Ever found yourself confusing those niceties for necessities? As an architect, you’re accustomed to creating stunning visuals and creating luxurious dream properties for clients. As you begin to collect little lavish items for yourself, the mindset starts becoming that you need 
these items. In this article, we will discuss how these luxuries can create a cycle that you don’t realize needs to be stopped.
Let’s take your cell phone for example. As an architect, do you see a new cell phone that has three camera lenses instead of two and convince yourself that you need this new item? Your other phone was purchased last year and you’re on a monthly payment plan to pay for the device. Since you take a great deal of pictures for your job, you rationalize that you need this item to help with your work life. Did you really need to spend an extra $1000 on the latest-greatest consumer good? ‘Need’ might be the word to reevaluate.
After finishing all of your hard work in college, you probably told yourself that you were going to take a higher paying, high pressure job that will afford you the ability to retire early. Now you find yourself in a house that was at the top of your budget, driving a new car every four years, with two kids in private school. You tell yourself that these items are all needs, however your kids can potentially get an education at a public school that is the equivalent, if not better, than at that expensive private school. If you had gotten a house closer to the lower-to-middle end of your budget, you wouldn’t have to pay for a housekeeper or person to tend the lawn. Moreover, you wouldn’t be working long hours to pay that expensive mortgage. And what about the new cars? To quote my old school family members, “cars sure drive better once they are paid for.”
Is it wrong to buy nice things for yourself or your family? Of course not. Do we often convince ourselves that these goods are requirements instead of wants? Yes, we do. It’s not too late to change that mindset and start saving thousands of dollars per year instead. The most difficult challenge to changing this money mindset: fighting the wo/man in the mirror.
