I could have spent $1,000 less in September.
But I’d be sitting here with regret if I did.
Instead of being cheap, I happily pulled out the wallet to help provide my family with a lifetime memory, to buy our girls a few meaningful gifts and to secure more slick Money Talks T-shirts.
I won’t miss the money.
But the spike in my discretionary spending from last month definitely was noticeable.
I spent a little more than $800 on a spontaneous, overnight road trip to Minnesota. That included two tickets to the Vikings’ home opener, fun and games for our girls Parker and Tiffany at the Mall of America, food, gas, a pair of Vikings shirts as souvenirs and a $20 tip for face painting.
My lady friend Triest surprised me with a pair of game tickets to my favorite NFL franchise as an anniversary gift. But because it was our weekend with Parker, I made an executive decision. My anniversary gift morphed into an impromptu family getaway.
Our girls aren’t sports fans. They still don’t get the point. But I went all-out. Since it was our first time attending a Vikings game as a family, I decided to have some fun.
For my face paint, I paid homage to legendary Vikings defensive lineman John Randle. Only with a purple and gold twist. Parker chose a pineapple. Tiffany chose a sunflower. When Triest sat, she provided example No. 526,001 of why she’s easy to love. Triest had our artist, Gail, paint “SKOL” across her face in gold letters, with a purple outline. She already wore a purple V-neck shirt with a Vikings logo.
“She doesn’t even care about the Vikings,” I told Gail after Triest went to the ladies’ room. “She just cares that I care.”
“Those are the best partners,” Gail told me.
The Vikings beat the San Francisco 49ers, 23-17. Justin Jefferson scored on an incredible 97-yard touchdown catch. And I giddily got my griddy on.
I’ve become so set in my ways that getting gas at a Kwik Trip because I couldn’t find a Shell in Wisconsin annoyed me more than anything else I paid for. The frustration of that expense was followed closely by having to fork over $40.83 at McDonald’s on the way home for necessary grub. There are 40 million other places I’d rather eat and spend my money.
On Sept. 16, I paid $105.77 for six Money Talks T-shirts. I’ve gone through trial and error for more than a year, but this batch aced the trial run. I’m a happy customer, and now I have another contact I trust for my printing.
Tiffany celebrated her 11th birthday a week later. Parker and I gifted her earrings from Claire’s, and I stuffed $11 into a birthday card. I also bought her one share of the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF, ticker symbol VT. I’m sold on gifting stock rather than material stuff.
But I kept my word and purchased Parker a Beautiful Curly Me doll. I was impressed with how the company CEO, a 12-year-old Black girl named Zoe Oli, landed her product in Target stores. I couldn’t help but to support. Hopefully it reminds Parker of the power and possibilities of entrepreneurship — even at a young age.
I also had some annoyances last month.
A mandatory online messaging service renewed for two years at $205. I had to pay for a new Chicago city sticker, which cost $127.17. My car’s check engine light came on out of nowhere, and a subsequent EVAP test put me out another $124.80, including a 3.5% credit card fee.
And I slipped up and allowed my Audible free trial to expire and renew at $14.95.
Oh yeah, my monthly car insurance and cell phone bills increased too.
Other than those nuisances, September was a solid month for spending.
I could have saved money had I chosen to not indulge in an unplanned trip to Minnesota or declined to treat myself and our girls to a few meaningful items.
My credit card statement for September would have shown $1,150.66. It would have easily been the lowest amount I’ve spent in a month since November 2022. That was my second full month into my new Money Talks mindset, when I was terrified to spend.
My savings would have looked great on a screen and made me feel good about my discipline.
But I would have deprived myself and my crew. And for what?
I won’t miss the money.
Darnell Mayberry is a sportswriter based in Chicago and is the author of “100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.” He loves his daughter Parker, money and the Minnesota Vikings. You will find his column, Money Talks, each Saturday on cleveland.com and Sundays in The Plain Dealer.
