Monday, October 25, 2010

Upgrading

When I finished graduate school and got a post-doc position, my salary approximately doubled. The thought of this increase is one of the things that got me through the six or seven years of graduate school. We've tried to remain frugal, because while the our income increased we now have two households to support. But I have allowed myself a few indulgences. First off, I upgraded the quality of gin I drink, and I've started buying sparkling water (which I love, but how could I justify paying good money for water and air?).

I think I've added one more indulgence to the list. I've been a newspaper reader for decades. Even when I was a poverty-stricken chef-in-training in Albuquerque who couldn't afford a subscription, my uncle and aunt would save their papers for me. I'd pick them up each week and ration them out, reading one each day, exactly one week late, so that I could have a paper every day. Living in DC spoiled me, I know, because the Washington Post is a terrific paper. Even now, when Andrew comes to visit, instead of flowers he brings me a copy of the Post. The Miami Herald is, unfortunately, a pale imitation. I mean, it has two sports sections, almost no business news, and I've already mentioned the plastic surgery column. So I've been supplementing with a weekly New York times. The Sunday Times costs a whopping $6 an issue, which is more than I like to pay for a lunch. But it comes so jam-packed with readable material that I can work on it all week, and the only side effect is that it makes me want to move to New York.

And so I ask, if you had a bit of extra money to spend on one new, regular indulgence, what would it be?

8 comments:

Mars Girl said...

Netflix. Believe it or not, I currently don't subscribe to Netflix because I have cable. I want to get rid of cable, but I'm so used to having stuff on TV whenever I want--stuff I dont have to commit my mind to but can have on as background noise--that I can't ween myself off. Even though it would greatly reduce an expense and allow me to get Netflix, which I would totally love better (independent films, TV series I've missed and wanted to see, etc.)

alexis said...

oh my, if all things were possible, I would get fresh produce. Here there are things that are "fresh" but have been transported from hundreds/thousands of miles away. It's the price you pay living in Northern Europe, you are just not close to where plants grow

Rachel Scherr said...

I subscribe to the Sunday Times too and I totally love it. I read it all week.

Michael Wittmann said...

Late in replying...

We just had this conversation, and once we step back from funding our kids' 529 plans and our retirement, saving up for the new car purchase, budgeting for the ongoing house upgrades and look into our accounting software, we find that we've.... spent money on food. Good quality food. My god, what a pleasure. To always have food that tastes divine. It's often pricey here in Maine, which is why it costs a lot. And we used to shop less, not do the CSA, and all that. Really really good food...

By the way, rather than the Sunday Times, we get the New Yorker and the Funny Times as our weekly pleasure reading. Oddly, reading through the concert listings, I also wish to live in New York...

Gill - UK said...

If only money could buy time - then that would be my indulgence. In spite of being retired I find that I still have to make choices about what to do because there is so much I want to fit into life.

unclem-nm said...

Travel - We put off buying all kinds of stuff, hardly ever go out and where clothes until they are literally falling off of us because we want to indulge our desire to travel. And we've done this just about our whole adult life.

Ellie said...

I have been keeping this post in my mind since I read it. Nothing jumped out at me, just a few little things that I sort of like but can do fine without.
Then, yesterday, I experienced something that is definitely not cost effective but makes my world so much nicer - towel service at the gym!! Remember those days?

Matty Lau said...

My regular indulgence is getting my friends and I to move to NYC.
And as Ellie said, towel service at the gym (though now if I rent a locker at my gym it comes with two towels each time I visit the gym).