We’ve had a nice little break from Marvelous Money posts (maybe to let the first three sink in?), but they’re back in action! I thought before we talked about ways to track a budget, it would be good to address saving money’s other half: spending money. Yep, we’re talking about spending money today! [Keep in mind that we’re talking about spending money you’ve already budgeted for — I’m assuming you’ve already taken care of everything else in your budget (retirement, savings, etc.), and this is money you’re going to spend no matter what.] I firmly believe that how you spend your money is far more important than how much of it you have. Money can either be a powerful tool, or a source of endless frustration. I think the key to making money the former, and not the latter, is four-fold. 1. Figure out what you value. Sounds obvious, doesn’t it? We should spend money on things we value? We know this, but I think a lot of us don’t do it. The Starbucks example gets picked on a lot (you know, stop wasting money on your daily latte and brew coffee at home), but if the ritual of a morning cup of joe prepared especially for you truly makes you happy, then go for it! When you know what you value (whether it be security, family, convenience, heritage, adventure, and/or love), you will know exactly how you should spend your money in order to bring more joy into your life. 2. Buy more experiences and fewer material goods. John is a HUGE proponent of this strategy. And I think he’s right — people generally don’t reminisce about that great toaster they bought in the 90’s… they reminisce about the time they went to the Grand Canyon, or Aruba, or