ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Intertemporal choice

Intertemporal choice is when you make choices about things that will happen in the future. For example, if you want to save up for a toy and you only get an allowance every week, you might choose to save some of your allowance and wait to buy the toy. This is an example of intertemporal choice because you are making a decision now to have something in the future.