The first rule of investing is to not overextend yourself. You only want to invest extra. You have to make sure you leave funds in your checking account to pay your bills.

It is important to understand also that just because you are purchasing something does not mean it can't be looked at as an investment, as long as you focus on value, not price tag. For example, you might purchase a suit, which looks like spending, but if you use that suit to make a good impression in a job interview, and land a better job, that suit becomes an investment. A vacation might be an investment in a relationship. A night out to dinner could be an investment in your sanity. So, when it comes to investing, it is not the cost, but what you get out of it that matters. For example, you could invest in a penny stock for very little money. But, you will get very little money out, if any. On the other hand, you might spend a couple hundred a share to invest in Apple, but then you will probably getting something back.

So, when investing, or spending, ask yourself which stock or item has the best value to focus on? The difference between spending and investing is value. You might buy a $300,000 house and say it is a good investment. But you could have got a great investment with a $150,000 house. You get less ammunition for stroking your ego, but that $150,000 extra spent on the $300,000 is spending not investing. Do you really need the fancy neighborhood, or the expensive countertops? Does their value make it a better investment? So, although you can afford the $250,000 home that your friends will be awed by, even if it is a good investment, ask yourself if the extra $100,000 is truly being spent on a superior investment or if it is being spent on stroking your ego.

When you buy something, or spend money on it, you feel ownership. You buy a shirt, it is yours. This means you won't just buy any shirt. The same approach should be taken for investments. They are yours once you buy them. So, do your homework and you will be proud of how your purchase a comic book can go from an expenditure, to an investment. This only works if you know your stuff though. Apply the ownership mentality to your financial future, and you will be able to experience more joy and fulfillment in investing rather than it seeming like a chore.
Of course before you even consider investing, make sure you have paid for your spending. If you have those fast food purchases from six months ago still on your credit card, then you better pay yourself first and relieve the debt burden. If you do that, investing becomes fun, and spending not a burden.