<prompt> Human: TL;DR How do I make sure I dont turn into Scrooge McDuck? How do you strike a healthy balance between saving, and spending money?Im 29 and Im in pretty good shape financially. No debt, good job, good savings and Im well educated. I save about 13rd of my before-tax income. However, Ive noticed a couple of things about myself that I dont think are nice:1 I think Ive started viewing my savings as if it were a high score in a video game. I have zero interest in showing off my success to the neighbor, but privately, I definitely get a bit of a high when I look at my savings. This just fuels my impulse to spend less and save more.2 If Im being very honest with myself, I privately enjoy a sense of smug satisfaction when I watch my peers, whore most definitely in debt, blow their money on expensive BMWs and clothes and just generally be quite irresponsible with money. There are loads of people with advanced engineering degrees who dont grasp the basics of personal finance. I often pat myself on the back when I see this. This cant be healthy. Because of all this, I have difficulty spending money. I am unable to make large purchases like cars because I cant justify buying a rapidly depreciating asset. The trouble is, I love cars. I spend 30 minutes everyday drooling over the new Subaru BRZ, a car that I think people would agree that I can easily afford. But Im nowhere close to buying it.I am afraid I will turn into Scrooge McDuck. I dont want to have an unhealthy, obsessive relationship with money. We all have a limited time on this earth, and we cant take our money with us when we die. I dont believe in dynastic wealth, so leaving behind money for my kids doesnt interest me. I need to find a healthy balance somewhere between Wesley Snipes and Uncle Scrooge. Please share your wisdom with me.  <response>: I admire my friends outlook on money:Im careful with my money and I never spend more than what Ive budgeted. But if I spend under what Ive budgeted for the week, thats going to be one hell of a weekendnot that you have to force yourself to spend money you dont need to be spending, but I do like the idea of having a special fund however small just for self-indulgence. Of course, if having your dream car would make you happier than any amount of nights outetc, maybe you can set a goal for where youd want to be financially before treating yourself to the car you want. I think a lot of the joy in a big purchase comes from the time you spent dreaming about it and sacrificing for it, and the fact that you could already afford your dream car by other peoples standards doesnt mean you can afford it by your own standards. You can still approach that problem like a person who actually didnt have money to buy the car, by saving and planning. Also, if you hate the idea of investing more slowly as a result of a big purchase, maybe you can find other ways to keep your investing steady but do something for yourself. Like a side hustle or giving up a morning coffee habit or something like that. No matter how you do it, Im sure most people here will agree that as far as personal problems go, this is a pretty good one to have : 