I once read that wealthier people budget on an annual basis, as many costs are not evenly spread throughout the year. If you looked at a smaller scale, you could run into cashflow issues, and end up with short-term loans or overdraft fees. For those looking to further evaluate costs, and their long-term consequences, it helps to look at the next largest scale, a decade. Seemingly small costs suddenly seem impactful, especially if you account for the opportunity cost from compounding investments.