Do you have a “fun fund” as part of your spending/savings plan? If you don’t have one yet, you should start one.
A fun fund, also called a blow fund or an opportunity fund, is money you set aside once a month to spend purely on cool unexpected opportunities that may pop up during the year. The idea is not to keep it long term – but rather to have fun with it in the near-term. If you have one then you know you can afford it when, your friend is going to Hawaii for a conference and invites you to come along. Or your college basketball team is playing a tournament in your current town and tickets are pricey. The best part is you can afford it guilt free. 🙂
I recommend saving for this fund outside your current checking or savings account. If you work with a bank that allows you to open multiple savings accounts online, open a new one and give it a fun name. If your bank makes this kind of a hassle (many do) you can open up a Capital One 360 online account connected to your current checking account at any bank. Capital One 360 will let you set up as many separate accounts as you want and you get to name them too. I also like to use them for my Emergency Fund and saving for predictable expenses that come up once a year. You can check them out here https://www.capitalone.com/savings-accounts/online-savings-account/. I’m not affiliated with them in any way – I just like their set up. 😉