I also really like going out to eat with friends, so that’s where my money was going. Once I self-analyzed and had some introspection, I realized that I’d really prefer to go to Mexico with Boyfriend once a year than go out to restaurants with Friends a few times a week. Now I only go to restaurants a few times per month, and the money I save goes into a travel fund. We’ve already saved our goal amount for a trip we’re taking in November!

I think Trent’s main point (that is not spelled out very clearly) is that the act of spending money is not that fun in and of itself– it’s what you get with the money, and the joy that you get from what you’ve bought. I can’t get the same joy of traveling to foreign countries without spending money, but I can get the same joy of having dinner at restaurants with my friends without actually going out to an expensive meal.

I’m mostly playing devil’s advocate here, since I have fairly inexpensive tastes myself, and “don’t spend money on stuff you don’t want” has always been enough to keep me in a good financial place. But not everybody is me.