Never trade comfort for cash.

I arrived in London two days ago, at Stansted airport. It was 11 PM, and we decided to spend the night at a nearby Holiday Inn. When we woke up, we chose to go to our Airbnb by car (expensive, comfortable) or travel by Stansted express and Tube (cheaper, logical). After some deliberation, I chose the former.

Two months ago, I was supposed to fly to Dubai. As I was picking a plane seat through an airline website, I noticed the two vacant seats with extra legroom upfront. They cost an additional $50. I debated it for a while and eventually purchased them.

Two years ago, I was packing my suitcase to leave for L.A., sweating and puffing, trying to fit all my summer clothes inside a tiny Samsonite. Suddenly, it cracked. It didn’t break entirely and could be used for a couple more flights, at least, but that cracking sound made me pause. I stopped packing, went outside and bought a new, larger suitcase. Then I continued to pack my stuff with peace of mind.

Many people trade comfort for the money. They assume that a little suffering wouldn’t hurt if you could save a few bucks. But that doesn’t make any sense to me. You trade time to get money by working for it. Quality food, nice clothes, and a pleasant place to live come from paying for them. So if you can alleviate your suffering, save time, or be more comfortable and you don’t do it, that’s like cheating on yourself.

But it’s more than just ethics. It’s also common sense.