Spend $10. It’s Worth It!
Apr 3, 2008 in Frugal Living
Sometimes it’s the little things you do that say “I love you.” And sometimes the random acts that say “I love you” mean the most.
My wife is a singer, and a very good one at that. One of her singing activities is performing in a Children’s Traveling Opera. It involves going around to local schools to perform an opera for the students. The Opera group has the children participate by having some of them dress up in costumes and mime the roles. The students really get into it and are exposed to a style of music many of them have never heard before. I went to a performance last fall and it is a lot of fun!
Well, after a break for the holidays and New Year, her performances started up again. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it because of work. I knew that when I got home from work my wife would be excited about the performance, and I wanted to share in her excitement - and surprise her as well.
So on the way home from work, I picked up a small bouquet of flowers and some Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which are excellent if you’ve never had them!). I made her close her eyes when I opened in the door, I put my work computer down, took off my jacket, and held the flowers out to her. When she opened her eyes, they instantly grew in excitement, wonderment, and finally a little tear of joy. The transformation for all of these emotions took about half a second. 
“Why?” she asked.
“Because today was your first show and I couldn’t be there,” was my reply.
The hug I received in return was worth well more than the $10 I spent on the flowers. Throughout dinner my wife’s eyes went back and forth between the flowers and me. All night we continued to flirt with each other and smile for no other reason than we enjoy each other’s company. And that was a beautiful feeling.
photo credit: nishka.
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23 Comment(s)
By KellyB on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
Absolutely right - talk about return on investment! What could be better than knowing you’ve made the person you love most very happy? Good for you!
By Mrs. Micah on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
20 husband points.
It feels great to know that someone’s thinking of you when you’re apart and looking for ways to show that they love you.
By No Debt Plan on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
There is a real risk while you are working on your finances to become, for lack of a better word, a cheap ass. This can absolutely ruin a relationship. I’ve flirted with that line too many times and constantly have to remind myself that sometimes to invest time in “us” rather than the bank is more important.
By PT on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
That’s great, Patrick. Thanks for the reminder.
By Patrick on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
Mrs. Micah, I didn’t do it for the points… but yeah.
No Debt Plan, I agree. Sometimes, being too frugal can be a problem. Showing someone you care should always be a priority. As long as that doesn’t mean buying a Cadillac!
PT, don’t let your wife read this, otherwise you’ll ruin the surprise!
By Four Pillars on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
All night we continued to flirt with each other and smile
Sheesh…get a room!
Seriously, that’s a great idea which I will do this week!
Mike
By Save Money on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
Thats a great thing to do!
Random acts are always the best, keeps ‘em on their toes.
By Ron@TheWisdomJournal on Apr 3, 2008 | Reply
Man, that makes me want to go home! (yes, I’m out of town again)
By PT on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
It was worth it. Thanks, Patrick.
By Patrick on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
By Brip Blap on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
The comment by Mike (Four Pillars) cracked me up
By deepali on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
OMG, too cute.
I might have to print this out and leave it somewhere for my boyfriend to find… Not that he doesn’t do nice things, but a little random spontaneity might be good for both of us!
By ChristianPF on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
Patrick,
you are the man!! Thank you for teaching us guys how to do this thing the right way!!
By Rachel @ Master Your Card on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
What a lovely gesture. Personally the greatest present I could have is some extra money towards paying off the mortgage …. but then I am not a typical girly!
By Know The Ledge on Apr 4, 2008 | Reply
It’s definitely those little things that make all the difference. Nice one!
By kristen on Apr 5, 2008 | Reply
Wonderful! DH and I will do stuff like this or even those little zero dollar expressions that let’s each other know how appreciated each other is. What a fantastic gesture at just the right time.
By Curious Cat Investing Blog on Apr 5, 2008 | Reply
Very nice post. It is important to be financially responsible, but sometimes once people decide they were being too spendthrift they go to far in the other direction. Small indulgences are wonderful.
By AndyS on Apr 7, 2008 | Reply
Very nice post. Heartfelt and poignant. Glad to have discovered this blog, as nice to see other pf blogs to add to my reading list.
By Shanti @ Antishay on Apr 7, 2008 | Reply
How sweet!!! Ohhhh… what a lovely idea and such a thoughtful expression of love even when you couldn’t be there. Thank you for sharing
By brett on Apr 14, 2008 | Reply
Nice post, thanks for sharing. I’ll let you in on one of my pet peeves . . . you state “Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which are excellent if you’ve never had them!)” That use of “if” implies that their excellence is based on whether you have ever had them or not. A better way to state this is “In case you’ve never had them, know that FR chocolates are excellent”.
Ok that probably annoys you greatly but there it is.
By Patrick on Apr 14, 2008 | Reply
Now… shouldn’t it be:
Nice post, thanks for sharing. I’ll inform you of one of my pet peeves. You state, “Ferrero Rocher chocolates (which are excellent if you’ve never had them!).”
That use of “if” implies that their excellence is based on whether you have had them or not. A better way to state this is, “In case you’ve never had them, know that Ferrero Rocher chocolates are excellent.”
That probably greatly annoys you, but there it is.
The changes are subtle of course, but are more grammatically correct. I do hope you visit again.
By Nicole J. on Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
What a wonderful gesture. The only time my partner has ever given me flowers was the day our son was born. My partner (and I to a certain extent) thinks that cut flowers are a waste of money; so his gesture meant so much more. And the flowers weren’t from the hospital gift shop.
I like to show my love by baking and cooking special treats in the middle of the week. It’s a relatively inexpensive way to let my family know they are loved.
By Patrick on Apr 24, 2008 | Reply