Cherries in Winter and other ways to be broke but not poor

As Suzan Colon writes in her book, Cherries in Winter, "I suddenly feel poor".... For the first time in my adult life I am unemployed, although technically I have a job waiting for me, just don't have a start date yet. As a result, it's back to counting pennies (yes, I said "back to", because I feel like I've been doing this forever already!!) I found Suzan's entry about Cherries in Winter to be like an AHA moment. The tale goes that her grandmother Matilde, who was used to counting pennies all her life, had a way about her, a "joie de vivre", so to speak (my words, not Suzan's). Grandmother Matilde knew that such little indulgences helped all the penny-pinching become much more meaningful... On one December night in Manhatten, she and her daughter walked to the fruit vendor (as they often did in the spring) and found cherries of all things. As it was not bitter cold, they walked to central park and sat on the benches to enjoy their extravagances. Ok, here's the pause and the explanation for you all out there who need help experiencing "moments" - it was chilly, the christmas lights were on, the park was lovely and still and they sat on a bench together and slowly, deliciously, one by one, ate their sweet cherries.... They savored each part of that moment - the smells, the sounds, the taste, their souls.... Nana Matilde said, "Is there anything better in the world than being here in Manhatten in Central Park and eating cherries in winter?" See, Matilde was wise, wise, wise... She spent a tiny bit more on little indulgences to keep herself from feeling like less... Pause a moment and think about those words, to prevent herself from feeling like less.... When one counts pennies and struggles financially day after day, it can be so easy to fall into the trap of feeling poor. One's "joie de vivre", one's hope can be lost... That is SO important to save!! Suzan's Nana used to say, "We may be broke, but we are not poor!!" Poverty of the soul is worse than poverty of the pocket. Once you lose your "soul", or "joie de vivre", as I say, you have become POOR....

Here's what I do help my soul stay alive even as I'm counting pennies:
1) Evenings meals are a lovely, special affair - tablecloth, candles, wine, fine china (this happens more now than before for all those above reasons).
2) Wonderful smelling candles burn daily in my home
3) Rooms are set up for us to enjoy and savor moments - comfy chairs, pillows, blankets, lamps for reading, gorgeous vignettes and views...
4) I spice up the mundane!! Try new meals with wholesome foods
5) I bought FABULOUS expensive lingerie! This sounds like an extravagance, but honestly, that extravagence has made my husband and I happy many times afterwards... I have since bought less expensive lingerie to carry on the momentum.
6) I bought wonderful, feminine clothes, shoes, scarves (at Salvation Army, BUT STILL!) and I dress myself up daily in beautiful clothes that rarely a soul sees except my family and ME! That's the point - I see myself too!

Alright, folks, it's time for you to start commenting on what you do to not feel poor even if technically you are struggling...