I am very lucky to have a chunk of disposable income every month. However, I want to invest and save most of it, because I recognize that disposable income can quickly disappear given the right circumstances.
My problem is a time old one, that I struggle with material desires, and how easy it is to treat it as play money.
Does anyone have any advice how to offset those impulses or otherwise make it easier in the moment to check myself?
If you have those desires, it's probably because you're bored and want to alleviate the boredom. Helps to have hobbies that are cheap or free, and spend time doing them instead of thinking of things to buy. Also, odds are, a lot of your money is going to food and drinks out of the house. If you're enjoying time with friends, go for it, but try to keep track of what you're spending out of the house. A few meals and drinks here and there add up faster than making the occasional fun purchase.
This is in addition to the boring personal finance stuff, which you should also be doing.