Today I said, “Okay,” when my daughter chose a $27 gift for
her best friend’s birthday. I also used an entire pound of ground sausage for
my lasagna. A year ago, the birthday gift would have needed to come in under
$15 and I would have tried to make the lasagna work with a half or maybe
three-quarters of a pound of sausage. It’s the little things I’m really
appreciating as a result of having an income as a writer.
I’m a scrimper in a long line of penny-pinchers, and yet
there is something ineffable about being able to use the amount of sausage
that the recipe calls for. When I wrote my first novel (which shall never
daylight see!) I made my main character’s family wealthy. I still break out in
baby goosebumps remembering how fun it was to give her a great big McMansion
and a car for her sixteenth birthday and a fridge full of soda. Her mom would have totally used a full pound of sausage in her lasagna.
I know the difference between things that matter (family,
love, self-respect) and things that are ephemeral (Coke Zero, a tidy lawn, new
beach towels), but there is really something lovely in being able to order a
meal at a restaurant or say yes to the gift my daughter really wants to give her BFF instead of telling her to find
something cheaper.
And for that, I am so very grateful to you, dear reader.
How do you like to treat yourself or your family when you
have a little extra in your budget?
It's those little things that make all the difference! :) We treat our family by taking a walk a few blocks to the ice cream place, or I buy my favorite shampoo or laundry detergent. Can't afford those things all the time, but yeah, you know, little things.
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