This video may not seem to have much to do with frugality.
However, I watched the video a few weeks ago and I have found that his words have resonated with me in a number of different contexts. In particular, I like how he described the progression of a person learning to play the piano. The difference between a beginner and a virtuoso is practice, of course, but also learning not to give in to every urge.
Frugalites, too, need to learn the art of resisting impulses in order to progress into advanced frugalosity. One way to train yourself to reflect on rather than react to your impulses is to implement a rule of waiting a certain number of days before buying something, depending on the price of the purchase. For example, if you want to buy something that is 3000 yen, you should think about it for three days before handing over the cash. If you want to buy something that is 7000 yen, you should wait for seven days. A computer worth 200,000 yen, therefore, would entail a 20 day wait. If you want to be even stricter with yourself, you could multiply by a factor of two (a 3000 yen purchase would require 6 days) or even change the “days” to “weeks” if you really want to stave off any potentially impulsive purchases that won’t stand the test of time.
The “Waiting Game” could be applied to all purchases, or you could just enforce it in areas where you tend to buy stuff that you later end up not using (I bet a few of you have some exercise equipment in this category).
You may find that after waiting for a certain amount of time, your urge to buy a particular item gets overshadowed by something else that you have decided you can’t live without, or you just lose the initial excitement and decide that you can, after all, live without the item in question. If, on the contrary, you find that you still want the item after the requisite time has passed, then perhaps it is something that you really need and you can, therefore, justify the expense of purchasing it. If so, go ahead and do it with the knowledge that you are now spending your money like a virtuoso instead of a beginner.