I like a phrase i heard, not sure where i heard it.

" when your young you work for money, your goal in life, should be to have your money work for you"

The only way to get your money to work for you is to invest it in income/profit producing assets.

so if your "blowing " every dollar you earn buying VYM then your in great shape! however i suspect that is not what you mean.

so just ask your self with every purchase, how hard will this dollar i spend be working for me in ten years!

most consumer purchasers you throw out in ten years :( so the dollar spent stops working. it sits in a land fill doing nothing. I have never gotten a pair of shoes to last me more than one year if i wear them every day. (i walk like 5 miles a day).