Originally uploaded by M e l o d y
I discovered a really strange phenomenon when I visited the 12th annual fair trade festival with Emma today.
It is hard to spend a little money, it’s easy to spend a lot.
I had my limited cash and a list of family that I wanted to buy for, my budget in mind and off we went!
Emma and I walked the hall twice, as well as the indoor farmer’s market. There were hundreds of gorgeous items and they really were not that expensive. In my former life/budget I would have likely spent at least a hundred dollars on trifles, cute jewelry, beautiful bags, fun imaginative animals, blankets, amazing, beautiful dresses that were made for American Girl dolls, and fun instruments.
But I was overwhelmed. I was completely flustered by having a limit to what I could spend and I spent, …. nothing.
Other than Dolgo Crab Apple Jelly from a flickr contact’s company Pamplemouse Preserves and $2 worth of potatoes and $2.50 on two donuts from the farmer’s market. The preserves were $15 which felt really steep, but she’s a small business owner, making everything from locally grown fruit, and that’s good enough for me. Lastly, it cost $4 to park at Monona Terrace which was not on the Fair Trade website. $23.50 for the hour and a half.
I was going to say it was a miserable experience. I guess that’s not quite it. I was just so aware of my limits and it was a strange place to be in, and it made me really grumpy and slightly down.
No shopping high was found today. And I’m left with the realization that I am an extremely spoilt person. Spoilt thru and thru. For as long as I can remember I have been able to be spoilt rotten and now, because we’ve decided to live on a budget and completely get out of debt, I can’t.
Boo hoo, poor me. Time to grow up Melody. Most people in the world struggle to put food on the table and strive to meet their families needs; and I’m whining about living on a budget (a very comfortable budget in global standards.)
Logic & Imagination 