Economists distinguish short-run decisions from long-run decisions. A consumer decision is considered short run when her consumption will occur soon enough to be constrained by existing household asse...Economists distinguish short-run decisions from long-run decisions. A consumer decision is considered short run when her consumption will occur soon enough to be constrained by existing household assets, personal commitments, and know-how. Given sufficient time to remove these constraints, the consumer can change her consumption patterns and make additional improvements in the utility of consumption.