Use mediocre experiences to finance better ones

I've been going out to eat a lot lately. It's nice to not worry about the added time for cooking and clean-up and just read a book and be served. If I was wealthy, I probably wouldn't be writing this, but here I we are.

Going out to eat is obviously an expensive daily indulgence. This in itself should be reason for me to stop, especially since I'm supposed to be saving money and paying off debts right now. But there's a bigger idea that I want to reflect on which is that the quality difference between an experience like going out to eat and cooking myself a meal is small and by eating the experiential costs of going out to eat (or just indulging in unnecessary luxuries in general), I can afford to invest in grander experiences with some money to spare.

The really important point to stress here is that going out to eat really doesn't provide much benefit. It's nice. Don't get me wrong. But it's a fleeting experience. I could just as easily make a quesadilla or some tacos, then go spend $50 on dinner at a nicer restaurant over the weekend that will likely leave more of an impression. Or, I could skip the fancy dinner and go to San Francisco for a weekend every month, or go to Seattle for a few days every couple months.

I don't need to belabor this point. You get it.

But this idea of paying attention to the actual cost-benefit ratio associated with spending is really what I'm trying to get at. $25 is a lot of money to me for a meal I've had a hundred times, just for 15 minutes of reading time that I could get for free at home. Yeah, there's added cost associated with cooking and clean-up time, but that's something that I can probably slim down if I choose simple meals.

Perhaps actually setting some tangible target experiences that I can use these savings for would be a good way to motivate me more.

Maybe I'll plan a trip to SF soon.