Sunday, June 1, 2008

Too Much of a Good Thing

I went to an all you can eat sushi place for dinner tonight.  I was determined to get my moneys worth so I ate and ate and ate.  All told I had about 10 pieces of sushi a Rainbow roll and a roll that consisted of a spicy tuna/shrimp roll topped with Salmon.  To give you perspective, my girlfriend, who normally probably eats as much as I do, had the same Spicy Tuna/Salmon roll and was quite full.

I seriously don't remember ever filling so full as I did at the end of that meal.  I was full to the point of feeling a little nauseous.  It's odd how people try to maximize something even to the point of their own detriment.  There was actually very little point in me to continue to eat.  The amount I was going to pay for the dinner was a sunk cost, there was no way my eating was going to affect the final price I paid.  I probably would have enjoyed myself even more if I had stopped two pieces of sushi earlier, but my consumer instinct told me to have that one last piece just to make sure that I got a good deal.

It was a completely irrational act but I did it anyway, and I'm sure I will do it again.  We all do.  Humans obsess over things that in reality have no bearing on the future.  The stock market is actually a pretty good example.  So is housing at the moment.  I held on to my e-trade stock, as well as a few others, WAY longer than I should have because I was so under my cost basis.  It was dumb.  My cost basis really had nothing to do with what the stock was going to do in the future, but for some reason, I kept thinking about it and refused to sell it when I should have.  It literally was a mistake that cost me a few thousand dollars.

3 comments:

  1. I've learned that "All-You-Can-Eat" is evil and does not mean you should eat as much as possible. If you have ever been to Vegas and had their buffets, you'll know what I mean. I remember the first time I sat down for a Vegas buffet. I kept eating and eating, thinking "I need to get my money's worth." Well, after 2 hours, I felt really sick. My stomach was so full that I had a hard time breathing. I somehow managed to get back to my hotel room, where I laid in bed for 4 hours in pain, with a bottle of Tums. Thinking back still makes my stomach hurt. Yeah, I really got my money's worth.

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  2. I do the same thing in Vegas every time I go. It hurts, but I want a good deal... especially after losing some dough at the poker tables.

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  3. All-You-Can-Eat has its place. Whenever my wife and I go on a cruise, we always try to fill up during all meals. We paid for it. We might as well enjoy it.

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