I decided to play some poker Monday night and lost $100. When I went to play I rationalized that I’ve been doing well with my money and deserve to have a little fun. That is true but playing poker isn’t a good entertainment option for me. After playing for a couple of hours I was up very slightly but I didn’t leave. I have somewhat of a gambling addiction and whenever I gamble I’ll most likely stay until I’ve lost all the money I’ve brought. This is what makes gambling a poor entertainment option for me.
Losing the $100 isn’t going to create a hardship for me but it would have been nice to have that to pay off my student loan or fund my Roth IRA quicker. I’m going to try to make up the lost $100 over the next month. I’m going to delay getting home internet for a month to make up some of the difference. The rest will come from picking up extra hours at work or cutting my budget elsewhere. This will cause me to feel some consequences from losing the money and make me less likely to repeat the mistake.
I do think I can loosen up on my spending some though. I just need to find some other entertainment options that I enjoy and feel give me value for the money.