Are we... financially delusional? Asking for a friend

I need to tell on myself for a second.

There’s a very specific version of me that shows up when life feels… expensive.

When I get to this point the flying monkeys in my mind take over and they:

1.) stare at scratch-offs a little too long

2.) check reward apps like they’re investment portfolios

3.) fully believe that we are one good decision away from turning it all around

And once the monkeys fly home to Oz, I catch my breath and realize…

I am not alone in this.

The $20 escape plan

Tell me why a scratch-off starts to look like a strategy when you’re stressed. Not even in a reckless way. More like: “What if I just grabbed the winning ticket… and got lucky real quick?”

Because at that moment, you don’t want a plan, you want a win, and for about 30 seconds—before you scratch—it feels like you made a power move.

You didn’t. But emotionally? You absolutely did.

☕ Meanwhile… 10,000 Starbucks stars

A coworker casually mentioned she has over 10,000 Starbucks stars.

Say it with me... Ten. Thousand. And I was like: “Oh! You’re rich, rich”

But then I paused. Because stars don’t just happen. They are earned. Repeatedly. Financially, and here’s the part that sent me:

She’s not even using them, she’s saving them.

For what?? A coffee emergency?? A personal meet and greet with the legendary Juan Valdez? Because at some point those stars stop being rewards and start feeling like progress.

“No no, I’m not just spending money… I’m building something.”

A few seconds later, the flying monkeys in my mind get on the loud speaker and announce “Ma’am. You are building a latte.”

Far be it for me to correct the monkeys, but she’s building a lot of lattes.

And then there’s my friend…

We have many conversations about how she does not fall into the “sign up for our app and get free stuff” trap. However, she is in a competition with herself to save all of her Chick-fil-A points.

Not casually, oh no! my dear friend is saving those suckers with intention, just to see how far she can take the points. She is currently about to break the 10,000 points which would place her into the Chick-fil-A Elite status.

She jokingly told me that she’s basically working her way toward owning a franchise.

And listen… For a split second? I believed her and thought, now THAT is a retirement plan. However the aforementioned flying monkeys in my brain were already doing the Google deep dive to find out if that indeed is an option.

Because that’s the thing with all of these rewards apps, and even in a grander sense membership clubs and achievement badges that we all buy into:

👉 keep going

👉 it’s adding up

👉 you’re getting closer

To WHAT, exactly, is unclear, but it feels important.

Just in case you are wondering, you can’t buy a franchise with your points, but if you are at least a Silver (1,000+ points) or Red (4,000+ points) member. This unlocks a specific superpower: you can gift rewards to family and friends.

💭 Let’s be honest

This isn’t about scratch-offs, or coffee, or chicken sandwiches with a dream.

It’s about this feeling:

👉 that we’re doing something

👉 that we’re moving forward

👉 that we’re not just stuck

Because the real plan? The slow one? The responsible one? It’s boring, and sometimes… we just want a little delusion. As a treat.

✨ Final thought (and I mean this with love)

Some people invest in stocks, some invest in real estate, and some of us are out here emotionally diversified across:

scratch-offs

Starbucks stars

and fast food reward points

…just trying to feel like we’re one good decision away from everything finally working out.

If this hit a little too close to home, just know:

I am right there with you 😅

Coming soon I will break down the actual math behind those 10,000 Starbucks stars and Chick-fil-A points, because… it’s a lot. Like. A lot a lot.