Sometimes there&#x27;s a psychological difference though. Say you have $8 in your pocket, and there&#x27;s a movie you like to see in the cinema nearby. The ticket costs $10. You know you won&#x27;t get that $2 in a reasonable timeframe - maybe it&#x27;s your only evening off, so even if you get some more cash tomorrow you won&#x27;t have a chance to see the movie. Maybe you also don&#x27;t feel like begging strangers for change. In this situation, you may find yourself wishing for those $2 very much, and after realizing you can&#x27;t get them, you&#x27;ll say &quot;fuck it, I may as well spend my $8 on some pizza or beer&quot; and then do so.<p>Maybe that last $2 don&#x27;t have greater marginal value than the $8 in your pocket, but that $8 loses its perceived value the moment you realize you won&#x27;t get additional $2 in time.<p>It&#x27;s not a hypothetical situation, by the way. I&#x27;ve been in those several times in the past, and followed exactly the same pattern of emotional reasoning.