Tuesday, 6/23

Who knew it would take so much thought to spend $1,200?

As you may recall, Loraine and I each took our stimulus money and used it for its intended purpose—to bolster the economy. Once stores began reopening we went to all of our favorite locally owned businesses and bought stuff. We actually began over Memorial Day weekend and here we are, a month later, with a little money left, trying to figure out how to best get rid of the rest of it.

It's perhaps the weirdest first world problem ever.

The first part was easy—we just walked up & down the streets of downtown Marquette and if something caught our eye, we bought it. Purple tea kettle and a stuffed cow that jingles when you shake it for Jim? No problem. New running shoes and a sweatshirt for Loraine? Bought it. We've picked up art, chocolate, a new man bag, locally brewed beer, sandals, and an amazing grapefruit-vanilla white tea, all on a whim. Hiking boots? T-shirts? Bourbon-crusted pecans? Done, done, and done. The money's back in the local economy and, hopefully, has helped just a little bit.

We're each down to a hundred dollars or so, and we've been hanging on to that to spend at certain restaurants once they're fully open again. We've been enjoying take out from some of our favorite places, but we're waiting for a few to either re-open or have an outdoor table on a nice, sunny day. Then we'll get rid of the rest of the cash.

It's funny, because now that we're almost out of money we're starting to think about where exactly we want to spend the rest of it, and how much at each establishment. Do we want to go back to a place we've already been, or do we want to wait until another place opens so we can actually have a dish we've been missing? Because some restaurants on our list are still fully closed, do we hang on to some of the cash, or do we go someplace else and try to get the money circulating into the local economy as soon as possible? And then, if we have enough cash left for, say, four restaurants, but still have five on our list, which one do we leave off?

No one said there'd be stress spending money, I yell ya!

8-)

Actually, we'll still be going to all the restaurants on our list. We'll just be using our own money to stimulate the economy instead of using stimulus money to stimulate the economy. But the past couple of weeks have proven interesting. You'd wouldn't have thought that you'd actually have to think to spend money willy-nilly but, apparently you do. Who knew?

So there it is, yet another life lesson courtesy of the strangest year in modern history.,

(jim@wmqt.com)