"Money Saving" Spending

My husband and I have a great thing going... He earns the money, and I spend it! :D OK, in all honesty, I do help to earn some of it, too; I assist him with his own business/our business. Sometimes my assistance is quite extraordinary; But usually... he earns the money, and I spend it.

Lately, I have been doing a really good job with my part of the deal. I have been shopping at used stores galore (one of which was going out of business - used prices minus 50-90% ~ Can I just say "WOW!" about the savings?)

Any how... I ended up spending around $200. Talk about the splurge of the century! Granted, $100 of it was the new/used computer desk (shown in another blog)... I'm really not sure how much I saved on that expenditure; but I know the desk was well worth the hundred, and we really NEEDED it! The rest of the money that was spent went on things that were worth multiple times what I spent on them; the savings were astounding! Twenty five dollars were spent on an outdoor BBQ grill and gas tank (since the tanks cost $25, and there was gas in the tank... I was OK with the used, slightly bent grill which needed a couple cheap replacement parts). Thirty five dollars were used for a business rack and hooks (Miles saw the rack on sale recently for $150 and was prompted to wait on buying - even though it was worth so much more than was being asked for; and the hooks were worth at least $200 - and yes, we paid only $35 for all of it!), and most of the rest of the money spent went on other important and practical expenditures... which were also worth well beyond their prices, but still! You'd think I'd have gotten all "spent out!"

But oh no. I had to buy, just one more thing to get the spending all out of my system (not to mention... I'm broke now! Oops!). Oh well...Out of the first $200 I spent, I did save several more hundred by spending it! :) I really know how to save money! ;)
(For those of you who do not know - I really am the queen of living frugal; I really am a "$-saver," not a "$-spender." Honest.)

After all that"money saving" spending... you probably think I'm going to tell you about that final expenditure, and of how practical it was, and of how I saved a bundle of money for our family.. again. I hate to disappoint you, but it wasn't at all practical. It was something I have been wanting (not needing :O) ~ just for the fun of it, for a very long time. Here is a photo...

That's right. I bought a bubble gum machine (around 3 feet tall). It was getting dark, and the light bulb in the sun room is burnt out and 15 feet up, so an outside photo shot worked better.

I hope this expenditure doesn't disturb my brothers (who are all very proud of me and my thrifty ways). And hopefully, your image of the smart practical person that I am (you do have that image of me... right? :) isn't completely shattered (though, I have to admit... I do love this new lighter, less practical me! :D). But like George Washington - I can not tell a lie. And like Sponge Bob Square Pants - I must rejoice and share the glad news! Not to mention... I'm going to be that much cooler to the kids! (just kidding) ~ Unless of course, they want the gum for free. :O
Enough rambling... Now to redeem your vision of my practical side... just a little (he, he), I will let you know this...

I counted the bubble gum.

There were over a thousand pieces.

And if I let the neighbor kids (and my kids... he, he {I hope I don't resemble Mr. Crabs here!}) buy them for a quarter each... selling 1000 pieces will bring in $250 dollars! So, in all actuality, I really got the gumball machine for free... plus an additional $150 dollars (once the bubblegum sells. ;)

One more positive note about this radical splurge of mine; it looks to me like I have a new fun savings bank for a $250.00 family vacation! :D That may just cover gas. :O ~ Question is, how many years will it take to sell the one thousand pieces of bubblegum? :O

I can see I'm going to have to put this machine to use at big business events, like boat shows, the Boy Scout booth where Miles teaches RC Sailing etc. with thousands of families coming through. Perhaps then, it won't take years to get my money back after all, and then I can pretend it was a wise investment rather than a random splurge! Man I'm good!  If you need any more tips.. just let me know!  ;D