(no subject)

[orb2069]

I've only recently come to the realization that a lot of stuff I do is based entirely on the way I've been living the last twenty years or so.

• I don't have to wait until the RMA clears from returning this hardware before buying a replacement.  I can afford both, even if I get stuck with one.  It's not a catastrophe.
• I don't need a giant, two-inch-thick winter coat.  I have a car now, and even if it breaks down, I can take a cab instead of waiting an hour for the bus in sub-zero weather.
• I can eat ANYTHING I WANT, whenever I want.  I don't have to shop for stuff that will keep three weeks because I can't get to the grocery any more frequent than that.
• Specifically, that ingrained gut-clenching panic reaction I have to supermarkets is pretty much pointless now.  It's no longer a three-hour exercise in 'How do I eat for the rest of the month on $20?', swapping things in-and-out of the basket and referencing coupons and notes on the prices elsewhere.
• I don't have to hoard things (PC Hardware, screws, nuts, glues and solvents, just to think of a few)  I can keep around the ones I'm likely to use, and just get rid of the rest.  I'll probably keep the box-o-glue around because it's handy, though.
• I don't have to buy all my tools from Harbor Freight and all my appliances from Goodwill.  I can occasionally get good stuff if I think it's worth it - Not that I'm going to stop frequenting yard sales and thrift stores(1).
• I don't have to wait until I need something to buy it.  If it's a good deal and I'm going to need it eventually - Or if I even just don't want to bother with worrying about it, I can buy extra.
• I can tip generously without thinking about the rest of the month.

This is not the green flag to go hog-wild with expenses of course, but it's nice to reflect on what's actually reasonable thriftiness vs. bio-survival token panic.

(1) Went yard sale hopping today because I had a 4a-8a shift - Picked up a monitor for the server, an air nailer(!), and a book for Ren.