Can you think of some ways you've save money, because you're disorganized? We SHEs (Sidetracked Home Executives) are famous for leaving things to do until the last minute. Have you ever gone to Plan B because Plan A failed or there really wasn't any plan in place?
I was, always putting off getting a gift for someone until the day of the birthday or anniversary, or within the hour of the party or shower. That’s how I came up with more than 100 funny ways to give money. In the end, my disorganization saved me time shopping, money for driving to the mall and my sanity. I always knew I could come up with something I’d put off until the last minute and I always have.
This email came from Jill Bowen, one of my Club Organized charter members. (You can join the club if you can answer “YES” to at least five scenarios on the admissions exam.) To take the test click on the word "YES".
Here's what Jill had to say:
Swamp Thing
Plan B: I'd embraced my SHEness by the time I was in my mid-forties, accepting that I had twice the enthusiasm and not one iota of the follow-through as regular folks had. Having a child at the age of 40 because I left my shopping list at home when I went to the drug store played a huge part in my self-acceptance. [She didn’t say what happened. I assume she forgot to pick up her birth control prescription.]
So my little tyke came home from school with a pumpkin plant growing out of a paper cup, and wanted to plant it in front of the trailer where we lived. He wanted everyone to be able to watch his pumpkin grow and turn into a Halloween jack-o-lantern. That got the wheels in my head turning (rarely a good thing), but I reined my thoughts back in. "You're a SHE [Sidetracked Home Executive]. Don't even attempt to plant a vegetable garden!" And so it was that I settled on the thrill of planting a single tomato plant in the back yard.
Patrick and I dug and planted and watered our two plants long enough for them to get a good start. Soon Pat's pumpkin vine had flowers, and my tomato plant was growing long branches. I purchased a wire cage for her, and gently guided her branches through the holes. She'd outgrown it within two weeks! So I bought some thin stakes, pounded them into the ground, and tied her branches to them. She was growing little round green babies, and Pat's pumpkin had small, yellowish fruit on it.
Another month went by. The tomato plant didn't have branches at all, she had these huge long vines that crept along the ground. And Pat's pumpkin was oddly bean-shaped and yellow.
Another month went by. The tomatoes weren't very good, not at all like the rich, juicy red ones I was buying at the Farmer's Market. And Pat's pumpkin plant was definitely a yellow squash. I tried to explain it to him, but he would have none of it. Any day now his little pumpkin was going to turn into a bright orange ball, it just needed more time.
As summer slipped away the tomato plant had huge, long tentacles wandering through the back-yard. We had to do something with it just to cut the grass, so hubby threw the tentacles over the pitched roof of our storage shed. That attracted the attention of the neighbors. She was growing rapidly. Alarmingly fast. Soon the tentacles were hanging down the opposite side of the shed. We named her Swamp Thing, and every few days a handful of neighbors would come by to marvel at her size.
They took pictures. Collected seeds. Sampled tomatoes. Lots of laughter. Shared stories. Eventually curiosity got the best of us, and the guys stretched a tentacle out across the lawn for an official measurement. Twenty feet - we couldn't believe it!
An early frost that year ended Swamp Thing's life. She stopped growing and turned brown and looked just awful. My intention was to spray paint her with glow-in-the-dark paint, make giant paper plate eyes, and let her scare kids on Halloween night. Never quite got around to doing that. I was busy carving a face into a yellow squash that would have turned into a bright orange ball if only the frost hadn't come so early that year.
Don’t you love Jill’s story? It reflects great love for appreciating the extraordinary ordinariness of life. Only a SHE could write this sort of experience. I’d love to hear from you! pam@pamyoung.org
If you always put off getting gifts until the last minute, you need my Stick it Right on the Money Gift Giving Kit. For more information on this great tool, click Ben Franklin on the $100 bill who is disguised with just a couple of the 90 disguises in the kit. You also get ten sticker frames to hold your money gift in a greeting card.
Love,