Thankfully, we don't need it for groceries or anything, but every time I receive $ that is supposed to be 'just for me' it is SO hard to spend it on myself without thinking there is a 'right' way to spend the money. This is especially difficult when there are things you wind up needing as a family (new car seats for instance) that aren't necessarily budgeted for on a regular basis.
I do great coming up with ideas for what to use this gift for, it's just the making a final decision part that is tough. So here are the ideas I have come up with so far.
#1. Turning our guest bedroom into a playroom. A new coat of paint, new curtains, repainting some furniture would help me reserve my living room for more adult use and keep the toys out of sight and out of mind. :)
#2. New clothes. It has been a year since I had Melody and I am still not into those pre-pregnancy clothes. Maybe it is time for some new ones? Summer is coming up and I have very little that I can wear!
#3. Decorating the kitchen. Our kitchen is sad. White and off-white, nothing on the walls, clutter everywhere. Our kitchen could use some serious love in the color, decor and organization department. It is seriously depressing in there.
#4. New car seat. As I mentioned last week, car seat recommendations are changing. We are keeping the forward facing seat we already bought since it will fit Melody up to 100 lbs, in a 5 point harness for a long time and functions as a booster after that. But now she will likely have an interim where she won't fit the infant seat nor will she be ready to be forward facing.
#5. Registration for a conference for my business. It is an awesome training opportunity and very motivational. My business can obviously cover this expense, but if I went ahead and paid for it now with my birthday moo-lah, I wouldn't have to worry about making enough this month to cover it and I could focus on earning for the plane ticket, hotel cost, etc. (If you are interested, check out my business website here.)
So there are lots of options. Let me say that I know for many people these are difficult economic times, so I am thankful for this gift from my parents. Having extra money is definitely a good problem to have, and one that not many people get to enjoy right at the moment.
But just for the fun of it, here's my question this week.
If you had extra money this month, what would you spend it on?
Thanks for reading again this week!
Love, Rachel
Ha! As it turns out, I WILL have extra money this month from my tax return! Due to my low income and high tuition cost, I am getting quite a bit this year... a lot more than I thought I would! Still not sure its fair to get back more than I pit in, but that shall not be discussed here. :) I know that won't always happen, though, so while it does I'll just consider it a blessing from God. Anyway, I am getting a new computer... mine broke in Jan and I have been surviving off a loaner from my sister. I also plan to return some money I borrowed from my parents. If there is any left over, I'll probably get a treat from our new self-serve frozen yogurt shop. Wait... scratch that... I'll go either way! I'm telling you, that place is AWESOME. The manager gave us 10% off coupons because we are so loyal!
ReplyDeleteYay for tax refunds! I'm pretty sure ours is going entirely toward debt this year (which is both a sad and a happy thing!). We have a new self-serve frozen yogurt place here too now. It is really cute! What a sweet deal from the manager- especially in the summer time! :)
ReplyDeleteLove, Rachel