Narrowing choices for birthday $

This is a dangerous time of year. I have birthday money in my pocket even though I don’t turn another year older until tomorrow. What shall I splurge on?
Will it be books? I stopped by the bookstore and found at least a half dozen stories that insisted they should go home with me. I wanted Michael Perry’s newest book but couldn’t find it. Several other titles glued themselves to my hands and I pried them off with difficulty. I left the store with birthday money still tucked safely away.
I avoided the garden shop and nursery. It is too early to plant seeds and too cold to haul blooming plants home. Last year I bought seeds early, with the reasoning that the selection was far superior so early in the season. I was correct but couldn’t find the little packages of potential when it was time to bury the seeds into the ground so it didn’t do much good to get a head start on the shopping.
At the grocery store I was approached by an adorable little girl bearing the same toothless grin as my granddaughter, Emma. I bought a box of Girl Scout cookies from her. There was a time when I would have purchased five or six boxes but my hubby can no longer eat them and I try to limit myself to just one package per year. The cookies came out of grocery money, not birthday cash.
Once I was back home I was attacked by advertisements that assured me that the ruffly begonias in the photo would be lovely in my mom’s flowerbed. I paused and considered spending my birthday dollars on flowers for her.
Then I was distracted by an advertisement for blueberry bushes that would grow well in the big pots on our porch. I have several recipes that use blueberries. Maybe I should order a couple of blueberry plants with my birthday money. That way my whole family and I can benefit from the present over a long period of time.
Then again, one of the guys in the woodcarving club sells tools and other supplies. He is bringing his wares to the meeting this coming week. Should I hold onto my cash until after I see what he has to offer? I can always use new tools.
I read an article on the internet that said people judge others by looking at their shoes and that one can never have too many shoes. Personally, I seldom look at other people’s feet and don’t care what kind of shoes they wear. Perhaps I am totally clueless and should invest in footwear?
My brother is getting married in May and I probably should wear something other than sneakers to his wedding. But do I really want to spend birthday money on something like that? Definitely not.
So the decision is down to three choices - books, plants or tools? In the past I have used birthday money for necessities or savings. It is a real luxury to be frivolous. It is more a question of values than possessions. Books are friends to be visited again and again. They multiply like bunnies and once inside the house, they never, ever leave. The exceptions are children’s books that get mailed to the grandchildren.
Plants, be they vegetables, fruits or flowers, give pleasure to me, my family and passers by. Plus, excess vegetables end up on the neighbor’s table as well as ours. Tools enable me to more easily make Christmas presents for family and are the newest of my passions.
Whatever I choose, I am grateful that I do have the choice. The days of using birthday money to pay for necessities are thankfully over (at least for now). All I have to decide is which luxury has priority over the others.[[In-content Ad]]