Blahhhhhh....

I cannot seem to make myself pep up right now.

What's going on here? Is it the heat? (Because it HAS been nasty on this count lately.)

Is it my health? (I've had some trouble feeling lightheaded a lot, but don't seem to be coming down with the flu. Maybe I'm not drinking enough.)

Is it the piles lying around? And the work that needs to be done? (No motivation, though I peck away at it...)

No matter. There's stuff to be taken care of. Places to go, people to see, things to do.

* * * * *

Frugal Dad has an interesting post on sharing financial attitudes with your spouse. Husband and I started out further apart than now...he wooed me with take-out! Honestly. Remember: I grew up on a farm, with parents who had little money for extras. I had only seen delivered food a few times -- and this was a sophisticated man who enjoyed Greek salads and exotic ingredient subs. (Exotic at least to this country girl, who'd only been in a deli a few times in her life.)

Husband enjoyed going out to eat. If he wanted something, he generally bought it, though he was careful to try and find the best price.

I, on the other hand, had trouble buying anything if it didn't come from Wal-Mart, a thrift shop or a garage sale. I had few, if any store-bought clothes until high school, unless they were recycled from a cousin or two first.

We ended up tempering each other, Husband and me. He taught me that the lowest price is not necessarily the best quality. I taught him unusual spots for finding better bargains, and the value of a garage sale in a higher-income neighborhood. He taught me the value of letting the other person speak first during a dicker; I introduced barter into his life.

Twenty-four-plus years later, we sometimes disagree -- but we've also made our money stretch further than I'd ever dreamed.