Saturday, January 22, 2011

One of Life's Little Windfalls

So what is your knee jerk reaction when you get a nice little piece of unexpected pocket change?

Hang onto it for a while? Spend it on the family? Indulge in a Spa Day? Something nice for the garden? or for the wrist/ears/neckline? Buy a stack of BOOKS?! (yes, I keep a running list* jotted down on little bits of paper for just such occasions....those little bits of paper have a tendency to get lost in life's jumble but show back up from time to time...)

My knee jerk reaction was D) All of the Above but, unfortunately, $200 can spend like $20 when you're tryin' to cover all those bases! well, excepting covering the Spa Thing...I'm not a Spa Chick...I'd like to be, but I'm more comfortable digging around in the dirt & weeds and then climbing into our hammock than layin' butt naked** on a table with a stranger kneading my fat cells...it kind of ticks the fat off...and we don't like to get the fat angry...bad things happen...the fat will respond with a retaliatory counter-offensive and my butt will end up needing its own zip code...

Back to subject matter: It is time to make a list...I'll write down everything I'd like to do with my Happy Card, along with pricing, and then winnow out until I get the Very Best Things to Buy...

This is some really serious business...I mean, what if I buy Franklin and Eleanor: An Extraordinary Marriage...and then I cannot stay awake through it? A Waste of My Happy Card! somehow, I don't think I will be bored with it because I'm fascinated by marriages...even wonky ones...but still, there is that possibility...

Or, what if I buy 2 urns for the garden that I've been eyeballing ? then comes our Mandatory Freakin' Hot Summer and I will have to spend a great deal of extra energy cursing them (and me) because I have to drag out the watering can twice a day and my plants still get fried?

Or, perhapsI treat the family to a very nice dinner out (and maybe still have enough for books and urns...heh heh...if we make if coffee and doughnuts I'd have the books and urns......although I could do that (the doughnuts and coffee) at home for much less...practically free...hey, family time is family time), and it turns out to be Crappy Night at the Restaurant...that would be HUGELY Disappointing...Plus, I'm not inclined to spend Windfall Money on food...here today, gone tomorrow if you know what I mean...

I could be making too much of a big deal about this...A list...yes, definitely, I need a list...okay, I'm off to find some paper & a pencil***



****************************************************************
*Current List Includes: Chernow's Washington, Mark Twain's autobiography, Franklin and Eleanor, a score of Home and Garden books...the OED...a little bit of fiction...I'm not much into fiction...

**I'm sorry, ya'll, but towels and/or sheets (unless at a Toga Party...and then a flat sheet in lieu of pants is only acceptable because of the vast amounts of alcohol to be consumed) do not constitute "Clothes" unless you're a baby wrapped in swaddlin' clothes...

***with a big eraser

7 comments:

Miss Char said...

I think you should use it toward an airline ticket for a summer trip.

Paula@SweetPea said...

I'm not a spa person, either. I like the idea of it, but when it comes to using the little bit of free time that I have, I'd rather do something productive.

I think I'd get the urns and some books.

Cathy said...

Please let me save you the trouble of making a list and send it to your favorite SC friend. :)

Happy Shopping!

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

What a lovely dilemma! I wouldn't spend it on food. I'd spend it on something more tangible like plants and books. Especially books since you can always sell them on Amazon if it's something you don't want to keep.

Manuela

sheila from life @ #17 said...

Oh, I'm afraid I read your comment too late, Cathy! :)

I did a little of everything...I ordered DVDs and Books and bought spray paint to touch up my other urns that are looking shabby (they're large and cast resin...I bought a rather, IMO, pricey can of copper spray paint and they look fabulous!) along with an atari game for the TV and, drum roll, please: a flat screen monitor for the PC! I'm pretty darn excited about that...and I bought some ice cream :)

Michelle said...

Nope, I don't like the stranger rubbing me down either...nope. Now, I could do some damage in the book department though, especially since I want to read Franklin & Eleanor as well.

Confessions of a Plate Addict said...

How fun! I like to buy something I can SEE a while later! Tough choice! Keep us posted! Hope you are having a great week!...hugs...Debbie

it's all about the journey...