today pepper's basketball practice was cancelled and - since ep & sf had done their paper route at lunchtime in prep for ep's late afternoon - we found ourselves with some unanticipated family free time.. time we could spontaneously fill with a round of bowling and dinner at McD.
that's what being rich* means to me - spending $45 without advancing planning, or extended fretting over the high cost of shoe rental (ok, i used a coupon at McD; old habits die hard)
other things that have suddenly gotten easier for me:
fundraising efforts
my former self railed against these rip-offs. using children to advance company's profits. guilting relatives into buying from your child (except, then you have to reciprocate and buy from their child, so it really ends up you paying for the whole case of girl guide cookies)
now i can buy that popcorn, that box of chicken, that what-ever. my hand freely flows over the chequebook while my mind is elsewhere.
arcades
i used to usher the children quickly past the cineplex arcade saying what a waste of money that place was. well, earlier this month, for the first time, i took them to the arcade
on purpose (it was another afternoon/evening where we found ourselves with some unanticipated free time and i wanted to make some family memories)
and guess what? tokens are 3 for a $1 - and that's what the
dance-dance-revolution machine took per player. pepper and i spent a grand total of $4 playing 2 games each. we worked up a sweat, we laughed a whole bunch, and - even for my former miserly self - it was a cheap outing.
exercise decisions
i bought an elliptical machine off kijiji for $100 last year with the idea that i'd save $5.25 everytime i used
it and didn't go to the west end gym. so within 2-3 months, i'd easily recuped my costs, but i still felt guilty for
indulging myself at the gym with it's weights, and treadmills and thick (ahhhh) mats. 2 weeks ago, i showed up at the gym with a 20 and took my change without a glance. the cost has gone up to $6.25 (i think) and i didn't bat an eye.
*ok, i know i'm not really rich. but, for me - someone who has always counted her pennies, and budgeted every expense - not having a mortgage means a HUGE amount of financial freedom. so i feel rich, i really do.
