I spent today like I actually have money. They were smart/necessary decisions, but it is still weird to spend money.

I bought a Sony Bloggie on craigslist. The Bloggie is an HD video camera/digital camera. It will allow me to 1) actually show my face on my blog, and 2) send a video message to the two family events I really want to be at, but can’t because they are too far away. The $50 steal I got on the Bloggie is a quarter of the gas, food, and living expense I would have for one of the trips. I’d rather be there and give my mom and dad a hug, but at least I can let them know how much I love them.
We also bought a mattress. Our apartment had come with a murphy bed that had a brand new mattress, so we took advantage of what was here. The springs started to really become, um, apparent, when we sat on the bed, so we decided it was time to get a new bed. Then time dragged on, we ended up on an air mattress and it was REALLY time to get a new bed.
I purchased a platform bed frame on craigslist for $75, delivered. Today we went to Ikea and bought a queen-sized memory foam mattress for $229. It is possible that we could have gotten a slightly better deal elsewhere, but we had a couple specific needs that were easily met with these two purchases.
Luckily, these purchases will very quickly make up their value in improved sleep, and family connection.
Since embracing frugality I don’t like to spend money, but sometimes, you just have to.

Andi B.

Andi B.