There are two types of people: Those who like to brag about how much money they spend on something, and those who like to brag about how much they save. I had a friend who loved to tell people how much he spent on his outfits: $150 Jeans and $75 T-shirts. Bragging about how much you spend on something tells people that you have money (or at least you act like you do)...it's a way of expressing status, success, and style. Maybe because I grew up on five-dollar-a-bag yard sale clothes, I'm of the other mentality. When someone compliments my skirt, I blurt out, "Thanks! Three dollar clearance rack at Target!" Bragging about saving money is to show that you're smart, thrifty, and maybe a little shameless.
Saving money is not glamorous and it certainly isn't easy. Just ask Tommie how much he loves stopping on the side of the road to grab free lamps, or trekking throughout the state of Massachusetts to retrieve $40 bookcases and $10 tables from Craigslist because I think new furniture that costs hundreds of dollars is a racket. (Note the growing pile of dirt cheap furnishings for our new apartment.)
I only want to pay what I think something is really worth (okay, maybe even a little less because I'm cheap...do I sound like I'm 85 again?). The thing is, I'm young and I make peanuts, but I do wonder if I'd change if I ever did make money. It would be easier to just order what I wanted, brand new. It would be easier to chose the outfit on the mannequin instead of picking my way through a disorganized clearance rack at the back of the store. It's not easy trying to save on everything, but it is more rewarding. It's like a game to find the best deals and a challenge to make it work. Or maybe that's what I tell myself to feel better about not being rich....either way, I don't think I could really ever change my thrifty nature. There are savers and there are spenders, and we all have our reasons.
The crocus' have bloomed. Birds are chirping and bees are buzzing. 
Maya (and everyone else) has been waiting five months for this moment.
Long before I understood time, I understood the seasons by following nature's cues. The crocus' in my grandparents yard are always the first flowers to push their way up from the thawing earth and they symbolize everything to do with spring: gardens, Easter eggs, short-sleeves, buds and the return of sunshine. Every year, the sight of these little stems makes me smile because I know they will be the first things to breathe color back into this gray, barren world we've lived in for five months.
There are many great time-wasting sites on the Internet like FaceBook and UTuble, my favorite happens to be Craigslist. I justify this by claiming that Craigslist is a productive time-wasting site since I use it to find the things I need or to get rid of the things I don't. Of course, I'm guilty of spending far too much time doing this, which undercuts the productivity argument.
With the knowledge that Tommie and I will (finally) be moving out from underneath my grandparents and into our own apartment in a couple months, I think it's time I admit I'm officially addicted to Craigslist (that's why I'm taking a break and writing this blog...about Craigslist).
Over the years, I've used Craigslist for a myriad of important tasks: I have gotten jobs from there, found the apartments I've lived in (and the ones my family have lived in too), I've furnished apartments, sold furniture, and even met friends using Craigslist (my creepy sister posted a note on Craigslist to the neighbors we had never met and put the link outside their door). Craigslist is popular in southern California because people there are so transient, and if you live there, I would highly recommend using it. Craigslist is catching on on the East Coast, but there just aren't as many people here and not as much swapping going on. I realized I have been living in a Craigslist bubble...it turns out that furniture in the real world costs more than $50. A lot more. Go figure. Craigslist might not be as easy to navigate in the Boston area, but I guess that just means I'll have to spend more time trying.
Maybe I should start going to meetings for this.
February has come to a close, and soon, so too will winter. I've lived in New England long enough to know that winter will most likely pack a few more punches before all is said and done, but I like to round the months up and pretend like things are going to get better...because they will. Before this season started, I told myself I just had to get through February. I can handle March. The days get longer, the temperatures hover around 40 degrees which feels warm compared to 20, and soon enough, the crocus' will shoot out of the thawing ground and that's when you know we're back in business.
There are a few things that helped me get through this first winter back east:
1. Preparation. As you might recall, was rushing around like a mad squirrel gathering things for the months ahead. We got sandbags and shovels, candles and batteries, gloves, scarves, boots and snow pants, dog coats and paw wax...and did we really need half that stuff? Probably not. Certainly not in September when I started gathering it all. But I can't help if I'm oddly calmed by unnecessary preparation.
2. Gummy Vitamin C. I'm serious. Vitafusion makes orange flavored adult gummy vitamin C you can get at places like Target. I never forget to take my vitamins when they taste like candy. Not only are these things delicious, but I'm pretty sure they have worked some kind of miracle on my immune system. I used to get every cold that people within a 10-foot radius of me had, and (knock on wood) I didn't get sick once this winter. Either drinking bacteria-filled water in California and Gloucester has made me immune to larger bacteria and viruses, or these little suckers work better than the H1N1 vaccine, and the bonus is that eating gummy vitamins is much more pleasant than getting a shot in the arm.
3. Efforts to Embrace Winter. I don't know if I'll ever fully embrace this time of year, but I can tolerate it. Having a dog helped get us outside for walks, and exercise helps the heart and mind. We also had a good time snow-shoeing and yak-tracking in Ravenswood Park. I even tried to be "happy" about shoveling snow because it was a chance to beef up my pathetic arm muscles.
It's the little things that help me get through winter. It's not quite over and sometimes the home stretch can be the most painful because you know you're so close, but I'm just banking on the fact that we are close.
I only want to pay what I think something is really worth (okay, maybe even a little less because I'm cheap...do I sound like I'm 85 again?). The thing is, I'm young and I make peanuts, but I do wonder if I'd change if I ever did make money. It would be easier to just order what I wanted, brand new. It would be easier to chose the outfit on the mannequin instead of picking my way through a disorganized clearance rack at the back of the store. It's not easy trying to save on everything, but it is more rewarding. It's like a game to find the best deals and a challenge to make it work. Or maybe that's what I tell myself to feel better about not being rich....either way, I don't think I could really ever change my thrifty nature. There are savers and there are spenders, and we all have our reasons.
