There's always "something"

I went on a spending diet several months ago. I have needed new roller skates for a while now, but I couldn't justify it, when I had things I needed to take care of for the kids and some outstanding credit card debt that I was trying to wipe out. So I cut out everything I could.

I simply quit spending money on myself and started looking at ways to source things I needed from our town's Freecycle (a microwave and a yoga mat) and also learned how to do some basic repairs around the house, like fixing a door handle and a faucet. (I wound up giving away a lot of stuff on Freecycle, too...I think my mindset about "stuff" just changed.)

I knocked off the credit card debt more than two months ago, so theoretically, I was ready to buy the skates. But then it was just one thing after another, every financial surprise I looked at as a setback to getting my skates. A $2,000 car repair, a $450 car repair, a goof up on an airline ticket that cost me $200 for the change fee, a steep monthly increase in car insurance, because my kids' cars aren't garaged at home anymore, new hockey equipment (no, I didn't realize you needed new shoulder pads and gloves), etc.

I quit the gym, I cut back on supplements, I canceled my hair salon appointment and went on the do-it-yourself plan... I didn't even consider the nail salon, because it's something I haven't been doing for quite some time anyway.

Every time I got close to thinking I could order my skates, a new expense popped up.

"It's always SOMEthing!" I lamented.

And Christmas...I am trying so hard to be sensible about gifting...but there is still money that is getting spent, and another airline ticket to purchase.

Well, roller derby tryouts are a month from now. My derbyversary is coming up and I've been wearing the same skates for two years, my "beginner" skates.

I ordered the new skates.

There will always be SOMEthing. My new skates are SOMEthing. I'll just figure out a way to pay for them like I figure out everything else. (The way I timed it, I'll have until January 10 to figure it out.)