Last weekend Jules and I made a startling discovery while we were out shopping. We have gotten to the point now (already) where we own practically everything we want. We have all the furniture we need, a nice apartment (which is NOT about to be torn down to make way for condos), a new car, a GPS, all the current generation video game consoles, etc. As we walked around Best Buy we felt mild disappointment over the fact that there was nothing we absolutely wanted to get. Having never experienced this before it was a slightly confusing sensation–for both of us there has always been something to lust after. It sort of takes the excitement out of shopping! For so many years taking a trip to Best Buy was something of an event because I knew that there was an overwhelmingly good chance that I would walk out of there with something in my hands. The last several trips we’ve left empty-handed. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the fact that we are doing most of our shopping online these days, particularly on Amazon where we get free two-day shipping since we have a Prime account, but still. It feels very strange.

Today our economic stimulus check showed up in our checking account. I know this is meant to be spent on something fun or useful since it’s supposed to end up back in the economy but my first instinct was to transfer it away into our high-interest money market account. I am very excited to have a positive balance in a savings account for the first time in my life, money that has been set aside to be untouched rather than hoarded until I need it for rent. (The economy will not miss me not spending that money on random crap since we have just purchased a brand new vehicle and thus will be tossing that money out there instead.) I feel this exhilaration whenever I check our balance and see we have had enough money in the account to actually earn interest on it! It has become a daily ritual for me, transforming into a minor obsession, to login to the account and see that money there, see the potential for growth, the beginnings of our nest egg. Will we save for a condo, a house, a nice honeymoon? There are so many possibilities. That money is ours, not a line of credit to schmooze from when things are tight. It’s real, it exists, and when we’re ready to spend it, there is no debt involved.

It’s coming up on a year now that we have been married. The time has passed so quickly, mostly because so much has happened in that time to keep us distracted. All things considered, I feel quite proud to be in the situation we are now, where we are finally settled and everything is stabilizing. (Sometimes it feels almost wrong to allow that to happen since the last 8+ years of my life have been spent moving on to a new place as soon as I was settled! Part of me thinks that we’re going to have to get a new apartment soon…I’m going to have to convince myself that isn’t the case!) I feel very lucky to be in this position, to finally be content with my life. (The only thing left to do now is to exercise more often! It’s a very funny thing, exercise–I feel strong and nimble afterwards and strangely I truly enjoy doing it, but so often I convince myself that I’m too tired or lazy. That needs to end now.)