Buying flowers for myself on Fridays.
(from a dinner party we had for Thanksgiving/Christmas 2011)
Why?
1) I love the outdoors & I want to get as much of it indoors as I can.
2) I no longer work weekends, and flowers will serve a reminder of the blessing that that is.
3) (this is the long one) I'm starting a new budget tracker on mint.com (totally recommend the site!) because...I have started a new job! Yay! I am advising students at the local community college system. I'm about 6 weeks into it and feel so good about what I get to do. My schedule is a blessing and I am so less stressed out!
The new routine is different and I need to remain focused in order to now fritter away my new-found resources: more head-space and soul-space as I have fewer burdens and crises that I feel I must carry, an increase in time at home (no on-duty time), responsibilities that allow me to use my strengths more regularly, and a substantial increase in finances. (How does this relate to flowers? I'll get there. Promise!)
Previously, I had a monthly budget that I had lived on for 3-5 years: pay all the bills and necessary expenses, then try to figure out how to ssssstretch the rest of the paycheck for things like--replacing clothes when they got old and worn, paying for gas to go visit my family in another state, spending a bit on hobbies (fun ingredients for recipes, yarn or fabric for a gift, etc.), and eeking out bits of money to have lunch or dinner or movies with friends.
Now that I've got the basic expenses covered, I'm learning that I can waste a lot of money when I have it. My weakness = food (and craft supplies, but I've been showing self-control here). There are many times when I have to eat a meal by myself and don't feel like cooking. Or I want to try a new recipe. Or I want to treat someone to a nice dinner. These are the times when I spend-spend-spend! I have gone overboard in some other areas since getting a new job, but I know that food is a serious financial drain. I like good food, effortless food, healthy food, and social food. Lots of food apparently.
(Beef Curry from my birthday, as made by my best friend/roommate's mother)
(We made pita pizzas when a friend and her daughter came over to help tile the bathroom)
So going back to the flowers plan: I love plants. I love how they liven up the wintry gray that is settling in all around right now. I love how they last. They last longer than food most of the time. Sooooo, I'm going to reallocate some of what I have been spending on food into a new budget dedicated to buying flowers and plants on a regular basis and bringing them into my humble home. Which leads to reason #4:
4) Flowers won't have a negative impact on my physical health (unlike milkshakes and garlic bread).
Love and flowers to you all!
Take care,
Amy
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