Spending Money

I need to update the blog. I haven't posted since I got back from Houston. But honestly, I haven't done a whole lot since I got back. It was a great trip. The folks from the bank down there sent us pecan pies as a thank you. The folks I work for sent us a $100 American Express gift card to thank us for our time and effort.

(Off the subject: If you're ever going to get someone a gift card to a specific store, consider the AmEx gift card instead. Seriously. Use it just like a credit card. Once the money is gone, the card is no good and you can use it anywhere. Fantastic idea.)

I took the gift card and combined it with a gift card that I had to Golf Galaxy from Christmas (If it had been an AmEx gift card, I probably would have spent it already.) and bought a new golf bag. It's nice. I broke it in on Memorial Day with a really nice round of golf.

Spending the money was hard though. I know that sounds funny, but it really was. I guess it's the whole balance between "need" and "want". I kept thinking of things to spend my AmEx money on. I didn't want it to go to bills, because I worked hard that week I was in Houston (70 hours when it was all said and done) and I felt like I deserved a bit of cash to reward myself. At the same time, I kept finding reasons not to buy stuff.

I want a new golf bag. "The bag I have is just fine." I want an iPod. "When would I use it?" I could use a new pair of dress shoes. "I want something fun, not something practical."

I guess it comes from being more mature now than I used to be. (Stop laughing, I'm serious!) That balance between "need" and "want" becomes more important. Especially after you get married and start needing to pay real bills. When it comes to "Do I get a new golf bag or pay my electric bill..." there really isn't a decision to be made. But when there's money that doesn't have to go anywhere, that is just "found money", it's harder for me to do things for myself than it used to be. I went back and forth on what to get for weeks. I finally decided to get the golf bag because I could justify it to myslef. Is that sad? Probably.