Noble Energy Inc, (NBL) but Petroecuador took it over after the U.S. company refused last year to change its production-sharing contract to a new service agreement. Petroecuador said in a statement that the drilling of two wells and the rehabilitation of another three wells will increase gas output from 35 million cubic feet to 50 million cubic feet per day in the short term and to 80 million cubic feet per day at the end of 2012. Petroecuador will invest about $18 million for the rehabilitation process. According to the statement, with the increase of the gas production from the block 3, Ecuador will really afford it? While this might seem rather obvious, experts say some consumers justify spending too much on a deal thinking it will save money in the long run. “Budgets are usually busted not by the house or the car payment, it’s the superfluous things you buy because you think you’re getting a good deal,” says Chris Ravsten, the owner of Foxstone Financial, a Denver-based financial investment advisory firm. “It’s the same concept as that thing you buy in bulk at Costco or a wholesale club because you think it’s such a good deal.” As a general rule, if you have the cash on hand and it won’t break your monthly budget to click “buy,” go for it. If you’re just buying something because you think it’s a great deal and you can’t really afford it, then it’s not much of a deal. Rule No. 2: Is this a need or a want? More often than not, we convince ourselves that something is a good buy by justifying it as a necessity, but advisors say it’s important to know the difference between a “need” and a “want.” A money-saving deal on groceries might qualify as satisfying a need; four weeks of cooking lessons that might eventually save money on dining out is more of a “want.” “Obviously we all have a lot of ‘wants’ but usually the ‘needs’ are the ones that fit into our budget,” says Barbara Stark, education director for American Debt Counseling, a Florida-based non-profit credit counselor. “You really have to think logically and fiscally about the purchase, even though that coupon buy window is counting down.” Rule #3: Will you use it before it expires? No matter how good the deal is, it’s worthless if you don’t have time to use it before it expires. Consumers should always read the fine print on any deals before making a purchase. Many offers have to be used within a certain time frame and that may not fit into the buyer’s schedule. “When the deals are piling up and they’re not being used, or if you find yourself charging them and putting them on a credit card and that credit card balance is growing…then the tail is wagging the dog,” says Stark. Rule #4: What else could you do with the money? Too often, shoppers don’t consider the opportunity cost of spending money on a deal, or whether that money could be better spent on something else. “As consumers we get into trouble because we think, ‘it’s just $20.’ But $20 over time, day after day month after month, compounded can make a big difference,” says Ravsten. “Could you be paying off debt? Saving for short-term emergencies? Not enough of us have enough liquid money on hand.” Ravsten says daily deal shoppers should keep tabs on how much they spend on the deals to determine if the money would be better allocated elsewhere. Rule #5: Will you still want this if you ignore that ti