And she has scheduled a high tea at a hotel to pamper herself.
And of course, she has dragged me along...
Ok the story isn't as simple as that. But I'll cut it short.
She took leave to handle some admin matters.
She was supposed to meet a couple of friends for high tea at the hotel.
Then meet another friend at the hotel after high tea to discuss some other matters.
So it seemed like an ok deal. So I was like... Fine just go and enjoy yourself.
It's expensive but for one person, and she needs to keep up her networks anyway so, I suppose it's fairly ok for her to go and indulge.
Then her friends cancelled the meeting, but she still was going to meet the friend after high tea.
So guess who gets dragged to accompany her for high tea until her next appointment with her friend...
Duhz, me of course.
It's not just some 3-tiered high tea platter.
It's a high tea buffet/lunch, 11am to 5pm... well, IF you can sit that long and eat and drink.
Which I absolutely plan to. Hey if we are going to pay for it, might as well eat lunch and dinner there.
My wife loves going for high tea at this hotel. We had agreed that it would only be during our birthday month. But I agree it is fairly acceptable that she joins her friends to keep a certain network of people so that's fine...
I was a bit upset that she adamantly wanted to go to the high tea buffet even though it was already cancelled and she was trying ways to find someone else to go with her, which she wasn't able to, so it ended up being me.
So I was like... ok fine, I'll go with you, although it's ridiculously expensive and I don't appreciate it much.
It's like ~$60 per pax so expense for this month is going to show this ~$120.
The food isn't bad, it isn't great as well. We aren't paying for really premium stuff, like lobsters and crabs, it's really about the light bites and the ambiance. Sometimes we get roast beef...
But that's not the point... $120 is a big expense for us, cos it's unnecessary, and that's like a large chunk of my food "budget".
I was really struggling about justifying this expense.
But I can't justify it. It's one of those things.
Remember one of my old posts about being frugal for the sake of frugality...
Our monthly expenses is relatively low, we don't spend much, she maybe wants to go for high tea once or twice a year, it's usually $120 for the both of us each time.
As long as the frequency doesn't increase, this is one of those things.
If we don't spend on some indulgences, then in the end, we'd just be eating free food all our lives, not travelling, taking public transport. And all this is fine. IF you're ok with it.
For us, although we live a frugal life, we'd want some experiences, travel, some nice meals.
So there's a need to not always rationalize every decision.
Some fun and indulgences should be accepted and embraced. Hey, if you're going to save hard and not spend, then you're just going to die rich. Then I think that really defeats the point of life in general.
Cos even though I think we all should be frugal so that we can be in financial control of our lives, we also need to enjoy life as well.
I do think it's important to be aware of the potential lifestyle inflation. If it becomes a monthly habit, then that becomes unreasonable. Or if travel becomes a monthly affair, then I think it is starting to get out of hand.
For us, our main indulgences for now are...
1) Travel, around 3-4 times a year for own recreation,
2) The car, (I don't even wanna talk about it),
3) Nice meals, although we hardly eat out these days unless we are overseas.
So when I go later, I have to keep a positive attitude, although I don't really appreciate the whole experience, it's mainly for her. Hey if I'm going to spend $60 for my meal, then might as well make the best of it, sit, eat, relax and enjoy the whole experience. And might as well eat lunch and dinner at the same time.
<<PREVIOUS POST // NEXT POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.