On Sunday, I worked the mid shift and was giving the new glasses a good try. I was warned by the eye doctor, the glasses technician, and Tee that they would probably give me a few headaches. Since I haven't worn glasses for anything other than reading in a long, long time, I had to adjust to them being on my face as well. As the day drug by, I felt the headache creeping up and staved it off for a while with some Tylenol and lots of water. By about 4:30, my head was pounding. I went to the Cafe to buy my Sunday paper (for coupons) and gave in to impulse. I bought a latte and a brownie.
The latte was marvelous. Oh, how I've missed them. I had it slightly under steamed and it was, well, perfect. As I was sipping on it, I began to wonder about adding a little pocket money back into the budget. Or maybe I could buy a gift card at the beginning of the month so I could have a few treats when the going gets rough. I sat sipping and musing, and then started to nibble on the brownie. Let me first state that the brownie was very good in its own right. There was nothing wrong with the brownie. However, as a child, I have very fond memories of Sara Lee Brownies that you could buy in the freezer section. They came in the foil pan and I totally loved them. Alas, you cannot find these Sara Lee brownies anymore. Well, the brownie that I bought has a distant resemblance to those brownies of old. I guess I was expecting them to taste so much like them that I was disappointed. Combine that with guilt for spending money and well, it doesn't make for such a great treat. It wasn't worth the money, guilt, or calories.
As I finished my latte, I realized I was still contemplating "adding a little pocket money" back into my budget. Hm, that didn't settle very well, because I still give myself an allowance of $20 cash each week. I promptly deposit that allowance into a cookie jar and I love counting it every single week. I used this money to pay for Christmas presents last December and it's barely recovering. I am also contemplating buying a chest freezer with this money so I can buy my meat in bulk and save more grocery money. As I thought it through, it dawned on me that it would be breaking my own set No Buy rule. So, thought discarded and victory was mine. I dang sure didn't want a latte to set back into old spending habits.
This morning, DH & DS set out to take care of the flat tire on the Saturn. They went to Discount Tire and spent the morning there. They replaced the flat tire using the existing road hazard warranty, so it only cost $14 out of pocket. The last time we had a flat back in the fall, they replaced a tire using the road hazard warranty, but pointed out that we were not far off from needing to replace two tires on the car. So, I had DH buy one tire today and we will get the other one at the beginning of April. So, between the one they replaced last fall, they one they replaced today, and the new one we bought today, we are up to 3 new tires! Yippee! We spent a little over $130 today. Unplanned, but necessary. I can live with that.
After the tire adventure, DH & DS stopped by to see me at work. It's always a surprise when they come in and it breaks up the day. DH was tired from keeping up with DS at the tire shop and he rewarded himself with a mocha. Who was I to complain? It hadn't been 24 hours since I had sipped a latte and contemplated slipping off the wagon. So, he got his coffee and went on his way. By this time, it was rapidly approaching lunch. DS was a tad cranky, so they drove thru and bought lunch. *sigh* Another $18 down the hatch.
Tonight, when I got home from work, the headache was creeping back up on me. I laid down for a bit, but it's hard to relax with a 3 year old who hasn't seen you all day. He was all over me, I felt like crap, and everyone was hungry. It was oh, too easy to go out to dinner. As we climbed into the car, I at least had the good sense to go to our favorite El Cheapo Mexican food place, so it wasn't much at all. Just another $15.
But, again, it was just $2.75 yesterday, just $2 for the mocha, just $18 for lunch and just $15 for dinner. Wait a minute. It was just $37.75 that we have nothing to show for! Holy Guacamole. What was I thinking? When I look back at the old lifestyle and budget, I can see how often I just spent a few bucks for dining out. I can buy a lot of groceries for $37.75 and it would make more than two meals and two cups of coffee.
As I've spent a little time off the wagon lately, I have to wonder: Does the occasional fall from the wagon renew your desire to ride? I think it just might.
On the home front:
New pics! I have the new camera up and going. I've really missed having one around all the time.
It's nice he didn't give up his ability to ham it up for the camera!
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