Upsides to the Down Economy/ Gifts That Keep on Giving

Busy week last week- end-of-the-year tennis party Tuesday (at my house), a friend's bazaar Wednesday, Talbot Runhof fashion show Thursday, 8th grade prom Friday and Mother's Day Sunday= no blogging. At my friend's bazaar I splurged on an aromatherapy kit for my Mother's Day gift to myself. I have given myself my own gift in past years, because that way I get exactly what I want. Will my aromatherapy kit bring me happiness? Studies have shown that while we might get a slight bump of happiness from purchasing a new item, after a short while, our happiness level is back to normal. According to a Harvard study "Lottery winners, a year later, are no more happy than a control group of people who didn't win." I think whether or not an item brings me happiness depends on how much I use it. If I use it everyday, yes. If it sits on a shelf in my bathroom, no. One former Mother's Day gift that has given me a lot of happiness is my compost bin. Yes, I realize this is weird, but when I deposit my vegetable peelings, egg shells and coffee grinds into my compost pail in the kitchen (another gift), it makes me feel really good. And when I go dump it out into the compost bin (and hopefully don't encounter the family of rats living inside), I feel like humming The Lion King's Circle of Life theme song. One time, I put dead tomato plants in the bin and realized they would break down into rich, loamy compost to feed my new tomato plants and it gave me great joy. So that is the question I ask myself when I buy something- "Will this give me joy?" Or, on the converse- will this make me feel guilty, take up precious space in my house or, worse yet, end up at my next garage sale? Two other items that I've purchased that give me happiness are my sports watch and my pedometer. I use my watch almost every day when I run or lift weights and my pedometer (when I get it set up) will help me track my steps each day. This is my third one- I've come to the conclusion they last as long as their one year warranty. The other great thing about my compost bin is when I use the compost I get surprise tomatoes and dill plants that spring up all over. Hope you had a great Mother's Day (if you are a mother) and Hakuna Matata!