Above my computer I have a poster of sunflowers that I bought at Michael’s when my son was a baby. I think the poster was $20 and the frame was another $15, and spending that amount on a poster, a decoration for my house, seemed so extravagant. $35. It took my dh almost a day of working in the kitchen at Chili’s to make that. That’s how we used to measure income.

This week I’ve spent around $150, just on frivolities, like yarn and candy and DVDs. I ordered jeans off eBay because they’re the only brand I know will fit me. We went out to dinner Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Thursday. Eating at McDonald’s was a treat, now we eat there almost every weekend for lunch. Over Thanksgiving break, the boy and I ate out every day, either lunch or breakfast. When we moved from our last house (a rental) to this one, the movers said, "Movin' on up, huh?" Uh, yeah.

There’s still enough of the penny pincher in me to cringe at the prices of some things, to deny myself some things based on price (okay, not MUCH, but it’s only been recently that I don’t buy the cheapest thing on the menu, or buy a DVD that’s not on sale. Okay, I still don’t do that.) I only buy books form Amazon when I have enough to qualify for free shipping. I buy meat and chicken only if it’s on sale.

I wonder if I’ll always appreciate a disposable income (I certainly hope I continue to have one!) I hope I can always remember how hard things were to come by, so I can appreciate them even more.

I watched Must Love Dogs yesterday. Was I the only one rooting for Dermot Mulroney? I know he’s short, but wow!



Yes, I feel a little guilty. Only a little, though.