Unexpected Financial Wins: Stories of Using Motivation for Debt Payoff

Image Credit: @jjuneai.24/Twenty20

Sometimes a wild night can end shockingly responsibly. That's not just limited to using safe transportation to get home after a night out. Sometimes a quick nip may be the nudge you needed to take care of your finances.

So say a number of Reddit users who are collecting stories of waking up with a hangover and a paid-off credit card. ("If you can dodge a parked car, you can dodge an overdraft," writes Redditor QuintiusCincinnatus. "Or something to that effect.") One man reportedly increased his 401(k) contributions while drunk; another used blackjack winnings to pay off a ring he'd bought his wife.

"I honestly think the reason is we're too afraid to look at our financial situation sober," wrote one user who reorganized his budget while tipsy. "While drunk, you feel more distanced from it and are able to focus on the whole picture, and decide to do things differently [than] we are habituated to." It's an interesting theory, not least because we're so used to hearing (and joking about) binge-shopping online after drinking.

Needless to say, this probably shouldn't be your go-to method for straightening out your money management. Taking on your finances sober is much more likely to result in consistently feasible decision-making. But it is worth considering what you would do with your money if you let your guard down a little more. Examine what you think is holding you back from taking a leap you know you want and ought to take. Then toast your new plan with whatever beverage you'd like.