When Confidence Became Expensive
“I deserve this.”
That phrase has emptied more wallets than bad investments and broken appliances combined.
I thought I was rewarding myself. For hard work. For stress. For surviving life’s rough edges.
It started small. A dinner here, a gadget there. I wasn’t spending recklessly—I was “celebrating milestones.” And soon, every Tuesday became a milestone. Every hard week deserved a reward. Every inconvenience earned a purchase.
The Entitlement Mirage
Here’s the catch:
When you start seeing spending as self-care, every expense feels justified—even the ones that bury you in debt.
It’s easy to confuse financial sabotage with self-love. Especially when every social feed tells you it’s okay to “treat yourself.” For more on how others can drain your finances, see Financial Vampires. For the chain reaction of regret, see Regret Inflation and The Sunk Cost Spiral.
But here’s what those posts never show you:
- The credit card bill that arrives later.
- The quiet shame of hiding transactions from your partner.
- The brutal realization that you’ve been your own worst enemy.
Ledger Lesson:
Self-care that creates debt isn’t care—it’s self-harm wearing a fancy outfit.
This post is part of the Regret Ledger, where we keep track of the truths we wish we’d learned sooner.