Andree: The focus of my writing is how to make the most of every dollar. This article was intended to get people to think critically about their needs vs. their wants. 

Ultimately it's your money. You can spend it all on pull tabs and Snickers bars if that's what you want. Just make sure it's what YOU want, rather than having it be the result of marketing and/or peer pressure. 

Yet I do hope people won't go hog-wild without first taking care of business (debt paydown, emergency fund, needed repairs). I've interviewed lots of people who told me that no one ever taught them how to think beyond the moment. Thus they spent every dollar they earned and then some, running up massive debt for fleeting pleasures. 

Heck, some couldn't even say exactly how they'd spent their money. They knew only that it was gone and that their current realities were grim. 

Hoping to encourage Alaskans to think through the essentials vs. immediately indulging all their impulses. Ant vs. grasshopper.