Last night, I spent nearly $15 on dinner with a group of friends. The food was delicious but it seems like the expenditure is remarkably large considering that it was probably less than healthy and all it did for me was fill me up. From the perspective of having an impact, what did I gain from spending that money?

I'm not saying this from the perspective of being a cheapskate; rather, it made me muse about the things I have consciously avoided spending money on that could make a lasting improvement in my daily life. If I added up my monthly expenses for going out to eat, I could buy maybe 10-15 pairs of "nice" socks. So why am I still putting up with ones that are uncomfortable and, in some cases, developing holes?

Likewise, my laptop battery life has been disgustingly bad lately. An eBay search showed that I could buy a third-party battery for roughly $40. The utility of better battery life for me is significant; I feel like run into battery life-related annoyances several times a week. For the cost of two and a half dinners, I could remove a regular annoyance.

And yet when it comes down to daily actions, it's always a lot easier for me to convince myself to spend money on dinner than on a new laptop battery. I would make a terrible economist.

Meanwhile, I've finally ordered that new laptop battery after all.