Money | BulgingButtons

I’ve come to the sad realization that with just one week of work in the 2015 calendar year under my belt, I’ve visited Starbucks no fewer than 4 times (or was it 6?) and spent no less than $30. In fact, I”m sure it was quite a bit more, since I had my son with me twice, and that ups the bill considerably. Let’s see, 52 weeks in a year times $30 a week equals $1560.00 . That’s quite a bit to spend on coffee drinks and pastries.

Still, I have a good job, and if I really want to spend $1560.00 per year on something I can, but this? At the end of the year what will I have to show for that investment? My first response is “nothing,” but that’s not true. I’ll have the effects of a year’s worth of sugary, fatty drinks and pastries settling into my ever aging body. I don’t need that. I don’t want that. So why is it so hard to resist?

Now this isn’t an anti-Starbucks post. I love Starbucks. Too much. That’s my point. If I could handle it I wouldn’t have to go cold-turkey, but I can’t. For me, Starbucks is like some giant lab experiment and I’m the rat. I cheerfully get in line and hand over my hard earned money in exchange for items that I know are not beneficial to my health. Then I consume those items happily, temporarily satisfied until I begin to crave the next fix. Sometimes that craving hits the very same day, and yes, sometimes I give in to it the very same day. Too much is too much.

Unlike the lab rat, I have a choice. I can voluntarily leave the experiment. I have options. But damn, I love my Starbucks. I crave it. I don’t care about the money! I don’t care about the health issues! I just want my frappucino!

Oops, sorry. That just kind of came out. I can handle this. I can come up with better alternatives. I’ve done it before and I can do it again. Starting today I will avoid Starbucks. That extra $30 per week might just come in handy, and I know I’ll feel better after the first couple of days. I may even stop shaking as I drive by, after a few weeks anyway.

Now I’m going to brew a pot of tea to take in my thermos and fix myself some toast for breakfast. There was life before Starbucks, and there is life after it.

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. It’s a wonderful day of food and family and tradition. I love Thanksgiving. I always have. But before I get too caught up in the cooking (yes, I started yesterday, and today my sweetheart is doing most of the meal, so I have time) I’m going to take care of some business.

Why? Well, as I was clearing off the kitchen counter I moved some mail, and in it were a few bills. It seems to me that Thanksgiving is the perfect time to pay those bills (online, of course). Why spoil a perfectly good holiday? Because to me it isn’t spoiling it at all.

1. Credit Card- I paid off my credit card a while back, before I got divorced. I use it now for online purchases and travel related expenses, like airfare and hotels. Some months there’s not much on there (although usually there’s something, since I download too many books for the kindle). Other months it gets pretty high. Never as high as it was back in my married days, though. When I get this bill it reminds me that I have the opportunity to travel and the means to provide the little extra comforts that I enjoy in life, like my collection of digital media.

2. Electric- These folks make it possible for me to keep my home warm or cool, to wash and dry my clothes, to refrigerate and cook my food, and to enjoy technology. Oh, and they keep the lights on. Yes, I’m thankful for all of that.

3. Cell phone- I’m happy to pay to not only keep connected to my loved ones, but also to have access to emergency services should I need them. Add it the convenience of data where I am and yes, I’ll pay my bill, no problem.

4. Mortgage- Granted this one is a big one, but it pays for the roof over my family’s head. We live in a comfortable home in a neighborhood that feels safe and friendly. I looked long and hard to find this home, and I’m glad to call it ours. I remember this every time I send in the payment.

5. Insurance- I pay for the peace of mind. I’m glad that if something DOES happen, I have insurance to help us through it. It’s worth it to me.

I’m not wealthy. I don’t live extravagantly. I do, however, have enough, and for that I’m very thankful. Paying my bills reminds me that I’m fortunate to have what I do have and to live as comfortably as I do. I work hard for what I earn, but I’ve also been lucky. There are many hardworking people who struggle and barely scrape by. I’m aware of this, and for that reason I’m thankful that I’m able to pay my bills and still have a little something left over to enjoy life. If paying bills isn’t a reminder of my fortunate situation, I don’t know what is.