Buying this will enable me to earn more money&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I have definitely used this line of reasoning to justify the lifestyle inflation that are directly related to (1) reducing mental clutter, and (2) saving time. Two good examples are the decision to live without housemates and buying that cordless vacuum cleaner.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;d like to think that those two decisions enabled me to be more productive and work more efficiently. Although of course I have no way of confirming this.<\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/investing\/cheap-rent-in-kl-rm150\/\">How I rent a master bedroom in Kuala Lumpur for RM150 a month (not including bills)<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYouve_waited_long_enough%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>&#8220;You&#8217;ve waited long enough&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I used this reasoning with the iPhone. It&#8217;s always been something I wanted, since iPhone 4 or something (I, too, love the branding. But most of all I&#8217;m just impressed by the word-of-mouth marketing they get &#8211; almost everyone I know who uses one, recommended it to me).<\/p>\n<p>My delayed gratification game only ended after I legit dreamed about owning it, <em>on a Friday night <\/em>(Muslims will understand this significance). I bought the iPhone 11 the same day I tweeted this.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"in\">Mimpi beli iPhone&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Tahan nafsu lebih 10 tahun. Kalau sampai keluar mimpi&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/surayaror\/status\/1263630803432398848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 22, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CBe_frugal_not_cheap%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>&#8220;Be frugal, not cheap&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>I *used* to be cheap. By necessity, not by choice. Every cent counted when I was in my early 20s, working and living in Kuala Lumpur. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out more ways to cut living costs. I mostly bought cheap, flimsy, low-quality items, which broke down and wear out all the time.<\/p>\n<p>And then slowly, as I started earning more, I replaced those items with more reliable, higher-quality ones.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Patiently waiting for that ugly &amp; worn-out but still usable item to kick the bucket so I can buy a prettier replacement<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Suraya Zainudin (@surayaror) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/surayaror\/status\/1261134531207131138?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal-finance-community\/cheap-things-malaysians-do\/\">Malaysians Share Cheap Things They Have Done<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CYou_can_afford_it%E2%80%9D\"><\/span><strong>&#8220;You can afford it&#8221;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Simply put, I have savings. None of the lifestyle upgrades I chose will get me in financial trouble.<\/p>\n<p>And isn&#8217;t money a tool we can use to avoid, outsource and fix what we don&#8217;t like? What&#8217;s wrong with using my money to fix my life, even if that &#8216;problem&#8217; is just boredom? Neurologically speaking, <a href=\"https:\/\/lifehacker.com\/novelty-and-the-brain-why-new-things-make-us-feel-so-g-508983802\">we humans are wired to like and seek novelty<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/c_fit,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_470\/qrpnzpduspdgjafcnqqu.png?resize=470%2C228&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"470\" height=\"228\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Therefore, if lifestyle inflation happens in moderation, it&#8217;s okay right? It&#8217;s not as evil as how its frequently portrayed, right?<\/p>\n<p>Right?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Vain_Conclusion\"><\/span>A Vain Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>All this brings me to this personal conclusion: the majority of &#8216;lifestyle inflation is bad&#8217;-type advice out there, which warns people about the dangers of spending beyond one&#8217;s means,\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>does not apply to me.<\/strong><\/span><strong>\u00a0<\/strong>Unlike other people, I *reasoned* my upgrades.<\/p>\n<p><em>Which I&#8217;m aware is a pretty egoistical, boastful, and downright conceited thing to say.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This, in turn, brings me to another conclusion: <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>I&#8217;m experiencing overconfidence<\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>This is dangerous. What if&#8230; I&#8217;m actually at the peak of Mount Stupid?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/4\/46\/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_Effect_01.svg\/1024px-Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_Effect_01.svg.png\" width=\"1024\" height=\"852\" \/><\/p>\n<p>(This graph is a wonderful illustration of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect\">Dunning-Kruger Effect<\/a>)<\/p>\n<p><strong>I can&#8217;t afford to be overconfident in this matter<\/strong>. I mean, if I&#8217;m vain about my money management, how can I even identify problems if it happens? I don&#8217;t want to be blind to warning signs until its too late.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the day, I have to remember that <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">many people lived beyond their means without realising it<\/span>. It&#8217;s not like they <em>intentionally<\/em> want to get into financial difficulty, they just thought they could keep up with the payments, <strong>until they can&#8217;t<\/strong>. What makes me different?<\/p>\n<p>So. Swallow a humble pie, Suraya. You ain&#8217;t shit. Keep learning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I have a very complicated relationship with lifestyle inflation. In personal finance literature, lifestyle inflation is bad, full stop&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[5],"tags":[1047],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>[PERSONAL] Upgrading vs Making Do: My Dilemma with Lifestyle Inflation - Ringgit Oh Ringgit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/ringgitohringgit.com\/personal\/lifestyle-inflation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"[PERSONAL] Upgrading vs Making Do: My Dilemma with Lifestyle Inflation - Ringgit Oh Ringgit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I have a very complicated relationship with lifestyle inflation. 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