Splurge

Today is smoke-free day 311, and I did something crazy last night after work. I splurged.

I used to have a laptop long, long ago that I loved so very much until it finally just got old and wouldn't turn on anymore. Things were what they were, and I just couldn't justify the cost to replace it. I don't go buy laptops on a whim. I can give you a list of at least 13 borderline over the top things I do that point to my frugality or cheapness (no, they are not the same, and yes, that's the same link I've linked previously) because I'm often one or the other and rarely the opposite of either, except for an occasional Honey latte. Maybe I'll make that list for you tomorrow (you know, Thursday 13 and all), but for now, this is what happened, the perfect(ly dramatic) storm:

I haven't spent $931+ (and counting) since quitting smoking, the guvment is trying to stimulate me and my economy with $600 coming in early-ish May (if you haven't already, you can find out the answers to both how much? and when? for your own stimulation pleasure), Tom found a job almost immediately upon his arrival at his undisclosed location (at which point I peed my pants with joy), the hotel-like place where we will be staying once I travel to visit him at the undisclosed location will have wifi but no public computer in the lobby/supposed "business center" for lengthy visits all over the whole world wide web and to blog at length a quick check of the weather or stock quotes or movie times or whatnot, and, unfortunately, I'm terribly addicted to the Internets. I found out that last bit, not the bit about the fact that I'm an addict but that they had not even the smallest fix for me in their lobby, when I called said location yesterday on my lunch break and spoke with a very sweet woman who called me ma'am like people do in undisclosed location type places that still understand the concept of respect.

Computerless. Without internet. No computer. I'll die. Within an hour. I love Tom, but I can't possibly go see him given this situation. No. Internets. I understood that concept and wept.

And that call, my friends, was the straw that broke the Maggie's resolve. The $600 stimulant that I was going to save in a high yield savings account (one that's now yielding more like 3% instead of the 5% it was yielding this time last year, not that our economy is screwed far beyond this cute little stimulant scheme, but this ain't no fy-nan-she-al or politicky blog, so I'll shut my cake hole...)? Anyway, the whole plan to save the $600?

Just this once.

Screw. It.

I bought a laptop.

On sale. $600-range (price is without allowing Best Buy to upsell me on the $29 "optimizing" Tom can do for me or the $29 "restore CD" that I can make myself using the instructions that were prominently displayed in the information inside the box - how mad I would have been if I'd paid $29 and then seen that when I opened the box)

(And then I bought a Quarter Pounder meal, even though I've been being so good and have lost over 6 pounds eating better and exercising more... who can cook when there is a brand new laptop in the home requiring my care and attention?)

And she (laptop, burger gone) is absolutely beautiful and wonderful in every way I need (even if the Sims3 might be too intensive - we'll see) and will allow me to blog and post pictures from my undisclosed location when I go at an undisclosed time within the next 60 days or so. Plus, I've never done the whole wireless in the coffee shop thing, and that's criminal for a girl like me given my addiction to the coffee bean and the Online. I'll be cheap in 13 other ways, but this is something I "need" in the sense that I just really suddenly wanted it really, really badly, and justification was made entirely too easy.

So. I splurged. Just this once.

Even if in my mind it's a lot of money when there are people starving in the world (yes, I feel twinges of guilt, that's how I woke up knowing I'm still the same old me and OK with it).

Today I'm back to being frugal/cheap/reasonable/prudent/safety girly extraordinaire, and when I surf the Nets in my underwears, they will be old holey ones with the newest being at least 4 years old. Maybe next splurge in a year or so I'll buy new panties and blog about it from a coffee shop. Lucky you.