Splurging is only splurging, and treating myself is only a treat if I don't do it all the time. Otherwise it's excess, or habit, or addiction. When you treat yourself for every little excuse, whether it's with shopping or eating sweets or something else, it's no longer special. And then it's no longer fun. You only feel special when it's really special. I believe that it's important to splurge and treat yourself every once in a while, constantly being a miser is miserable.
My daughter's special reward for a good math test used to be a sweet afternoon treat with a cup of rich hot chocolate at our wonderful French pâtisserie. But then she got to be very good at math, and we went to the pâtisserie very often, and then it wasn't special anymore. So we had to redefine those rewards. Meat used to be special, hence the traditional Sunday roast. If you have meat every day, and lots, it quickly becomes an unhealthy addiction. Going out for dinner is special. Yet, if you do it all the time it loses it's luster. We went to a Broadway show this past week-end. That was very special. As a matter of fact, it was my daughter's first Broadway show, that's how rarely we do it. And it felt like a real splurge.
Make it special, and make it rare. It will sparkle a lot more.