Over the past few months, I’ve noticed that I’ve started succumbing to what some call ‘lifestyle creep’.  My finances are on auto-pilot and doing well so I’ve stopped paying attention.  I don’t always take the time to search for a frugal solution and I’ve started spending money on things I previously haven’t.

As of late, I’ve been valuing my time much more than money (and not necessarily wrongly).  I was on travel last week and got home late Thursday evening.  I was off on Friday and the last thing I wanted to do was clean house.  So I didn’t.  I paid a housekeeper to come in and do so.  I’m also seriously considering having someone come in once a month to clean.  Sure, I could do it myself but I really don’t want to and why else do I work if not to have the freedom to decide how to spend my time and energy?

So while, lifestyle creep is always a bad thing, it’s something to be aware of.  The key is making well-thought out decisions and not just spending blindly.  So while I’m going to keep the housekeeper, I will be sure to plan/shop better in order to avoid buying takeout (an increasing and undesirable trend) instead of preparing food at home.

Have you noticed that you spent more once you got to a comfortable financial place?