Reason 3 to stop paying "free to play games" you can't afford it

You see a nice deal on your "free to play" game that could help you get an edge.  However, it involves either "recharging" (purchasing in-game currency with money), or spending in-game currency which you can only get by purchasing in-game currency.   I would say only if they offer superior customer service should you do it.  Let's say this particular game in fact DOES offer superior customer service.  There is still two other things to consider.  This post will cover one of the two things you should consider (The other thing to consider I will mention in my next post), can you really afford it?

So, how can you tell if you can afford it?  My question to you is how good of a financial shape are you in?  If you are struggling to pay your bills, then I say, "NO!"  Spending money on a fantasy game is a very stupid thing to do in this situation.  However, if you are saving up for something in your real life, building up your savings or retirenment, I would recommend not spending money. 

I recommend following Suze Orman  advice if you can afford it.  It includes:
- Having an eight month emergency fund.  To figure this out, take an average of all of your bills per month and multiply it by eight.  That is how much money you should have in your liquid savings.
- Having enough retirement saved up at your age. This amount will vary by age.  Currently I have no formula to share to determine this.
- Having will's, trusts, life insurance, and so forth
- Having 529 plan for your children or grandchildren (if you have one)
- No student loan debt, car loans, and/or credit card debt


I would like to offer  additional more financial advice before you can determine if you can afford to spend money on a game:
- Will I regret spending money on this game later?
- You will lose 100% of your investments.  To compare, you would have been better off investing your money in the stock market in 2008 right before the crash because you still would have 50% left of your investments than spending it on a game.
- Could I have donated this money instead?  There are many charities out there that could you your money. In a way, you are "donating" money to a for-profit company that has loads of cash.

If you have meet all of the requirements above, then I would say go for it and spend some money on a "free to play game."  But only do it if they are offering superior customer service!