August 2021-July 2022 may be my “Year of the Frugal-er Googler”…
If you’ve read any of my articles, you’ve probably noticed, by inference, my shoestrings have been kind of thin lately, and, in some contexts, that kind of experience makes it easier to keep boots laced up but makes for interesting tennies tie-ups.
My goal with this article is to explain to you, dear readers, that sometimes a tremendous amount of true joy may be derived by finding “something” worth finding and not spending a ton of money to achieve certain forms of acquirement and fruition. Cultivating a certain kind of environment to foster additional well-balanced choices doesn’t necessarily require a huge monetary investment, but instead an self-directed investment of dedicated devotion to a certain cause.
As I write this, my wireless signal has been somewhat spotty, but I’m saving nearly $50 per month, at a time when $50 per month may be diverted budgetarily, to ensuring continuity of my professional pursuits and the furthering the enabling of occasional to/from grocery store dashes, or many, actually.
Recently, I’ve spent some time thrift shopping, online and in-store… kickin’ it with Macklemore and carpooling harmoniously with James Corden and spending quality time instead of big bucks, with some dudes with whom I work and work-out. It is TOTALLY worth it.
Times were, I used to suffer from swimsuit shopping-induced self esteem plummets worse than any stock market dip witnessed and verifiable by empirical data. Times have changed, and now, at 50, I’ll selfishly admit, I’m a smokin’ little hottie… but not a buncha tiny sausages in a crockpot situated in an abundance of admittedly sometimes difficult-to-admit, deliciously sweet and savory potluck service sauce (e.g., a hot lit’l smokies).
Fringey cellophane-ended toothpick anyone?
Anyway, because certain of my social outlets have, for too long a time, experienced more weakened than weekend signals, I decided to share the news that “frugaling my googling” (i.e., focusing my occasional and extensive use of google during varied personal activities about which I think importance pertaining to “value-add” experiences), with personally conservative liberal application, makes a tremendous amount of logical sense concerning my efforts to strengthen a certain sense of community.
As I took pen to paper and coffee-mate creamer to a nearby trashcan, I giggled a little, thinking of my enjoyably exciting economically-eased engagements and, too, Jeff Smith, Mr. Frugal Gourmet, himself. “Quirky ships passing in the night”, you ask? No, I respond… “maybe just a couple of kismet-fueled culinary compatible co-minglers among potluck-style cocktail party-goers”… sampling some platters and skewering some seriously delicious eats.
I’ve previously mentioned about some of my thredup.com adventures, and continue… my recently acquired $0.38 (net) bikini bottom may be for me the exact mental-boost I needed to remind myself of how I wasn’t as previously self-esteem deficient when I was 7 years old. A totally new-to-me bikini for less than $10, funded mostly via monies/”store credits” recouped by thrifting. Totally worth seeing a $0.38 debit transaction and personally feeling like a million! A positively healthy dose of “Vitamin Me,” daily administered, good for the heart. ;)
My recently thrift-purchased shiny silver-colored special occasion dress (approximately $9) is well worth the elation I’ve chosen to express occasionally when I need a certain kind of mood-elevating pick-me-up and despite the fact when I finally try it on instead of holding it up against me, longingly and admiring how nicely flattering it is, that the fit isn’t quite right or as attractive as it seemed it might be. I may choose to place it back into the thrift rotation, but haven’t yet deemed that my next course of action pertaining to the dress.
In a larger sense, this article isn’t meant only to stress the importance of the thrifting experience, for me, personally, but a tale of liberation from a certain mode of thinking which, might, and, had for me, become somewhat intellectually unsavory and emotionally exhausting. Incidentally, I did make indirect reference to Google via the title of the current article, and that, at the time, was exactly the right measure of balance for me… I may choose to share some of my personal anecdotes involving google, and I’m sure I’ll have fun doing it… stay tuned. ;)
A well-managed, healthy sense of self-love, self-respect, and self-service are included in the cadre of benefits of me having chosen to be who I am and “deal with it”, manage it whilst trying and usually succeeding to achieve and maintain certain balance. When I feel I want to make a change involving my personality, I do…
