In the interest of trying to manage our finances like the mature, responsible adults we pretend to be, Rafael and I tried something new for a semi-major purchase: delayed gratification. Over the past four months, we have been hiding small amounts of money in an ING account in preparation to buy this:

Yes, I realize this tiny, non-descript box really isn’t very impressive, but my husband assures me this fancy camera lens is 100 percent worth every penny.

Finding out that we can wait was so fun-slash-rewarding that we designated this micro-saving strategy for some other fun things, like future vacation, a someday new car and fixing our deck.

I’m also helping it will inspire our savings in the areas that aren’t quite as fun (right now, anyway) like replacing our furnace, paying off student loan debt and the education of our future children.