Let me ask you a question. What do YOU consider to be the Champagne Life? Is it a mansion with a full staff? Is it the opportunity to do as you please without worrying about how much it will cost? Or like me, do you want to enjoy life to the fullest and not have to work so hard at it?
I tend to splurge on things that will make me happy and save on the things that really have no impact on my life. For example – I may purchase a beautiful piece of jewelry that I’ll wear every day for the rest of my life, but my t-shirts come from Target. In the end it all balances out.
When I’d struggle with a purchase that I thought was expensive my mother used to ask me “Will buying this item make a difference in your life five years down the road?” I remember that Laura Ashley dress that I wanted so badly. We had very little money at the time (a new baby, a new business and I had a wedding to go to). The dress cost about $150 (in 1982). That was a LOT of money at the time. After considering the five year impact – my decision was that YES, I’d buy the dress. I actually wore the dress for over ten years. It was my FAVORITE.
I love giving and attending parties, but my stress level used to go through the roof when I entertained. Why? Because I was not very confident about my cooking skills (I suppose that’s why I married a man who owned restaurants). I’d spend sleepless nights WORRYING about silly things like whether I purchased enough food, will I ruin the meal, what if…..? After my accident in 1998, I spent Thanksgiving on crutches and a leg brace – with 14 people coming for dinner and no one to help (Ben had a big football game to play in and Mr. S. went to cheer him on, because I couldn’t). It was at that moment that I realized that I could just as easily have the dinner catered.
That simple decision lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders and from that point on, I realized that just like the dress that I struggled over buying, that this was a “purchase” that I’d get a LOT of pleasure out of (as would my guests). By the way, as with all things in life, things change and I actually enjoy cooking for people a lot more now. Still, there are times that I want to sit back and enjoy someone else doing the work.
Along the way, I’ve kept a notebook of people and companies that can help whenever I’m in a bind. Urban Spoon Catering, Events and Staffing is one of my FAVORITES. They provide…
- Private Chefs
- Housekeeping
- House Managers
- Massage Therapists
- Beauty Specialists
- Personal Assistants
- Drivers
- Nannies
One of my FAVORITE CHEF’S is Chef Allamani, who actually created this team. If you EVER want to have an INCREDIBLE meal, wedding, party, etc. – you MUST REQUEST HER PERSONALLY. She’s AMAZING! I had the privilege of dining with Chef Allamani and a group of friends recently. This happened to be a very casual meal, but OMG – it’s a month later and I’ve been dreaming of her food ever since (the top photo was taken before I dove head first into the Ahi Tuna Tartare- so you can see – her presentation is impeccable).
Urban Spoon Catering, Events & Staffing is committed to serving only the finest foods, made with the freshest ingredients, and providing courteous, responsive service. All of our dishes are made from scratch; creating a truly memorable dining experience.
Urban Spoon Catering
1-888-410-8320
uscatering@live.com
You can follow Chef Allamani on Facebook – just be prepared to get hungry looking at the photographs that she posts.
The Professional Family Manager says
I share your philosophy. I will cut back and keep expenses down to a bare minimum in order to be able to afford the things that bring me pleasure. Our family doesn't have cable, I make my own laundry detergent, I cut the family's hair and do my own manicure, I hang laundry and wash dishes by hand, and we don't eat out often…yet I wear Clinique make-up, when we do eat out we eat at our favorite bistro which costs at minimum $150, and if I'm going to drink coffee or wine I make sure it's a good one. I've had people accuse me of being hypocritical about how I live my life; I see it as choosing what is valuable to me and putting my money into the things that make me happy. (And it does make me happy to hang laundry to save a few pennies so I can buy the twice-as-expensive make-up foundation, because I'd rather have the foundation than run the dryer.)
You have a wonderful blog! I always enjoy it so much!