You could have spent $1,000 less in September.
But if I had, I would be sitting here regretting it.
Instead of buying something cheap, I was happy to buy some meaningful gifts for my daughters, to provide lifelong memories for my family, and to secure a more fashionable Money Talks T-shirt. I took out my wallet.
I won’t miss the money.
But the spike in my discretionary spending over the last month has definitely been noticeable.
I spent just over $800 on an overnight road trip to Minnesota on a whim. This includes two tickets to the Vikings home opener, a girls hoodie and Tiffany’s fun and games at the Mall of America, food, gas, two souvenir Vikings shirts, and face painting. A $20 tip was included.
My female friend Triest surprised me with two game tickets to my favorite NFL franchise as an anniversary gift. But it was my weekend with Parker, and I made a big decision. My anniversary gift turned into an impromptu family vacation.
My daughters are not sports fans. They still don’t get the point. But I went with all my might. It was my first time watching a Vikings game as a family, so I thought we’d have a little fun.
The face paint paid homage to legendary Vikings defensive lineman John Randle. Just a purple and gold twist. Parker chose pineapple. Tiffany chose sunflowers. When Triest sat down, she gave example number 526,001 of why she is so easy to love. Triest had artist Gail draw “SKOL” in gold letters and a purple outline across his face. She was already wearing a purple V-neck shirt with a Vikings logo on it.
“She doesn’t care about the Vikings,” I said to Gail after Triest went to the women’s room. “She just cares about what I care about.”
“They are great partners,” Gail told me.
The Vikings defeated the San Francisco 49ers 23-17. Justin Jefferson scored on an incredible 97-yard touchdown catch. And I put on Gridi without getting dizzy.
I was so set in my ways that buying gas on Kwik Trip because I couldn’t find Shell in Wisconsin was more frustrating than anything else I’d paid for. This expense frustration was quickly followed by having to pay over $40.83 at McDonald’s on the way home to buy the food I needed. There are 40 million other places I’d rather eat and spend my money.
On September 16th, I paid $105.77 for 6 Money Talks T-shirts. After more than a year of trial and error, we succeeded with this prototype. I am a satisfied customer and now have another reliable contact for printing.
Tiffany celebrated her 11th birthday a week later. Parker and I got her earrings from Claire’s and I stuffed her with $11 in a birthday card. I also bought her one share of the Vanguard Total World Stock ETF (ticker symbol VT). I’m interested in gifting stocks, not material things.
But I kept my promise and bought Parker a beautiful Curly Me doll. I was impressed by how the company’s CEO, a 12-year-old black girl named Zoe Oli, put her products in Target stores. I couldn’t help but cheer for them. I hope this reminds Parker of the power and potential of entrepreneurship, even at a young age.
Last month I had a little trouble.
Required online messaging service renews for two years for $205. The new City of Chicago sticker cost $127.17. My car’s check engine light came on out of nowhere and I was made to pay an additional $124.80 (including a 3.5% credit card fee) for the subsequent EVAP test.
Then I accidentally let my Audible free trial expire and renewed it for $14.95.
Oh yeah, my monthly car insurance and cell phone bills have also gone up.
Aside from these annoyances, September was a solid month for spending.
I might have saved money if I had chosen not to take an unplanned trip to Minnesota or refused to treat myself and my daughters to some meaningful items. .
My credit card statement for September showed $1,150.66. This would definitely have been the lowest amount I’ve spent in a month since November 2022. It was my second full month of adopting a new money story mindset and I was scared to spend money.
My savings looked great on screen and I would have felt satisfied with my discipline.
But I would have robbed myself and my crew. And for what?
I won’t miss the money.
Darnell Mayberry is a Chicago-based sportswriter and author of 100 Things Thunder Fans Should Know Before They Die. He loves his daughter Parker, money, and the Minnesota Vikings. His column, “Money Talks,” can be found every Saturday on cleveland.com and Sundays in The Plain Dealer.
