<p>I go at it a little ass backwards I suppose. We save first, then pay bills, then the rest we can use how we want without guilt. I used to do it opposite - treat myself, then try and pay bills and somehow there was nothing leftover to save.</p>
<p>When we were young and broke if I had extra money I couldn’t hold on to it - I had to run out and spend it quickly. The other day H gave me $100 when he went to the ATM because he’s tired of me pinching money here and there from him because I never carry cash. I still have it all.</p>
<p>When we first started our business and it started getting busier my first “salary” was actually to get a cleaning lady. I have really bad allergies and this helps me tremendously.</p>
<p>I like nice stuff, I’ll admit it, but I don’t just buy stuff because I have money burning a hole in my pocket. In fact I really don’t like shopping at all, but I did buy my first pair of Jimmy Choos the other day to match a dress for a work function at the end of the month and darn if they weren’t super cute, and in my mind practical.</p>
<p>A bug guy to spray your trees or what?
I don’t use chemicals unless I have to & I haven’t had to so far.
I have concerns about some spruce mites, but I havent called an arborist in yet.
Ive just been keeping an eye on them.
Shrinkrap, I feel for you I really do.
What kind of fruit trees do you have?
Get your " gardener" this book.
[url=<a href=“http://www.plantamnesty.org/goods_services/gs_book.htm]PlantAmnesty:”>http://www.plantamnesty.org/goods_services/gs_book.htm]PlantAmnesty:</a> The Material World - Goods & Services:* The Book<a href=“I%20think%20it%20is%20in%20its%20third%20edition.%20I%20took%20a%20pine%20pruning%20workshop%20with%20her%20at%20Kubota%20Gardens.%20Very%20knowledgeable”>/url</a></p>
<p>Our bug guy started off spraying for ants, and only sprays the base of the house, outside. No chemicals in the garden! I got rid of the previous “gardener” because I saw him out there spraying around my plants. I ran out and asked what he was doing, but he did not speak English. The current guy struggles a bit with English too, but I have told him in writing and with pictures to NOT prune the treas, and for the most part, stick to cutting the grass and picking up the leaves.</p>
<p>My fruit trues are Blenheim apricot, Black Jack fig, nectarine, Meyer lemon, a Blood orange, a Perlette and a Thomas grape.</p>
<p>There are tons of things I could but don’t buy. I hold onto money better than I spend it. Sometimes this is its own problem. I don’t buy electronics until they die. My parents only had a small portable B & W tv until I went to college. I thought people were really rich if they had a wood-grain console color tv. Sigh, now I have the wood-grain console color tv that won’t die…</p>
<p>I drive a work truck. It runs fine and is very handy with all my construction, renovation and gardening needs. No fancy underwear here (but mostly because it looks so scratchy and itchy). My purses don’t have names and go until they die. I could never stand the time to switch stuff out and back.</p>
<p>Splurges - lots of fruit, lots of real flowers to plant, lots on special ed, and currently, S1’s wedding. I’m debating on treating myself to Brookstone Sand. It has such raving reviews. I bought some for my niece for her birthday and we had to test-run it. Looks as if it could be addictive.</p>
<p>My son had me return the BS sand, as he “didn’t really need it”. The little kids, 5 & 6 year olds, were delighted. I got them all the sandbox, so their parents wouldn’t get mad at me.</p>
<p>For the life of me I cannot bring myself to replace this Ipad. In July it slipped out of it’s case due to user error and the screen fractured with hairline cracks.The problem is it still works perfectly, and if I position it so, I don’t even see the cracks. Because of 3 rewards programs we belong to I could easily replace it with no cost, but I just can’t.</p>
<p>I haven’t been able to wrap my head around having someone come to clean, even when I was working FT with two little kids. Felt the same way about yard work – DH doesn’t do it, and the guys are gone now – but it has been mostly my job the whole time we’ve been in this house. Since the heart attack, that is now verboten, so I have someone come every two weeks when the grass is growing fast, less often at other times. If S2 us here in the summer, he cuts the grass while he’s here. Had the landscape guys clean up the yard for the wedding last summer (the owner is a neighbor) and then DH groused about it. (For $250, I was HAPPY to have it done!)</p>
<p>So, my house is a mess (see the Bag-A-Week Club). We seldom have company, so it is what it is.</p>
<p>Since so many of CC of VERY frugal, I think a more interesting thread would be “What do you splurge on that OTHERS would have a problem with.” Since CC is an admittedly judgmental crowd, I think that would make for some interesting posts.</p>
<p>I splurge on food. I buy expensive smoked salmon and cheese. I don’t buy cheap wine. I don’t have steak often, but if I do, it’s center cut tenderloin. I buy fresh fish from the best place in town, and it’s expensive. ETC. Clothes, purses, shoes, jewelry, no. FOOD, yes. :o</p>
<p>How about boats? No one has mentioned them. We have two smaller boats, but would never buy a big one - not worth it for the amount of time we would use it and the cost of upkeep and slip fees.</p>
<p>We won’t buy a vacation home. We prefer to travel to different places - life is too short- and we love our primary residence, so don’t feel the need to <em>get away</em> to another house we would have to take care of.</p>
<p>“What do you splurge on that OTHERS would have a problem with.” </p>
<p>My pets! Although I don’t consider it splurging, just taking care of them properly. But they have the best food, regardless of the cost, medical care, accomodations, etc.</p>
<p>Also, I love to travel.</p>
<p>And ever since I got the Kindle, if I can’t get a book in the library, I am fine spending the money to get it.</p>
<p>Boats ( except for the one on a trailer in our driveway) and horses ( we borrowed), are two money pits we’ve been able to stay away from so far!
Oldest is getting married in June, but as she says they are taking care of it themselves, Im wondering if I should hold her to it.</p>
<p>We do tend to buy good food, and that has kicked up a notch since the guys left and my health issues moved to the fore.</p>
<p>I have a couple of nice digital cameras (though not nearly as nice as Dad II’s).</p>
<p>Our dog goes to a nice doggie spa when we travel and can’t take her along. She has separation anxiety and at least she is familiar with this place, and by now they know her well and give her extra love. We joke that her accommodations cost almost as much as ours (and that is not always an exaggeration!). </p>
<p>What I’d like to splurge on: a new top-of-the line Viking sewing machine and accompanying software. I would need to sell a lot of my fabric art before I could justify that cost, though.</p>
<p>EK, no roaches, just ants that came in the house when it rained, and little beetle things that come under the doors. Both seasonal, and both still happen ever few years. We probably don’t need the bug guy, but it’s a local family owned company and I take it personally when a business around here folds. I bought too many books from Amazon, and now we don’t have a single bookstore in the city. I started growing from seed, and the last nursery closed shop. :^/</p>
<p>No bookstores!
We did have carpenter ants at a house we rented when we were married, but they sprayed with something that had been banned by the EPA and made both me & infant D ill.
We moved ASAP.
Now we have a basement, and no bugs.
Except for yellow jackets in the summer, but we have a very effective trap for them.</p>
<p>Latest splurge - just had our closets professionally done with shoe racks, shelfs, pull out drawers. We live in an apartment, so every inch of space counts. We have empty shelves now, which means I could go shopping again. I have been holding back because we’ve literally ran out of space.</p>
