I’m pretty sure you’ve already come across that viral video where preschoolers are being tested with a piece of yummy marshmallow. In the short vid, we see that a few takaw babies give in by nibbling bits of the chewy delight or swallowing the piece whole as soon as the adult leaves the room.

On the other hand, a few sweet-toothed kids waited out the time (often smelling and holding the marshmallow probably just to make sure they’re real), and kept their eyes on the prize which is a second serving of the soft and chewy treats. Now, who do you think got more out of the exercise?

We get how this viral vid can be entertaining to most adults, but this experiment was actually born out of an idea from a Stanford professor named Walter Mischel back in the ‘60s to study the effects of “delayed gratification” or simply saying pass whenever you get the impulse buying bug.

Insert ‘delayed what?!’ reaction here.

Chillax for a moment and let me tell you all about how marshmallows can spell either the ‘bitter’ or ‘sweet’ in your current financial situation.

Adulting is pretty hard and most of today’s younger generations have that YOLO mentality that makes them purchase more wants than future needs. This then leads to broken money rules that leave them facepalming themselves into oblivion because of the debt trap.

So just how can delayed gratification work for you?

Going back to the marshmallow experiment, experts discovered that adults who practiced delayed gratification while they were young enjoyed more success later in their lives. This only means that if we have that type of werpa that gives us the ability to control our urges for impulsive shopping and save instead, then we get more money in the future.

Simple enough, korek?! But wait… there’s more!

Remember those preschoolers who ate the first marshmallow? Well sadly, they became more prone to abusing substances and obesity when they turned into adults (yikes!)

What you can probably do right now is to be more practical and avoid piling items you don’t need inside your shopping carts like there’s no tomorrow. What I found to be helpful is by improving your work attitude in a way that you’ll realize that it’s more important to work hard first and save, than splurge right away the minute that paycheck lands on your hands!

While saving up, learn more about signing up for life insurances, retirement savings, or investment loans which are all surefire ways you can really secure a better present and future for yourself and your loved ones. Once you feel you’ve got everything covered, then by all means go out traveling or buying those well-deserved perks!

Once in college, a BFF and I argued about buying tickets for a weekend concert. The convo turned out into something like this: BFF: Psst! Nood tayo concert! Me: Wala akong breads besh! BFF: Pautangin kita! May naipon naman ako sa baon ko! Me: Ah! Kaya ka pala payat– di ka kumakain. Kaso… wala rin akong ipambabayad sayo e. Ipunin mo na lang yan! BFF: Amp! Ang KJ mo! Papautangin ka na nga e! So we went our separate ways and days later, I found out that she wasn’t able to watch the concert because she bought off a scalper who was selling fake tix! Me: Hate to say ‘I told you so’ but– tsk…

What I’ve learned from that experience (and thankfully not at my expense), is that building better money habits that delay gratification can really work out for you in the long run!

You can start right now by simply passing up on those dinner invites or that cup of overpriced coffee which can quickly deplete your savings. While you’re at it, try improving your good habits by 1% daily by allocating less “pork” for your cravings and more into your piggy bank. Most importantly, check and see if what you are about to buy is worth all those work hours you’ve put in at the office.

Don’t get me wrong. Delayed gratification doesn’t mean you’ll have to deprive yourself of what you’ve earned and deserve right now. It simply means that you have to be sensible on how you spend dough while still saving up an ample amount for the rainy days, (both in the figurative and literal senses as the Philippines is within the typhoon belt of the world)!

For example, if you apply for a loan today just to buy that awesome new smartphone ‘fo sho’ and without even reviewing your ability to settle payments, then you can easily get yourself knocking on your friendly neighborhood 5-6 to either borrow money or pawn your smartphone. Don’t eat your marshmallow way too fast that you miss out on the chance for more goodies!

However, this is not to say that you shouldn’t apply for loans entirely as they can be a reliable source for financial help when you need it the most.

If that smartphone is intended to make you more money, then by all means go apply for a sensible loan to make payments easier! After all, having good credit can also put you on a good spot to make better investments later on. Just always remember that loans are borrowed money and not purchasing power. Do the smart thing and review everything carefully first before you get yourself stuck in a financial commitment.

In the country, Home Credit helps its clients manage their money better for more opportunities. Faster and easier cash loans or smart appliances and home deals that still let you control your finances are offered when the fruits of your labor are ripe for the picking.

They also have this very useful and easy-to-use app that gives you an easier and more secure way to monitor your transactions, spending, and savings! All so you can better practice delayed gratification and look forward to a brighter (and much loaded) future ahead!

Learn more about how Home Credit can help you on your money matters by [downloading the app for free online.](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ph.homecredit.myhomecredit&hl=en&gl=US)