Alton Brown is coming to my town...

[Nella]

...and I am so tempted to purchase his new book so I can get a ticket to his reading and book signing. (Because of his popularity you can't get in with out a ticket, and you can't get a ticket unless you buy the book in advance.) He's the star of "Good Eats," on, I think, the Food Channel. Love his explanations on the chemistry that is the magic behind cooking well, I just don't know if what I need is one more cookbook. Still...oh, boy would it be fun to have the chance to go see him! Should I? Shouldn't I? Arrrggghh!!!

[redfox]

Being frugal means saving money from being spent on unnecessary things, so that you have some to spend where you want to. If this will make you happy & is where you want to spend some of your money, do it! If you decide to, have fun and don't even consider feeling badly about it!!

[catherine]

I love to go to book signings--it's kind of a hobby of mine. It's more fun to go to the ones that aren't so big in the public eye. For instance, I had a one-on-one chat with Joyce Carol Oates once, when she signed my book, American Appetites. There was NO ONE else there at the signing!! Conversely, when I went to see Cesar Millan (The Dog Whisperer) the line stretched all the way down the mall.

You simple-livers would appreciate this one: I learned Duane Elgin was going to give a talk at The Open Center in NYC. I was so psyched! I signed up to go, but I couldn't get out of work early enough and so I was a little late (like 10 minutes) arriving. I thought to myself, "I'll just sneak in the back," expecting tons of people.

It was a teeny little group of about 8 people in a seminar-style room. We sat in a circle and discussed The Awakening Earth. At the end, I went up to him to ask him to sign my copy of Voluntary Simplicity (which I had actually received free with a donation to SLN years ago), and the others there had NO IDEA who he was! I stood there telling them that he's an ICON in the voluntary simplicity movement, but I guess the others were simply attracted to the topic or something, because they clearly didn't go as a simple living groupie like I did.

Anyway, I digress. Nella: Go, but expect a lot of people! Alton will definitely draw a crowd.

[Glo]

I like Brown's cooking but can't stand all his scientific explanations. DH loves him but I find myself thinking "get on with it already!"

[loosechickens]

To me, the whole IDEA of simple living is to be extra frugal on stuff that doesn't matter, so when something comes along that DOES matter to you, you can spend freely and with a clear conscience.

Of course you should go, of course, you should buy the book if that will give you pleasure......if money is tight, figure out a couple of ways where you can reduce spending to make up for it, but do the stuff you really want to do, because long after that money spent is forgotten, the nice memories of the experience and enjoyment of whatever you bought will remain.

Go for it!