WHAT DID MY AUTUMN TEACH ME?
I thought I'd do a little seasonal update on what living Mindfully looks like for me through the year ahead. This is my Autumn look back, and for a change I thought I'd share some of the buying and selling I decided to do - mindfully figuring out that it's okay to spend money on things that make me happy after all those years of working hard and saving for a rainy day...
BUYING AND SELLING
I'm very mindful of the fact that I've never been good at spending money. I've been ridiculously frugal all my life, and any big purchases have come with significant research and mulling over before deciding whether to go ahead or whether to keep the money in the bank.
Retirement has loosened that up a little and I seem to be becoming a little free-er with my finances these days (something I never expected in the leaner years!) So, here's what I bought and sold and surprised myself with in the last couple of months....
1. BUYING A NEW CAR
As I mentioned in my post a few weeks ago about "eustress" I'd been thinking about whether it was time to buy a new car - my old one was 13 years old but still going really well - so it wasn't a "must-do" but more of a "want-to".... I'd been thinking about the possibility of a hybrid or an electric car, but hadn't seen one that appealed. Then, surprisingly out of the blue, one popped up in my online feed and I fell in love. Within days I'd gone to have a look, agreed to trade in my beautifully wrapped little Mazda 2, and signed a contract to buy a shiny, red GWM Ora. She arrived a week later and she reminds me why it's a good thing to treat ourselves occasionally - her name is now Ruby, she's such fun to drive and I now have a car that's a little bit different (and an added bonus is not buying petrol while it's so expensive!)
2. SELLING MY SCOOTER
One of the reasons I put off buying a new car was that I had my scooter that I rode to my coffee dates and other local spots. It was an early 60th birthday gift, and I loved zooming around the neighbourhood on it - but 5½ years later, and with Winter approaching, I was ready to let it go so that I could drive Ruby to those coffee catch-ups. I popped an ad up on FB Marketplace, and was reminded why I don't do that very often - it's a jungle out there! Still, within two days, I had a guy come and buy her for his wife so they could go scooting together. It was nice seeing it go off to a happy home and it freed up a little bit of space in the garage.
3. UPDATING THE SOFA LOUNGE
We bought a futon sofa lounge 20+ years ago for an extra seating and sleeping option. We realized a little while ago that it was getting old and not really fulfilling its purpose. Spurred on by a Facebook ad (sometimes they actually get their target audience right!) we looked into a better option that was on sale and had free shipping (bonus!) So it was out with the old (thank you FB Marketplace again) and in with the new - and now we have a comfy new couch in my husband's office area that converts to a daybed for napping, a kingsize bed, or two single beds - perfect for our future needs.
4. BUYING SOME SPARKLY SHOES
And finally, I rarely buy silly, frivolous things - it almost brings me out in hives when I spend money on myself that isn't necessary, or for a good reason. As I try to break myself of this scarcity mindset, I'm trying to be more generous with myself and with others. Small treats are such a boost, and if not now, then when? I'm not getting any younger, and it's a good time to buy something impulsively now and then that doesn't break the bank, and that brings some fun into my world. So.....on that note, after mulling over it for awhile, I succumbed to the sparkle and bought myself a pair of mermaid shoes - and they make me smile every time I put them on.
WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Well that's my Autumn of big and small spending....have you bought yourself anything recently? Have you found yourself becoming more generous as you've gotten older?
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