I went through my morning on Friday wondering what I might have to offer my readers. The well was feeling rather dry and I had a lot on my plate so I made a conscious decision to leave the day blank, an open page for you to write your own Lenten story perhaps.
I must admit, I was feeling a little overwhelmed: the first few days of Lenten observations came easily. But only a week in and I was already starting to feel pressed. What might I have to say that would be worth your continued following and time? My life is fairly plain (you know, in the grand scheme of things) and my daily routines don't offer much in the way of exciting new discoveries and adventures, usually.
So yesterday, I went to Costco to redeem my rewards check. My plan was to buy a few necessary items and then cash out the rest of the check. I will admit, I have a HUGE problem following plans sometimes. (Or even making them actually.) And as long as we are confessing here, the hardest part of a Wastefulness Fast for me is halting frivolous spending. You see, not only am I a master at justifying my purchases (I mean come on.... is it really wastefulness if it serves a valuable purpose?), I was also not brought up to pay much attention to price tags. My money management falls somewhere between abysmal and absurd. After 16 years of rehabilitation, (i.e. being married to a financial wizard, who I swear uses witchcraft in all that number counting stuff), I can now identify a scam versus a decent deal (with maybe 90% accuracy). I have also learned that just because something is on sale does not justify your need to buy it, that it's best to throw away most credit "offers" that arrive in the mail, that you cannot actually pay off a credit card with 21% interest by paying the monthly minimum, that there is no excuse for having a credit card with 21% interest to begin with, that some debt is acceptable (but usually there is a house attached which kind of makes the debt worth it) and that in order to spend money, you actually need to make money (and it is far better to make the money BEFORE you spend it.....something about not counting chickens before they hatch....).
But in all the learning that has taken place living amidst the financial sorcery of the Warlock, even his magic cannot seem to crack through the impulsiveness that comes when I set foot into Costco. The driving force behind Wholesale Superstore spending is so strong that the only real solution is for me to be forbidden from ever going into those places to begin with (which is my typical strategy....you know, until the family starts whining about needing food and toilet paper and such.....they can be SO needy!)
Anyway, there I was in the Forbidden Forest, with several rare hours to spare before I needed to pick up Solly from preschool, and a check with FREE money in my hand (and by free, I mean we spent WAY too much money at Costco last year and now we are rewarded with a month's worth of groceries.....if I were shopping at the Dollar Store that is) and so I took my time. Anyone who shops at these places knows, the worst thing you can do when trying to NOT spend money is take your time! That, and leave your list in the car.....(which I also haphazardly did.)
So, there I was, strolling through Costco, filling my basket with new books for the girls, learn-to-read books for Solomon, healthy eating options, dog bones, dish soap, a birthday gift for Kurt, FREE boxes to use for the rabbit cage, while also taking pictures of the things I would LOVE to have but knew now wasn't the time:
It's big enough to fit the entire family plus some and makes the perfect homework and game table..... |
Obviously this would be helpful with all those drawers to |
Kurt NEEDS a place to sit outside his office that won't blow away in the next wind storm. |
Who DOESN'T need a food processing Ninja blender?! It can chop anything! |
(Seriously, add all that up and I just spent over $1600 in my fantasy land......on stuff I do not need!)
(Except the blender.....I totally need that.....)
To be continued.....
(Except the blender.....I totally need that.....)
To be continued.....
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