You can't take it with you...
Jul. 19th, 2011 11:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
susandennisI am exceedingly grateful for all of the opportunity I have been lucky enough to have that enables me to even have money enough for discretionary spending. I'm fully aware that there are many who can only dream of ever having to make discretionary spending decisions. This is my journal - a journal of my thoughts - good ones, bad ones, selfish ones, funny ones. It's a place for me to record about me.
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Discretionary spending is always such a struggle. At least for me. Unless it's a fabulous new bag of some sort, then it's kind of easy. But, other spending is just not that easy.
I remember when my Mom was in her last years, she had bucks. But she sometimes had trouble spending them. We had lots of 'well, I can't take it with me, can I?' conversations - over big things and little things. She'd deliberate for days over a $40 blouse even as I was all 'spend it! buy it now! you have plenty of money. enjoy!'
But, then one trip, I took her to Target. It was a Sunday morning when everyone else was in church. I got her settled into one of those go cart shopping carts and assured her we could stay til dinner if she wanted. She filled up her cart and then one I pushed. She bought big things and little things and had a ball. It was the most fun $300 either of us had ever spent.
I spend a lot of money. Discretionary money. I have a chef in the kitchen now cooking for me right now. She comes twice a month at about $320 a pop. (Of course, my grocery bill is now about $30 a month.) This is my biggest recurring luxury and one I recherish every night when I sit down to dinner.
I could save the money instead or give it away. I give away about 5% of my income now but I could do more. But I could also spend and enjoy it now. I'm sure not saving it for the kids. I have money for my old age and really do not expect to need it for nearly as many years as I have planned for.
I think about all these things with everything I buy. You would think it gets easier with wealth and age but my Mom proved to me that it does not and she was right once again (but please don't tell her).
Today's purchasing considerations are having my bathroom repainted and getting HBO. I probably will do the former. I am very much on the fence about the latter. I'm still pretty pissed at Comcast, but I want HBO. And I just spent $600 yesterday for my head bump removal.
On the other hand, I can't take it with me...
---------
Discretionary spending is always such a struggle. At least for me. Unless it's a fabulous new bag of some sort, then it's kind of easy. But, other spending is just not that easy.
I remember when my Mom was in her last years, she had bucks. But she sometimes had trouble spending them. We had lots of 'well, I can't take it with me, can I?' conversations - over big things and little things. She'd deliberate for days over a $40 blouse even as I was all 'spend it! buy it now! you have plenty of money. enjoy!'
But, then one trip, I took her to Target. It was a Sunday morning when everyone else was in church. I got her settled into one of those go cart shopping carts and assured her we could stay til dinner if she wanted. She filled up her cart and then one I pushed. She bought big things and little things and had a ball. It was the most fun $300 either of us had ever spent.
I spend a lot of money. Discretionary money. I have a chef in the kitchen now cooking for me right now. She comes twice a month at about $320 a pop. (Of course, my grocery bill is now about $30 a month.) This is my biggest recurring luxury and one I recherish every night when I sit down to dinner.
I could save the money instead or give it away. I give away about 5% of my income now but I could do more. But I could also spend and enjoy it now. I'm sure not saving it for the kids. I have money for my old age and really do not expect to need it for nearly as many years as I have planned for.
I think about all these things with everything I buy. You would think it gets easier with wealth and age but my Mom proved to me that it does not and she was right once again (but please don't tell her).
Today's purchasing considerations are having my bathroom repainted and getting HBO. I probably will do the former. I am very much on the fence about the latter. I'm still pretty pissed at Comcast, but I want HBO. And I just spent $600 yesterday for my head bump removal.
On the other hand, I can't take it with me...
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 11:06 pm (UTC)Currently, I am putting a lot more emphasis on making myself feel good.
(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-19 11:41 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 09:08 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2011-07-22 09:24 pm (UTC)