Also, it's a lot more pleasant emotionally to have the excuse of work\family\money\other for holding you back from your 'dreams', than it is to actually have th

Also, it's a lot more pleasant emotionally to have the excuse of work\family\money\other for holding you back from your 'dreams', than it is to actually have the liberty to pursue them and have to scrutinize why you aren't doing so. Usually they are reasonable sounding dreams, that plenty of people also deem worthy, and so you may have to introspect rather deeply, with potentially troubling possibilities, to find an explanation. In this sense, refusing to buy the gym membership raises the plausibility of your superficial excuse for why you fail to exercise: 'I don't have a good place\right equipment', which lowers the need for introspection. This increases your (short-term?) happiness.