A few weeks ago, I bought an apple corer/cutter for $4. It looks something like this:
I’d never used one, but I was at a friend’s house and noticed that this person ate a lot of apples and used one of those cutters. I have never been much of an apple fan. I don’t dislike them, but I never went out of my way to buy apples because I knew I wouldn’t eat them – because I am really lazy. It’s not that hard to cut an apple; I used to do it when I was a kid. But somewhere along the way I decided that was too much of an inconvenience.
After thinking about it, I decided that if I had an apple-cutting gadget, I would be motivated to eat apples. So I went ahead and bought it. And guess what? I eat apples now. Fabulous, right?
But here’s the thing: I keep thinking about that $4 I spent on a product I didn’t really need. Could I have used a knife to cut apples? Sure. But I wasn’t doing it. And I think that’s where my frugal mindset meets my lazy reality. I didn’t need the apple cutter, but without it, I know that I wouldn’t be eating apples. That $4 wasn’t necessary, but I’m looking at it as a small investment in my health.
I also recently bought clips that are supposed to keep my comforter from getting lost inside my duvet cover. I can’t tell you how many months I have thought about buying them (they’re $5.99) and how many nights I have struggled trying to get my bed in order. I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and the bedding is all bunchy and it irritates me. It was affecting my sleep, so I finally decided to buy it. I had a 25% off coupon at Bed, Bath & Beyond, so it wound up costing less than $5. It was another small investment in my health.
There’s a lot of good things to be said for not just running out and buying stuff without really thinking it through. But I find myself still thinking and doubting the value of buying relatively cheap things that are good for me, yet not ruminating as much on dropping $30 on a shirt that I don’t need.
Those are my screwed-up priorities. I’m trying to change that and to view spending in a different light. Taking care of myself is important and it’s not a crime to spend a little money on it … and to then spend a little less money on the things that I REALLY don’t need.
Oh, speaking of things that are good for you, I went ahead and got a flu shot yesterday. And to my surprise, my insurance covered half of it, so it only cost $13 – another small investment.
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