Luxuries and Necessities

Returning to the job market has me thinking about how I spend my money.

My guess is that everyone has Luxuries and Necessities.  For a sadly situated person in a developing part of the world it may be the difference between sparking fresh water, a luxury, and any old water, a necessity.
I'm sure that the really rich have a far different take on what is luxurious, private planes, regular vacations to exotic places, new clothes, etc, etc, etc.

Since leaving the big city behind to work at more menial tasks to supplement that massive check I get from SS every month; ( Note:  I love that check.  It is the most I've ever gotten in the way of support, that I didn't have to work 40 or 50 hours to receive.) I have reordered the luxuries.  One is really good coffee beans, another is finding great tacos, and another is buying cookware!

I have learned that one of the secrets to managing on less is to have far fewer temptations.  You all must tire of me going on about what a wonderful small town I found Navasota to be, on myriad fronts.  However, it was perfect for few temptations, few restaurants, few stores and few "entertainment outlets."  Since "boutique shopping" has never been my fashion, even the many of them there were not a problem.  Additionally, just twenty minutes up the road was College Station, so if I "needed" it and couldn't find it in Navasota, I knew where to look next.  That worked for stores, restaurants, doctors and churches.  Ideal.

Now I am teaching myself new coping skills.  While I'm in a very small town, it is immediately adjacent to the fanciest, richest, prettiest city of 100,000 in East Texas.  Oh oh, temptations everywhere.  Well almost everywhere, it does not have some of my favorite stores; World Market, Jamba Juice and Pei Wei, to name a few.  See, I had some luxuries right there in College Station.  So far I've gone back to CS for coffee beans, found fabulous tacos here ("street" and "Rusty"), and quit buying cookware.  I do, however, go to a pretty upscale church and did buy a new sweater to wear there.  They are warm and friendly and I don't have to keep up.  I wanted the sweater.  The kids and Kathy are at a really wonderful private school and I have attended many functions there and bought more than a couple t-shirts.

So, in thinking about finding my next employment, my thoughts wander to what luxuries I will be able to add, in addition to bill paying and food.  One note, medical care is much higher priced here, even with Medicare.  I miss my wonderful Dr. Selva in Navasota.  I want to go to Fairhope in March for Arts & Crafts, stopping in Louisiana to visit and EAT!!!  I guess my main luxury is traveling.

I'm not complaining, this is not a whine.  I'm just trying to see if I want the "luxuries" enough to get myself out there and find a job.

Off to find a taco.