Unintentional Lifestyle Inflation
Getting a meaningful pay raise and buying something you've wanted for a long time is a completely reasonable thing to do.
The part worth thinking through is what comes after.
Lifestyle inflation isn't dramatic. It doesn't announce itself. It shows up as a slightly higher rent payment, a car with a bigger monthly note, dinners that cost more than they used to. Each one feels justified, and most of the time it is.
The problem is that income and spending rising together means the gap between them, which is where wealth is actually built, stays the same or shrinks.
A framework that works well for a lot of people is simple: when income increases, decide in advance what percentage goes toward lifestyle and what percentage goes toward savings or investments. That way the raise genuinely moves the needle in both directions.
Enjoying the results of your work is part of the goal. So is making sure the progress you've made financially reflects the work you've put in.
If this is something you've been thinking about, it's worth a conversation.