Have you ever felt pressured into spending money just because you didn’t want to miss out on an experience? I’m going to guess that almost everyone answered with a resounding “yes,” and I am right there with you.
Here’s an example…Garth Brooks did a nine-concert stand here in Edmonton, and it was all everyone could talk about for awhile. Am I a Garth Brooks fan? Nope. Did I almost convince myself I should buy tickets to the show just because EVERYONE else was going? Absolutely! But I was talked off the Ticketmaster ledge by my more rationally-minded (AKA more country music-hating) friend. Was everyone currently raving about how incredibly awesome every single show was and posting endless shots to social media? Heck yes. Am I sad I didn’t get to experience it? Not so much.
我发现，当您不会因为自己没有太多渴望做的事情而感到不知所措时，您并不是真的很失望。如果您拼命想要一些东西，那么，是的，竭尽所能实现它。但是，如果您对某事感到冷漠，那肯定是一个不值得您来之不易的美元的迹象。
Fear of missing out is a thing — it has its own acronym (FOMO). Search #FOMO anywhere on social media, and you’ll get inundated with results.RateHubactually completed a study just last year, and discovered some pretty staggering results:
- 26% of Canadians have experienced FOMO (and that jumps to 48% when you focus just on millennials)
- 加拿大人中有70％认为25％的债务是因为FOMO
- 在社交媒体上，有50％的千禧一代在
但为什么？
人类具有竞争力。鉴于我们对分发奖项和演奏（或观看）职业运动的痴迷，这对任何人来说都不足为奇。最好是习惯是生死攸关的问题（何时），但是即使赌注不那么高，这些生存本能也一直坚持我们。现在几乎恰恰相反……我们很难努力实现我们甚至不知道它在情感，身体和经济上影响我们的理想的理想。
上述调查结果的统计数据对我来说真正突出的是，加拿大人中有70％可以将其25％的债务归因于FOMO！债务只是为了跟上您的朋友，邻居，互联网熟人或不可行的人。我们现在就达成协议了，我们不再这样做了，好吗？花钱应该节省的钱是一回事，但是向信用卡收取FOMO经验是个坏消息。不仅会花费您的前期费用，而且要花费您支付的18％以上的利率，而且您支付的费用将每月增加您无法赶上。这是不值得的，我可以保证您从长远来看会后悔。
It’s not just about money, either. People (myself included) are hooked on social media and being up-to-date on all the latest news. FOMO can lead to unrealistic expectations of what your life should be. Everyone knows that no one’s life is as perfect or exciting as it seems to be on Instagram, and yet we still compare ourselves to all those edited posts of other people’s daily lives. Just take a gander at your own posts — is it an authentic portrayal of how you live or what you do? Or is it more likely a recap of the highlights with none of the lows? I have no problem with people posting those pictures, but I just have to remind myself that everyone is in the same boat and only lets you see what they want you to see…so stop comparing!
How to overcome FOMO
Turning off your fear of missing out and keeping your focus inwards is no easy task, but there are a few things you can do to keep yourself on track.
1.设定目标
Specific savings goals are a savior for me when it comes to sticking to a plan. I need something to look forward to and something to put my money towards, otherwise, I end up spending it on random things or experiences I don’t even really want (e.g. Garth Brooks tickets). If I can say to myself, no Sarah, if you spend your money on this stupid thing, you won’t be able to do this super awesome thing in the future, I’m way more likely to stay strong.
Having a stable budget can also help dissuade you from spontaneous spending. If you know you have a set amount of money to spend on entertainment, clothing, food, etc., then you’ll know when you can and can’t afford to splurge a little.
2.参加社交媒体假期
Being flooded with people talking about an upcoming concert or wearing an article of clothing you justHAVE拥有不会帮助您说服自己没有。让自己休息一下，做一些事情来分散自己的注意力（这不涉及花钱）。带你的狗散步，呆很长时间浴
3. Read for Inspiration
Have you ever read a book on personal finance and been suddenly inspired to cut your spending and start saving for retirement? *Hands up!* This happens to me all the time, and not even just for money. I’ve readBorn to Run
4. Find Like-MindedFriends
The biggest influence on your spending habits is often your friends, and this is particularly the case for millennials. Frugal friends will almost always mean you spend less. Now, I’m not suggesting you banish all your friends and attempt to make new, less-spendy ones, but maybe try and come up with different things you can do together that cost less. Instead of always going out for dinner, how about hosting a girls’ night in?
*****
Do you guys find that the fear of missing out impacts what you do? Or have you figured out ways to cope with it?
Sarah is a Canadian personal finance blogger over at微笑与征服。她已经在金融界工作了近十年，并利用这种经验来帮助其他千禧一代对自己的钱变得明智。
图像通过Pexels
