A Cupcake Scented Budget

I’ve been trying to save money, so I took a look at my expenses and made some cuts.

I stopped getting manicures and pedicures. This made me sad, but I realized that I can paint my own nails. Even though they don’t look as nice when I do them myself, and even though it’s glorious to have someone pamper you a little bit at the end of a stressful day. “No more,” I said sternly, and stopped.

I began looking at what I was buying at the grocery store. Did I NEED a name brand? I could totally buy store brands – I mean, let’s face it, dried elbow macaroni is dried elbow macaroni. Oh sure, the fancy imported elbow macaroni is TEXTURED – but did that matter when I was making American Chop Suey? It did not.

I started cooking again, rather than relying on prepared foods or eating out. Cheaper! Healthier!

I stopped buying wine. (Oh wine. I miss you.)

However.

I drew the line at stopping my obsession with Yankee Candle.

Here’s why:

Inevitably, when people enter my home, they say one of the following:

1)      I LOVE THOSE BLUE CHAIRS!

2)      Your house is so CLEAN.

3)      It smells AWESOME in here.

It does smell awesome in here. Right now? It smells like cupcakes. Vanilla ones.

I didn’t bake cupcakes.

I did, however, plug in my Yankee Candle wall scented oil things in my bathroom and office.

These things are not cheap. They’re $14.99 for two. They last about a month, and then they’ll need to be replaced. I can’t give them up, though. I just CAN’T.

First of all – who doesn’t love it when their house smells like CUPCAKES? (Or apples, or lavender, or whatever smell I’m currently using?) Cupcakes are awesome.

Cupcakes also smell a LOT better than a litter box. Now, granted, my cat’s litter box doesn’t have the chance to get super stinky as I only have one cat, and I clean the litter box every day. (Sometimes twice, because I’m obsessive compulsive and, well, why not?) But still. NO ONE WANTS TO SMELL THAT. EVER. Especially me, since the litter box is in my office and, well, stinky litter box is no one’s idea of a good time. Especially when cupcakes is an alternative smell. I’m going with the cupcakes.

Second of all – it’s an apartment. Apartments are prone to funky smells. Whenever someone down the hall cooks bacon – or the people across the way make spaghetti sauce? I know, because I can smell it. I don’t mind the smell of bacon in the hallway, but I do mind it in my house when I know for a fact there’s no actual bacon to be had. (Okay, there are no cupcakes either. But I would rather smell cupcakes in my house than someone else’s bacon.)

Third of all – candles would be cheaper, but I can’t really do open flame in here, what with Her Goofiness, queen of the litter box, blundering about as she normally does. I don’t need her or anything else to be catching on fire; she’s just the type to singe her whiskers, or tail, or whatnot on a candle flame.

And my house? Smells delicious.

I guess that’s the trick to budgeting, and it’s probably one I should have figured out before now, but better late than never. You decide what you can live without – manis, pedis, pampering – and what you can’t – a home that smells glorious. Then you make the choices of what to spend and when to spend it.

It kind of sucks, but them’s the breaks. There is a silver lining to everything, after all. No wine means fewer calories imbibed. No manis and pedis means not having to rush to a salon appointment after work, and less gas used. Less eating out means more time spent in the kitchen, which I actually enjoy. All good things in the end.

So I spend the cash at Yankee Candle, my house still smells yummy, and I’m coming out ahead.

I’m a cupcake scented winner in the end.