If you could swap all the money you'll ever spend shopping for one perfect skill instead, would you?

A natural way to answer

It's an interesting trade-off. A truly mastered skill could be worth far more than years of purchases. I think I'd choose the skill, as long as it was something practical that I'd use often — that would be a far better investment in the long run.

Key phrases to use

• frittering away — wasting money slowly on small, unimportant things“I keep frittering away cash on coffee.”
• retail therapy — shopping done to make yourself feel better“A bit of retail therapy cheered me right up.”
• blowing money — spending money quickly, often carelessly“I'm always blowing money on gadgets.”