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One of the biggest frustrations I have as a money-conscious person is when I toss something out that could have been used if I had just planned better. It’s painful whether I’m tossing out something that’s rusty, something that’s water damaged, or something that’s spoiled.

This “tossing out ‘could have been used’ stuff” phenomenon happens most often when I’m dealing with food. I’ll find something in the fridge that was left over from too many days ago or I’ll discover a piece of fruit that’s gone bad and I’ll feel awful as I’m tossing it out.

I don’t like to toss food. It’s a waste of money. It’s not exactly helpful to the environment, either.

In general, I’m pretty strongly opposed to the idea of leasing a car. In most situations, a car lease is a long-term financial mistake. Compared to a cycle of buying late model used cars and driving them to their replacement point, auto leasing is very expensive.

Still, there are exceptions to every situation. A recent Reader Mailbag question, in which a reader was struggling with a particularly peculiar lease situation, led me to realize that there are, in fact, situations where a lease might make more financial sense than buying a car.

Mostly, these situations revolve around turning elements that might be negatives regarding leases into positives. Note that this is a might – you’ll want to simply take a closer look in these situations and buying is likely to still be better.

Let’s take a look at three of them.

What is the financial value of a hug from one of your children?

You might scoff at this question or think that it’s somehow foolish, but I’m serious. What is a hug from one of your children worth?

Five dollars? Ten dollars? Thousands? Nothing?

It probably has a lot to do with your own internal values. If you relish being a parent, a hug likely has a higher value than if you dislike parenthood. If you had a deep connection to a child when they were young and now they’re older, a hug probably has a premium, too.

Not a parent? A hug from a child may have little value, or none at all.

The challenging part of a question like this is that a hug, like many other things in life, can be given freely with no real cost to the giver. The same is true of a kiss or a kind word or a laugh or some companionship.

Yet, by giving such things, value is received by the recipient and, often, by the giver as well.

The best credit cards generally offer low interest rates, great perks, and no hidden fees. However, that doesn’t mean the “right” card is the same for each person. Because each credit card offer is as different as we are, the best card for your needs depends on your spending habits, credit score, and personal credit goals. Use this post as your guide to match up your needs with the benefits you desire most.

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