Today I spent $25 which was not strictly necessary. This is not a major crime, except for the fact that we’re trying to live lean at the moment. We need to be careful about spending until we get the next Schlock book into print. This means I’m pulling out all those frugal habits I developed during the post-Novell years and dusting them off so I can use them again. I’m cooking from scratch, hanging some laundry to dry, reading sales fliers, and browsing through thrift shops. It is fortunate that I currently have time available to do these things. But packed away with all the good frugal habits were the fears about spending any money at all. Those fears were helpful and necessary when we could see ahead to the point when our money would run out. But the situation this Fall is different. We have a source of income. We are trying to manage a tight patch without increasing debt, not scraping to make the savings last. In one way the current situation is harder. We are allowed to spend on a few small wants as well as the needs, but we have to figure out which of the many wants is the best choice. We also have define “small” in terms of how much we are allowed to spend.
All of this brings me back to my spending today. I bought flower bulbs. Could I get by without them? Yes. They aren’t actually going to provide me with anything right now, except motivation to get outside and dig in the dirt. I can dig in the dirt for free. By the time these bulbs bloom, we’ll be through the tight patch. It would make sense to just buy flowers then, except for the fact that I have to plant them now if I want them to bloom at all. These little bulbs that I stick in the ground are a gift that I am giving to my future self. I don’t know exactly what her life will be like in February and March, but I am betting that flowers will be a positive addition. It makes me happy to know that the bulbs are out there in the dirt waiting to be beautiful. I can hold on to that thought in the doldrums of winter. Sometimes we need to realize that “not strictly necessary” purchases can be money well spent.