jotsheet

I’ve always been a stingy bastard. In fact, if you look back to the very first entry in the jotsheet, you’ll see perfect confirmation of this fact:

i’m a thrifty guy. i tell ya what, there ain’t nothin better than getting a good deal on somethin. you hearin my noise? but see, the downside is that i hate spending lots of money, and i’m always second-guessing myself. i should learn to be content and enjoy stuff.

I get it from my dad, and my dad’s family. We’re money-focused Jews.

Hey, don’t get offended! (That includes you, Dad.) It’s just the truth! Jews just need to acknowledge their fixation on money and move on with life—look, I’m working on it. It’s not necessarily negative, but I do think it’s a cultural trait. Anyhow, ask someone who knows me well, and he’ll be able to tell you how I agonize over the smallest purchases:

• $2.99 for a large or $2.49 for a small? Am I hungry enough for it to be worth it?
• $400 for a new TV? Nah, I’ll just stick with this piece of crap Magnavox.
• $20 grand for a new car? Hey okay, I’ll go for it!

And so the last agonizing decision has helped me, I think. It’s just the latest in a string of small decisions to spend some damn money, and for me, that’s a good thing. Loosens me up.

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