Lifestyle Creep

I think I have a case of this. Apparently, even someone who knows it can happen and knows of its evil can still watch it unfold before their very eyes.

What's "Lifestyle Creep", anyway? Put simply, it's the tendency where the more you earn, the more you spend, and the more money that comes in, the more you throw at indulgences. I have the ability to live very simply on a very small income. Covering bills and not much else (and not really suffering). But then I go and get myself a payrise and suddenly I'm living in a larger flat and spending more on the rent and bills, almost entirely swallowing that raise. I buy a caravan for income but it comes with bigger expenses. And now I'm contemplating owning a car in order to allow me to earn more income... and the car ownership will probably eat a good chunk of that extra income.

Lifestyle Creep doesn't even have to be on frivolous purchases either. I doubt most people would consider a one-bedroom flat and second-hand car to be indulgences.

At this point I'm not too horrified. But it's interesting at the very least and something that I want to keep in the forefront of my mind.