The Joy-Per-Dollar Filter: A Guide to Happier Saving and Spending in Midlife and Beyond
Do you ever notice how some purchases keep you smiling for years, while others stir up disappointment or regret within weeks?
In midlife and beyond, many of us crave less so we can make room for more. Rarely is that craving satisfied by filling our lives with meaningless clutter or making another thoughtless purchase in the checkout line.
What we want is joy through choices that feel aligned with the life we’re building.
And that, my friend, is why I want to share the Joy-Per-Dollar Filter with you. This is a small shift that helps you spend and save with clarity and zero disappointment. Using it helps your money decisions feel lighter and more intentional, guiding you toward what truly supports your well-being today and in the years ahead.
The Joy-Per-Dollar FILTER Defined
The Joy-Per-Dollar Filter is a set of questions you can use in the moment to consider where you spend and save. It gently pulls you out of impulse and back into intention, guiding you toward the choices that support your values, honor your well-being, and bring real joy into your life.
You get to create your own Joy-Per-Dollar Filter!
How Do I Create My Joy-Per-Dollar Filter?
You create it by getting honest about what matters to you right now. Your personalized Joy-Per-Dollar Filter is shaped by your values, your priorities, and the life you choose to build in midlife and beyond. It starts with understanding what feels good and what doesn’t. Select questions that help you pause and make choices you won’t regret later.
Here are some questions to ask yourself as you create your Joy-Per-Dollar Filter:
What are my top values?
What type of spending and saving brings me lasting joy?
What type of spending and saving do I tend to regret?
How does joyful spending and saving align with the life I am building?
How does joyful spending and saving impact my overall well-being?
With these questions answered, you can create your personalized Joy-Per-Dollar Filter. Use the answers to the above questions to write 3-4 questions you pause and ask yourself when spending and saving.
When Spending
Your filter guides you toward joy that lasts, not the quick hit that turns into regret. Use it as a moment of clarity before you spend, so your money goes toward things that truly support the life you’re building.
Here are a few everyday spending moments where your filter can guide your choices:
The high-quality (& eye-catching!) throw pillow you can’t stop thinking about because it instantly enhances your home environment (high joy-per-dollar)
An item that is on sale, but you don’t truly love (low joy-per-dollar)
A simple, long meal with a friend (high joy-per-dollar)
Upgrading to a more expensive item because others will be impressed (low joy-per-dollar)
A class, service, or experience that sparks inspiration or supports your goals (high joy-per-dollar)
Your Joy-Per-Dollar Filter helps you slow down to understand the reasons behind your spending and the level of joy you anticipate receiving from it.
When Saving
Saving becomes far more enjoyable when you see it as a gift to yourself, rather than a sacrifice.
Here are a few everyday saving moments where your filter can help you decide what feels right:
Auto-saving a small amount each week for a future getaway, experience, or goal that excites you (high joy-per-dollar)
Telling yourself you can’t have your favorite entree because it’s too expensive (low joy-per-dollar)
Choosing your favorite entree instead of the appetizer (high joy-per-dollar)
Saving due to fear or guilt rather than joy or alignment (low joy-per-dollar)
Skipping a purchase you know will become clutter and redirecting that money toward something meaningful in the future (high joy-per-dollar)
Your Joy-Per-Dollar Filter helps you see each save as a choice that supports your future comfort, freedom, and well-being. Saving isn’t about restriction. It’s about saying yes to what matters most to you, both today and in the future.
A Practice Tool TO HELP
This month, I created a SPEND/SAVE WITH JOY card to help you explore what your personalized Joy-Per-Dollar Filter might look like. You can print the card in the size of a business card to keep it in your wallet, or take a photo and save it to the favorites on your phone. Use it to filter your spending and saving while you work through the questions to create your personalized Joy-Per-Dollar Filter.
Spend and save with joy, my friend!
While you’re at it, why not boost your financial wellness in other ways, too? Join my free MONEY MATTERS list to receive a monthly email, each with a different money-related challenge, that helps you build your money mindset and grow your personal wealth.
The purpose of this post is to provide information and education (& hopefully some entertainment!). I am not a financial, medical, or mental health professional, so please do not interpret my words as the direction of a financial planner, doctor, or therapist.
I know you're smart and will ALWAYS consult with your physician or another appropriate, accredited professional before implementing any changes to your investments, diet, medication, lifestyle, exercise regimen, supplement regimen, or health practices. After all, you're here to live well, right??
Seriously - consult with your financial or healthcare team and assess your own risk. Verify what you find on the internet. I care about you!
