A completely frivolous, yet totally worthy, way to spend $10 a week

I am cheap. I admit it. The only thing I buy new are hair dye, underwear, jeans, and flip flops. The hair dye is a every few months thing and I always do it myself. Undergarments are self explanatory, NO ONE wants skivvies that have been all up in anyone else's bits. Jean are a once every two or three... or 6 years, expense. I only buy them on sale and REFUSE to spend more than $35 a pair. I REFUSE. And flip flops, well, those last me about 3 years a pair and I buy the less than $5 ones. Most everything else we buy second hand.
So when I say I am spending $10 a week on something totally frivolous, has no useful purpose, and expires readily, you know it HAS to be something worthy. I assure you it is.

Earlier this week during my trip to the grocery, I passed the floral department, as always. I like to take a leisurely stroll through and smell the flowers and let the boys look at the balloons and gift baskets. As I was nearing the end, I saw a display with beautiful flowers and they were marked down to $3 a bunch. I thought to myself, "well, I can reasonably spend $6 on two bunches, I am saving $7 on milk this week. No one else buys me flowers, sorry Mr. T, but you don't. I like flowers, they make me happy, and it is January it will be months before our start to do anything again. And I  LIKE flowers."

Decidedly, I picked out two bunches, a white one and a red one, and brought them home with the rest of my goodies. Mr.T gave me a funny look when I brought them in and I gave him a "go ahead, say something about me buying myself flowers, I DARE you" face and he smiled and said they looked nice. He also had the good sense not to ask how much they cost, even though they were not expensive, it is still a frivolous item. He's rather smart that one.

They have been on the table for nearly a week now and I cannot say that they have worked miracles or been particularly useful. What I can say that they have done is made me stop, take a deep breath and smile, nearly every time I walk past. They have lightened my mood more than once. I find MAT and RAT admiring them often and on a few occasions stems have been plucked from the vase and presented to me by my boys with declarations of " I love you Mom" and "you're the BEST, mom."

For that I have decided that between $5 and $10 of our weekly grocery budget will now go to buying fresh flowers, when we cannot grow our own. There is just something uplifting in the brightness and beauty they bring. I like those two things in my home that is often too filled with noise, wrestling, and arguing.

Seriously, tranquility and beauty in such a simple package.