40+FAB Blog

As humans, our natural tendency is to focus on the negative. One study done by phycologist revealed that we are 80% more likely to think negative thoughts than positive ones in the course of a day. This is a major reason why we are quick to identify our weaknesses, and then spend our energies trying to mitigate them, hide them, or explain them away.

In light of that, expenses get a very bad rep in business and financial planning. The reality however is that expenses cannot be avoided. Life is designed to have them. If you breathe in, then you must breathe out. If you eat, then you must relieve your body of the waste.

Whether you like it or not, you will have to spend and expend. So if it is a part of the process of life, just like we do with everything else, we must learn to use it to our advantage.

Expenses can harm us if they are not properly planned, but they can also greatly enhance us if carefully considered. A car is popularly described as a diminishing asset and could be termed as a bad expense, however, if it is your means of movement to places that add value to your life, then that expense is to your advantage. An expense on items of higher value, in thier category, is an advantage because as the saying goes, buy cheap, buy twice. Another thing to note is that cheap doesn’t always mean less value, and expensive doesn’t always mean better value. Learn to broker the right price for the value you get.

Expenses are necessary and will always happen whether we do it willingly or are eventually forced to. If that is the case then it is worthwhile becoming great at spending to your advantage.