changing values
Sunday, October 22, 2006 at 10:12AM Doing laundry instead of shopping for new clothes. A simple meal cooked and enjoyed at home, instead of another $16 meal from a thai restaurant. Getting a great deal at Sports Basement instead of overnight shipping on a plastic-within-plastic patagonia mail order. Neighbors who know my cats' names and all three of my names, instead of neighbors who genteely avert their eyes if we cross paths in a hallway. My threadbare collge sweatshirt instead of a pre-stressed sweatshirt with the name of a surf competition that never happened at a beach that doesn't exist. Spending time with my cats on the back porch, watching them bat at moths, instead of battery-powered pet toys with fluorescent feathers. $10 key-combo software instead of a new keyboard with literally buttons and whistles. Running a line from the cable box to the clock radio, instead of buying new speakers. Discovering old music in my collection instead of "Discovering New Music" at Starbucks. Self-serve locally-roasted Kona Blend instead of a six-dollar latte. Rereading my favorite books instead of buying the flavor-of-the-week at Barnes & Noble Big Box.
It's not just that these things cost less than the alternative... It's that they actually feel better. You couldn't have told me this ten years ago, or even five. I used to think that costing more money inherently made something better than any lower-cost alternative. I used to think that new meant luxurious, and old meant moldy. I used to think that bills were just greeting cards with numbers on them. And today, just today, I'd rather have a little less debt than a little more stuff.
Reader Comments (1)
That's a nice piece of everyday wisdom you've gained.