I frequently engage in internal debates about the value of being cheap. If time = money (as everyone says) then you can slap a dollar figure on how much your time is worth, and calculate exactly how much money you are saving (or not) by being cheap.
Yesterday was a prime example. I spent the whole day transplanting petunia seedlings.
The. Whole. Day.
See, first I had to make pots for the little guys. My husband made me a nifty little tool to wrap newspaper strips into pots. Cost of pots: $0 (recycled newspaper, reused tool) Time to make pots: 2 hours. No, seriously - I made over 70 pots.
I filled all the pots with a mix of compost and peat, in the style of Mel's Mix (sans Vermiculite because I ran out and didn't feel like dashing up to the store). Cost of dirt: maybe $.25 per pot? The pots were only two inches tall so they didn't hold much dirt.
Transplanting the seedlings took hours. I lost track of time. Petunia seeds are so tiny, many of the cells in my Jiffy starter had a upwards of a dozen seedlings. I picked through the seedlings and only transplanted the healthiest ones. (Being picky is time-intensive!) Most of the seeds actually came from our own plants from last year once they had gone to seed, but I also bought a seed packet for variety. Cost of seeds per pot: $.02
I could buy petunias. There is no reason to spend an entire day in pursuit of annuals. Seventy plants, already flowering, at the local nursery would probably run me $50 or so - I may even call to find out for sure. Is saving that money really worth losing a Sunday of my life?
Well, this time the value isn't just saving money. Playing with seedlings gives me a peace of mind which is very hard to come by - and can't be bought at any price. When transplanting seedlings, you can't think about how things are at work, and did you say the right thing on the phone yesterday, and what are we going to have for dinner tonight, or any of the ten million things always running through the heads of people who think to much. The moment your attention wanders, baby plants get hurt. Even my regular hobbies can't force me to be so present and aware of what I am doing. So regardless of whether I "really" saved money, on this occasion cheap was definitely the best value!
You're cultivating peace of mind then, vice thrift or even a garden... Of course I personally don't understand how "peace of mind" and "separating the good seeds from the bad" can be part of the same day; gardening fills me with frustration, angst, and fear. Still, many people get the same good things out of it that you describe!
ReplyDeleteI saw my brother-in-law this weekend and he is filled with enthusiasm for herb-growing (in his office no less!), sprouting, and a diet of all raw food. This is another pastime that I just don't get!
But I do plan on trying an "intro to yoga" class at the local gym later this week. Maybe soon yoga will be my peace of mind that other people just don't get.