wasting_money nr maybe it's something about the way they were brought up (on my dad's side of the family), and i missed being affected by it somehow, but my siblings seem to be of the opinion that something pricier = something better. which is obviously true in the case of quality, quantity, and longevity, but not in the case where you're spending just to spend. it's like, hey, we could get this bouquet of flowers as a gift or this other one that looks very similar. "okay, how about this one?" -me. "well, it's not very pricey," -them. if something looks the same and someone won't know the difference and it's the same quality and it'll fucking DIE in a week, why do we have to spend more money for it to be a 'good' gift? it's not like someone will say, "oh, these are pretty and they smell nice, but clearly not enough money was spent on them. into the garbage they go." i just don't get this way of thinking. i can't wrap my head around it. buying gifts with them stresses me out a lot because i am broke, but even if i wasn't, i wouldn't spend just to spend. it just makes no sense. 150614 ... epitome of incomprehensibility I bought a lunch for myself at a casual place in Westmount. "Casual" in Westmount means $18 for salmon steak, 3-salad mix, and an orange juice. To be fair, it was a pretty big lunch and a really good salmon steak, marinated and grilled and spiced with little twists of dried ginger. 150616 ... e_o_i That was while my parents are gone. They're back now. For two weeks I was oddly frugal, besides the restaurant splurge, eating leftover soup and then lentil soup I made with dandelion leaves (free) and celery (cheap; tastes better in soup anyway where more of its flavour comes out). 1 cup lentils = 3 bowls worth of soup. 150616 ... e_o_i ponders (I also don't see the point of spending more for flowers that look the same. As long as they don't try to get you paying for things too... Eh, people are weird.) 150616 ... nr yeah, they do. it's only when we're splitting on something that it matters to me (they can spend however much they want on their own). 150617 what's it to you? who go blather from