Things That Make Me Feel Rich

There are little luxuries in my life that make me feel totally pampered.  Do you know what I mean?  Things that we are lucky enough to have/afford that feel like an indulgence, but don't really break the bank.  Of course things like a massage feel extravagant - and that might be because in our budget, they are.  Still, there are certain things that we've managed to fit into our spending that make me feel indulged beyond our means.

1. Fresh Flowers - Leo and jb make a semi-regular habit of picking up a small bouquet of flowers for me.  I love that it's their little tradition.  I love how special and loved it makes me feel.  I love how much it can brighten our kitchen.  Hand picked wildflowers, store bought arrangements, and hard-to-kill houseplants all work.

2. Painted Nails - The cost of the polishes is not the indulgence on this one (I'm all about the generic brands), it's more about the time.  Having painted nails is a reminder that I took some time for myself.  That is of course until it's a reminder that I took time for myself two weeks ago and haven't been able to find the time since to unpaint my growing out and chipped polish - that's a different post.

3. Big Bathroom - After having lived with several TINY bathrooms where I could barely turn around, much less apply lotion or dress comfortably, it's SO nice to have a bathroom with some breathing room.  The biggest perk currently is that there is room for a bouncy seat which has meant that I could pee without a baby on my lap and even shower without worry. jb jokes that we could install stadium seating in case we have more kids - I'm thinking more along the lines of maybe a shelf for towels.

My View While Peeing - Stadium seating is the next move

4. Always Having the Ingredients for Cookies On Hand - There is just something really nice about knowing that I could make cookies any time I wanted.  This goes along with the blessing of being able to have a well stocked fridge/freezer/cabinet.  Even when it's been a while since we've made a grocery trip - we usually have enough staples to throw together a healthy meal.

5. Kitchen Space - COUNTERS! For the first time EVER, we actually have enough counter space for more than one person to work in the kitchen comfortably.  This also means more cabinet space - which means an easier to organize and keep tidy kitchen.  Which brings me to possibly my favorite - splurging on a couple obscure kitchen gadgets.  In the past we didn't have the room to store things that we didn't use often - now we have an extra drawer for seasonal or occasional use items - like cookie cutters or pancake molds.

6. Magazine Subscriptions - This, again, is more a luxury of time.  I use our RecycleBank points to get free subscriptions to magazines - but the real luxury comes in the sitting down to leaf through them.

7. Latte - Ok, this expense adds up if I'm not careful.  Especially now that my perpetual sidekick wants a "Little Boy Coffee" whenever we stop at a cafe - but those few dollars really can turn my whole day around, so most of the time I consider it money well spent.


What splurges or amenities make you feel rich?