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It was a Saturday morning, and I was sipping lukewarm coffee while scrolling through responses to a little quarterly money survey I send to a group of friends and acquaintances. The question this time was: What's one piece of financial advice you actually live by?

Lots of the answers were thoughtful. A few were hilarious. But there was one that really stood out:

"If you can't buy it twice, you can't afford it."

I wrote back immediately: "Is that a Suze Orman rule?"

My friend replied: "Um... no. Jay-Z."

Which honestly made it even better.

I laughed at first — because who doesn't love a little billionaire-rapper-wisdom to go with their budget spreadsheet? But the more I sat with it, the more I realized, it's kind of brilliant.

Because here's the thing...

It's not about buying two of everything. No one's out here buying two dining room tables. Two houses. Two Honda Civics.

It's about margin... about flexibility...

It's about being honest with yourself about whether you can buy the thing and still be okay. Not just okay if everything goes right — okay even if something goes wrong.

That rule — "buy it twice or skip it" — is simple. But there's something kind of radical about how it reframes what "affordable" really means.

So I did what I always do when I get curious about a financial idea: I went digging. Turns out, a lot of people swear by this guideline. And while it's not perfect, it might just be one of the clearest, no-nonsense gut checks you can use the next time you're about to tap that "buy now" button.

Let's break it down.

What Does "Buy It Twice" Actually Mean?

Let's start with what it's not saying.

It's not saying you literally need to buy two of every item you purchase. It's not saying you should double your cart before you check out. And it's definitely not saying you need to keep $200,000 lying around in case your Tesla needs a twin.

The "buy it twice" rule is a shorthand. A financial gut check that helps you figure out if something is comfortably within your means — or if it's going to leave you stressed, scrambling, or underwater the second life throws a wrench in your plans.

Think of it like this: Can you buy the thing and still be fine if you got a flat tire next week?

Or a surprise vet bill?

Or your kid broke his wrist and you had to pay out-of-pocket before the deductible kicks in?

If the answer is no — if this purchase would wipe you out, or even just leave you feeling tense and vulnerable — then maybe you can't really afford it. Not safely. Not without risk.

That's the beauty of the rule. It forces you to confront the margin in your life.

Because that's what a lot of us are missing when we're trying to figure out if we can "afford" something. We look at whether the money is there. We don't always look at what's left after.

And when there's nothing left? One more unexpected expense is all it takes to send everything tumbling down.

This rule helps you avoid that.

When This Rule Is Brilliant (and When It's a Bit of a Stretch)

Let's be honest: Not every piece of financial advice is good advice all the time. And this one is no different. It's a great rule of thumb — not a sacred commandment.

So let's talk about when this rule shines.

It's perfect for wants disguised as needs.

Thinking of upgrading to the new iPhone? Taking a luxury vacation? Leasing a car that comes with a $700-a-month payment? Ask yourself: Could I buy this twice and still be okay?

If the answer is no, you're probably flirting with financial stress.

Because when we can only just barely afford something — especially a thing we don't truly need — we're leaving ourselves no room for error. And if there's one universal truth about money, it's this: Errors are always coming.

It's also great for monthly payments.

If a monthly expense would stretch you thin unless you had exactly $X in income every single month — no hiccups, no emergencies — then it's not affordable.

This is especially true for financed wants. Cars. Furniture. "Buy now, pay later" plans. A good rule: If you can't comfortably make double the payment, you're skating on thin ice.

Real example: If you're eyeing a BMW lease that'll cost you $650/month?
Ask yourself: Could I handle $1,300/month if something else goes wrong in my budget?

But here's where the rule starts to wobble a bit.

Most people — even financially secure people — can't buy their house twice. Or pay for college twice. Or drop two years of their salary on an emergency without blinking.

And that's okay. Some life decisions are too big, too essential, and too complex to run through a catchy soundbite.

This is a guideline for discretionary spending — not a framework for your mortgage.

Still, even in those bigger situations, the underlying idea holds water:

"If this thing goes sideways, do I have the flexibility to handle it?"

If your entire financial life hinges on nothing going wrong... that's not affordability. That's a gamble.

Why This Rule Works (Even When It's Not Technically "Correct")

You know how some financial advice just feels right?

That's this rule.

Because it's not just about the numbers — it's about the mindset. Humans are just not good at being purely rational when it comes to money. We're emotional, impulsive, even hopeful. Sometimes anxious. And often, we're very good at convincing ourselves something "makes sense" when we just really, really want it.

Hova's "if you can't buy it twice" rule slices through all that.

It replaces the internal negotiation (Do I deserve this? Is this too much? What if I just cut back somewhere else?) with a clear answer.

You can either afford to buy it twice... or you can't. No spreadsheet required.

It also forces us into a future-thinking frame — something most of us aren't great at on our own. Behavioral economists call this "present bias." We tend to prioritize short-term pleasure over long-term stability. It's why credit card debt happens. It's why savings gets skipped. It's why people spend their entire tax refund within 72 hours.

But Jay-Z's rule? It builds in a second voice that says, "Hey, this purchase might be fun, but will it still feel good if something goes wrong tomorrow?"

And if the answer is no? Then you don't buy it.

That's powerful. Because it's not just helping you spend better — it's helping you feel better about your money.

How to Use the Rule (Without Losing Your Mind)

If you want to give the "buy it twice" rule a try, here's how to do it without turning into a frugal robot who never enjoys anything.

You don't have to live by it forever. But try it this month. Run your purchases through the test. And see how it feels to make decisions from a place of strength, not stress.

1. Start with wants, not needs. Don't apply this to your rent, your prescriptions, or your kid's daycare. Start with the extras — stuff like new clothes, gadgets, furniture upgrades, or big trips.

2. Think about how you'd feel after you bought it twice. Could I buy this twice, right now, and still be financially okay? If I did, would I still feel calm about my overall budget? If the answer to either question is no, take a beat. It doesn't mean the answer is never. But it might mean not yet.

3. Use it as a gut-check, not a handcuff. You're allowed to break the rule sometimes. Life isn't lived in black-and-white budgets. But make breaking it the exception, not the norm — and know why you're doing it.

4. Apply it monthly if you're making a recurring commitment. Think: car payments, subscriptions, private school tuition, even charitable donations. If you couldn't cover double that amount for at least one month without stress, that's your signal to pause and reassess.

5. Flip the script — use it to motivate saving. Want a $1,000 espresso machine? Don't save $1,000. Save $2,000. When you get there, you'll either be (1) confident enough to buy it, or (2) way less interested in spending that money now that you have it.

Either way, you win.

Why Jay-Z Might Be the Budget Guru We All Needed

Something else I learned while researching for this article: Jay-Z wasn't thinking at all about middle-class money anxiety when he came up with "buy it twice."

He was talking about buying luxury watches and million-dollar cars in cash. About being so financially secure that dropping six figures didn't move the needle. For him, "buy it twice" was about wealth.

But this quote could just have easily come from Suze Orman making an astute observation on financial security.

Because as anyone who has ever been stressed about money can tell you, wealth isn't just about what you can buy...

It's also about what you can withstand.