Pay Dirt is Slate’s money advice column. Have a question? Send it to Kristin and Ilyce here. (It’s anonymous!)

Dear Pay Dirt, 

I’m in my mid-20s with a rewarding (but not lucrative) career in a high cost-of-living area. I love my career, but it’s unlikely I’ll ever be making even close to six figures doing it. And yet I’m about to inherit some money, and I can’t believe what I want to spend it on.

There is a surgery I would like to get for both medical and cosmetic reasons: a breast reduction. My primary care doctor agrees it would be beneficial, but convincing insurance is another matter. There are many, many hoops to jump through before insurance would consider it—weight loss, physical therapy, etc.—and even once I’ve done all of that, there’s no guarantee they’d approve it. My best friend suggested that I should consider simply biting the bullet and paying for it out of pocket. It would be about $10,000.

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I’m about to inherit about $70,000 from family. But it’s hard to stomach doing anything but saving that money. I was lucky enough to graduate from college without debt. And once I started working, I was able to live with my parents for a few years and able to save up about $30,000. Since moving out, I’ve saved about another $10,000. I know, logically, that that puts me in a better position than most, but I can’t shake the instinct to save as much as possible. Usually, that is my general policy. But ever since my friend suggested it, I have been tempted to spend some of it on the surgery.

I’ve never spent $10,000 in one go on anything except my car. It feels short-sighted and possibly selfish to blow that much money all at once, especially on something that isn’t an “asset”—even though I know it will almost certainly improve my quality of life. Reliable sources—the best friends, family, and therapist—have told me I’m an anxious person, so I need a reality check on this. Do you think it’s OK to use the money on this?

—My Cups Spilleth Over

Dear Cups,

This is an easy yes. You’ll have very few opportunities to invest $10,000 in something that will pay off for the rest of your life. And, that’s what I consider this to be: An investment in yourself. Best of all, you can pay for it yourself.

While you don’t think your choice of profession will give you the opportunity to buy a home and live a nice lifestyle, I’d argue that you don’t know what the next decade will bring. But this is one thing you can do to have a positive effect on your life. Use your money on the surgery.

—Ilyce

More Money Advice From Slate

I used to work for a large financial firm as a financial adviser. The pay was amazing, and I enjoyed the work. Hours weren’t the greatest, and that led to the circumstances that involved me leaving. A new mandate rolled around that we had to work on two Saturdays a month for about three hours each. I am an observant Orthodox Jew, and this is on Shabbos, so that was a non-starter for me. I made a complaint through HR and was informed that as long as I kept my hours up and documented them, things would be fine. Things were not fine.

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