Sometimes it’s okay to be completely frivolous. For example, we signed-up for Insta-cart here at our Florida house. I’ve known about it for a long time but have never taken advantage of it because it just felt too posh. Too plush. Like, if I used Insta-cart to have my groceries delivered to my home, I’d be one step away from living that cream-puff lifestyle … and I’m way, way too self-sufficient for that whole cream-puff thing. I make my own bone broth, I installed my own garbage disposal, I painted kitchen cabinets, I’ve removed roof shingles, I changed the battery in Dave’s truck. Zero cream-puff here.
But to be honest, I’m just so seriously OVER IT with grocery shopping sometimes and I don’t wanna. So with the swift click of a few keys, I created an insta-cart profile, ordered my groceries and was happily unpacking them an hour later – which also gave us enough time to go on a mimosa date. Easy peasy, can I have this for the rest of my life, squeezy. But that got me to thinking about my new, frivolous, cream-puff life and wondering if I had earned it? Was I worthy of it? Was I able to justify it? But wait, why do I need to justify it anyway.
I can name the exact moment this need to justify seeped into my life. And by seep I really mean came rushing in like Niagara Falls. It started the year Dave and I got engaged. We had this group of “friends” who, behind our backs, were trashing me and accusing me of marrying Dave for his money. After all, how could I possibly love a man when I lived 900 miles away. That story in itself is far too involved for today, but it deserves to be said that at that time, unless you were Dave or myself, you had ZERO idea of why we were living that long-distance life – and yes, there was a reason, an end-goal and it was a mutual decision – none of which had anything at all to do with money. Regardless of that, I was the villain in the tale being told, and was treated as such by a group of people.
That story goes on and on for a couple of years before we rid ourselves of that negativity. But the entire point is that when you’re accused of something, regardless of it’s lack of truth, it can gain momentum in your life and before you know it… you’re feeding that lie. I started to question my every purchase. My every action. I took drastic steps to make sure I wasn’t spending extra money on frivolous things. If we wanted pineapple, I bought a whole one and sliced it myself. If we wanted carrot sticks I bought bags of them and chopped them up. If we needed broth for a recipe, I made it from scratch. We needed curtains in a couple of rooms and I attempted to sew them myself to save a little money. I colored my own hair. I did my own manicures. I did everything from scratch, I did everything homemade, I did everything as cheap, and as economical as I could for a while – because dang it, no one was going to accuse me of marrying a man for his money.
But guys, I was also working a full-time job that actually looks more like 60+ hours a week sometimes. It takes a LOT of hours to keep Dave Miller up and running! I was helping Dave rebrand himself and running all his marketing and advertising efforts. I was solely responsible for a business in Florida and growing and maintaining that. I volunteer. I read and keep us up to date on the economy and the real estate market. I’m becoming certified to teach a class. I’m maintaining not just one home, but three.
It’s okay to be frivolous sometimes. Saving money is awesome – but there are moments when my time and (even more important) my SANITY are worth more than the extra 50 cents I saved by chopping up my own carrots. Some of those items I listed above, I do now and I actually enjoy them – my hair is healthier since I switched to an all-natural hair color at home, and I love doing my own manis. But some of those things are just silly. It’s okay to spend $5 to have your groceries delivered if you’re too busy to go to the store. It’s okay to buy pre-made curtains because the HOURS you’re going to spend making them, can’t compare to the $10 you might save – and that time, wow, how precious is it! It could be spent on other tasks or even better yet, with family and friends.
So. Today, prop your feet up and do something frivolous because you – you’re working so, so hard. You’re keeping things running. You totally deserve it! Even if you do nothing all day – you owe no one a justification. Do what you need to do today even if it’s so, totally cream-puff frivolous.
I’m about to head into the kitchen and cook some lunch with the groceries I had delivered. And guess what? I’ve got the biggest smile on my face because I didn’t have to leave the house this morning. I spent it reading with my husband, and it was so completely wonderful and relaxing. Which is just what I needed.
Happy Sunday.
– Stac
P.S.
That mimosa a few of you have messaged me about came from Modica Market in Seaside, FL. It’s waaaaay too big for one person, but if you’re up for the challenge, GO FOR IT!