The “New York Times” today posted a set of short essays with this heading. The ones I read named tickets to the Nutcracker ballet (these are expensive) and a single oyster (this one cost $1.75). This reminded me of one of my favorite girlhood books, “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.” The main character Francie is bookish girl (like me!). The family lives in terrible poverty. Francie loves to hold a mug of hot coffee; when the coffee is cold, she throws it out. A relative chides the family for waste, but Francie’s mother declares that everyone should have one thing to waste. So, like the oyster or the mug of hot coffee, your luxury need not be expensive.
My luxuries? Besides travel and my house (small, but too expensive for us at the time, now paid off), it would be Cabot extrasharp cheddar. Real parmesan cheese. Decent pasta. Plugra butter. Oops, that’s four. Talk about abundance. I can have those every day. I’m so lucky
For Frugal Daughter, it’s Chinese mary jane shoes in a rainbow of colors. These have become her signature footwear.
For Frugal Son, it’s a subscription to Saveur magazine.
For Mr. Dr. Frugal Scholar, it would be the complete set of Proust’s “A La Recherche…” in the leather-bound Pleiade edition. He bought this when he lived for two years in France after college. Hey! He already owns that, so he’s lucky too.
What’s it for you, dear readers?
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