Nifty Thrifty

It is far too easy to spend money this time of year, to buy impulsively and without impunity. I don’t need or want for much this year and I think my kids have an abundance. What could they need? What could I buy that garners any longer attention or interest than everything else they have? I can spend $60 on a new PC game for Cameron and he sort of plays it. He HAD to have it 45 days ago, but now, he is ambivalent. Evan always plays an angle, always wants something, but he sets everything down quite quickly. What does it matter if I spend $50 or $500 on each of them?

It doesn’t. And so, I won’t. I suspect they will notice since I have always been quite extravagant in years past. I just don’t see the point. I also want nearly nothing for myself: a new drying rack, a watering can with a thin, long spout, a yoga mat, pots for planting more succulents, a foam kneeler for gardening. Instead, I want things that cannot be bought. I want people to eat all the cookies I bake. I want time to scan old photos and slides. I want to redo some of Realisa and better organize Flickr and Picasa. I want to sew a bit and read. And the best part is that I don’t need to buy anything to do these things. Well, maybe I have to buy baking ingredients: butter, sugar, flour, pecans, chocolate.

Today I spent a bit of money on some thrifty, nifty decorations for the house. Since this is a rental….a rental I LOATHE….I felt I had to try to make it more hospitable for ME. I channeled the ghost of Martha Stewart and did the following things:

I bought the poinsettia for $9. Can you guess the origin of the white container? I wrapped it in brown packing paper I already had and added ribbon and a stock cellophane bow from the wrapping box. [The white bucket is a cat littler container]

The stockings were made two years ago.  I haven’t added a picture of me to the frame, though. The three bleeding heart plants were my splurge. Each cost $15 but they are my representation of the Trinity. I also bought 60 cent plastic pans to set them in and wrapped the plastic green nursery pots with more brown packing paper and added the green ribbon, which I already had.

The red ornaments were $6 per package of 12. I needed 18 to traverse the door span. The red ribbon was added to the kitchen cafe curtains and I already had that ribbon. I also bought a $12 oblong linen table cloth for the dining room that I haven’t photographed. I’ll share once the tree is decorated tomorrow.

Christmas is a lovely time of year. My Christmas wish is to sprinkle everyday with a bit of the wonder and awe we so easily access during the Nativity season.