Such a Deal!

How odd it is to think back to just a few months ago when we were paying onwards and upwards of $2.89 a gallon for gas. When the prices jumped to $3.99 (and, believe it or not, $8.99) a gallon, it was hard to conceive that those prices would ever budge lower. Remember, we had just suffered all that Katrina could manage on the Gulf, with Rita shortly behind her skirts.

Today, I wasn't necessarily needing gas, but could not resist the sign that blared in the distance.
Was it possible? Gas had come down to $1.99. Since I only need glasses for reading and can see five miles off in the distance with no sight problems whatsoever, I thought I might need to go for that long overdue eye exam. Holy cow! What a deal! I looked to my gas gage and thought that I didn't really care if I needed it or not, my guzzler was due for a lucky day. I popped in to the gas station and merrily pumped away. My thought was to get it before they decide to raise the prices in ten minutes.

I had another financial extravaganza this past weekend when I was out shopping for some Christmas presents and got talked into going to my local Lowes by my husband. I was getting a little cranky, the traffic was a little rough, and I had just gotten through complaining that I didn't look forward to the season, as I am always too busy to enjoy it anyway. My zing and gusto was depleted and I knew that I had gardens to tend, cakes to bake and parties to set up, as well as a house that needed a thorough cleaning. Yadda, yadda, yadda.....

Well, I gave in and we stopped; all the while I am still moping about the list of to-do's ahead of me. We always start in the garden section, which is a dangerous liaison for me. Since we both are in the habit of trying to rescue any trees and flowers that have been dumped to the side, because they may be out of season... this can become a costly adventure if I'm not careful.
Lo and behold, they had pansies on sale. Since my impatiens have reached the end of their season, I knew it was a matter of time to replace them ... only I didn't look forward to taking out my spade. Well, how lucky can one girl get! They were so busy trying to put out Christmas trees that they needed to unload all their baskets of pansies.... regularly $5.99 a basket, marked down to $1.00. Suddenly the zing returned, I felt a fresh renewal of gusto, and told my husband to secure a cart while I quickly grabbed as many baskets as I could. We ended up with eleven of the most choice ones (the rest were truly dead already... and one lady caught me in the act, and decided to get a little action for herself).

When we got home, I looked at my poor forlorn yard that was buried in fall leaves, and a roof that needed gutter cleaning. We quickly got to work straightening up the mountain of pre-chores before I would stick out my new flowers. Since I have just re-seeded my yard, we didn't need to rake, as the leaves offer protection to the seedlings.... the only hard work was sweeping everything off the driveway into the compost pile. Oh, yeah, gutter cleaning can be a strenuous, but since I deemed that it was a mans job to get up there, I had it a little easier myself.... and held the broom steadfast instead. When all was brushed away, I took my new flowers, cut off the hangers and plopped them into the ready clay pots. Voila'.... all done in two hours, and looking pretty spiffy, if I do say so myself. No spade was required, and my gardens were intact for another season, all for eleven dollars and tax.

My husband laughs at me sometimes, as he says my New England heritage has never really left me, and, I admit I am a frugal person. I know that he's never had so much fun spending his money unless I'm doing it.... and he has come to rely on my advise over prices. He knows a simple look from me or disinterest in a product can only mean that the price of the item isn't worth spending the hard earned bucks for it. He also knows he has final say in anything he truly wants, as I'm not stingy... but it's come down to a wonderful trust of knowing each other well.

We may be from different backgrounds... his being southern, mine northern, but we've finally learned to laugh at the little idiosyncrasies that make us so diverse. We live a nice "rich" life with fun, laughter and plenty of things to do. Who could ask for more?