Meme Monday – Beware the Ides of March
My current job, with which I will celebrate my 5 year anniversary in June, has a bonus program, where we get quarterly bonuses. I love that. They withhold a portion of each bonus for an annual retention bonus, so the March bonus is the best one of the year. We get this bonus on the Ides of March, so I now love this date.
I put most of the bonus in savings, but spent some as well. I bought us some new bath towels, which have gotten expensive in the period since I last bought towels, though maybe they were expensive then, too, and I’ve just blacked it out. I am getting my hair done next weekend, which is spendy. I went to our local nursery and spent some money on plants/flowers. I hope I don’t kill them. I’m parsimonious with the water, and I need to not be. I bought us a new shower door. Our shower is a tub/shower slide situation, and the prior doors were about 40 years old, and were pretty gross. One of the rollers at the top broke, and we could have fixed it, but we took the opportunity to just get rid of it and replace it. Lastly, I ordered some new boots and makeup. My boots, which are low heeled (maybe an inch) ankle boots, were cosmetically damaged a few months after I bought them several years ago, when I tripped on uneven pavement and scraped up the toe, and I have been ignoring them ever since. I took them to a cobbler once for repairs and he did what he could, but they’re looking crummy lately, and enough time has passed that I decided it was time to move on.
So, I’m doing my part to support our economy, both local and not. How about you? If you had a decent sized bonus, not enough for major improvements but enough for some small indulgences, what would you buy?
10 Comments
Martha
Congrats on your bonus! I would do a xeriscape yard with the extra. It’s what most Florida homes near the beach have. It looks so nice and is so much easier to care for, no more mowing!
J
I had not heard the term, xeriscaping, before, thank you! I looked it up, and I can say that there is a lot of that around here, as we are in a perpetual drought. I think money spent replacing a lawn with a xeriscape yard would be money well spent. Our local water district will sometimes give people money (rebate I think) to replace their thirsty lawns with drought tolerant yards.
Our local farmers market sometimes has volunteer Master Gardners come, and you can ask them questions about issues you may be having with your landscaping. Our specific situation is that we have a very small back yard, most of which is brick patio, and it does not get a lot of sun – mostly shaded by the fence or the house or neighboring trees. The neighboring trees are eucalyptus, which are evil and suck all of the nutrients and water from the ground. I went to ask them about drought tolerant plants that I could put back there, and they said no, you don’t get enough sun for drought tolerant plants, and since the area is so small, just plant shady loving plants, and give them fertilizer and water. I’m trying, but I’m afraid I am not a very good steward, and my yard shows it.
Ally Bean
You’ve spent your bonus wisely. It’s funny you mentioned new towels, I was just today thinking about buying some new ones for us. Not with a bonus, but as a sort of practical spring celebration.
The rule of thumb I learned about plants is this: water inside ones less than you think you should and water outside ones more than you think you should. Seems to have worked around here.
J
Ally, that sounds like good advice. A lot of our outdoor plants are in pots…I wonder how that affects the watering?
OmbudsBen
I might lease a hydrogen fuel vehicle. There are more and more fueling stations in northern California. I like the idea of traveling without polluting. The thing is–we aren’t driving much.
But maybe if/when the pandemic diminishes, and we decide to travel around the area a bit more–we’ll give it a try. And carefully map trips so that we don’t stray too far from the fueling stations.
J
I didn’t know you could do such a thing! I know there are electric vehicles, but hydrogen? Excellent. I don’t think my bonus is enough for THAT, but a great idea if it were.
nance
Congrats on your bonus! I think your spending plan is terrific. You did well with your fuchsia last year; it was beautiful. If you get some hostas, those are very hardy and love shade. They also multiply like gangbusters and come in lots of varieties. They aren’t flowers, per se, but they look serene and cool and inviting.
You’ll be so glad to be rid of your old shower door. Every shower now will feel like a spa treat or a little luxury, not having to deal with that lousy door. Good for you!
J
Nance, I had not known of hostas before, but they do seem like they could be a good solution! I looked them up, and I especially like the dark green ones, which is good because those seem to like the shade the best.
I’m hopeful regarding my fuschia. I pruned it back quite a bit, and it is getting leaves now. I hope the birds don’t try to build a nest in it this year, I shall have to pay attention. They had some lovely ones at the nursery, and I ALMOST replaced it, but then I thought of how much more satisfying it will be if I can get it to come back thick and bushy with flowers this summer…so it, unlike Caesar, has lived to see another day.
We are indeed very happy with our new shower door, and with the new bath towels in there (and floor mat), it feels as much like a spa as our little bathroom ever will. As a matter of fact, when Ted took his first shower, he said, “I feel like I’m in a spa!”
Danielle Zecher
It sounds like you’re being really smart with your bonus. I love getting things to improve the house whenever there’s extra money like that. After 10 years my job pays an annual bonus (on your hire date) of 1.5% of your annual salary. For me, that’s December, and I just started getting it in 2019. So far, the 2019 bonus went toward Christmas presents. The 2020 bonus went to some things we wanted to fix up around the house; string lights, shelves, etc. I have a strong feeling that the 2021 bonus will be used for Christmas since we didn’t get to celebrate with anyone in 2020.
Be absolutely sure you want hostas, forever, before you plant any. We’ve been trying to get rid of some for the whole 10 years we’ve been in our house.
J
Congratulations on your bonus, that is great! My December bonus generally goes mostly for Christmas. And thank you for the warning on the hostas, I will do research before I make any decisions. Right now I’m set, probably for this year, see how things go. If the current plants can’t survive due to lack of sun and so on, they may be the way to go if they are as hardy as you say. I just want something that looks lush and green instead of dead.