Tag Archives: choice

Accepting What You Can Get

Sometimes you just have to accept what you can get.  We all learned a lot about this at the start of the pandemic…back when whatever brand of toilet paper you could find was good enough.  Then with paper towels.  Then with disinfecting wipes.  These are all things where having something is much better than having nothing, even if it’s not the exact thing you wanted.

This past week the availability of Covid vaccines opened up to an expanded group 1A in Pennsylvania.  This means that my parents (who are in their late 80’s) are now eligible for the vaccine.  But getting scheduled for a vaccine appointment is quite the challenge…especially in the part of rural Pennsylvania where they live.  Because technology isn’t their strongest skill, they reached out to me for help with the process.  And I very quickly learned that getting them scheduled near their home was going to be a challenge.  Even using my best Ticketmaster concert ticket purchasing skills, I struck out on day one.  On the second day of my efforts I expanded the radius and was able to secure them appointments about 60 miles from their house in mid-February.  Is it ideal?  No.  But it is something.  And something is better than nothing.

There will be a lot of times in your life when this kind of choice will come into play.  It could be something little, like having to buy a different brand of soup than you really wanted.  It could be something huge, like finding the perfect home to buy…with the exception of the fact that it is the same color as Pepto Bismol.  These are situations where you take something less than perfect because you need something…and something is better than nothing.  Pretty much any financial decision you make in your life will leave you wondering if the choice you are making is right.  Because perfection almost never happens.  So you have to focus on the option that meets your needs, even if it isn’t perfect.  Because sometimes you just have to accept what you can get.

Do Something, Even If It’s Wrong

Sometimes when I’m driving, the road rage words that jump from my mouth, aimed at the car in front of me, will be, “Do something, even if it’s wrong!” (Full credit for this gem goes to my husband’s grandfather, who spouted an abundance of what we call “Wilbertisms.”)  But there’s a lot of wisdom in this particular phrase that goes way beyond the driver who can’t figure out what he or she wants to do.

This is still the season of New Year’s resolutions.  I made a couple of them this year.  One is to make healthier food choices and to run more, with the goal of running a half-marathon in the fall (which I’ll now be held accountable for, since it’s out there in the blogosphere).  The other is to create and live by a budget in an effort to pay down some debt I’ve been lugging around with me.

Right now you are likely thinking in wonder about the money lady who doesn’t have a budget and has a bunch of debt.  I know….I know.  It’s one thing to understand the principle.  It’s quite a different challenge to put it into practice.  I know that the secret to weight loss is to burn more calories than you consume.  But I like cheese! And chocolate! And pizza! And I know the secret to budgeting is to spend less than you earn.  But I like restaurants! And music festivals!

So here we are at the start of a new year.  And I’m going to do something.  Even if it’s wrong.  Because doing nothing will not change anything.  If I do something, it may lead to a positive change in my life.  Or it may be wrong and lead to a learning experience.  But either way, doing something is better than doing nothing.

My “healthier choices” plan includes using my fitness tracker’s app to monitor my food intake and calorie burn.  My half-marathon dream is right now in week 3 of Couch to 5K.  And I’m currently in my free 34-day trial of You Need a Budget, as well as reading the accompanying book by the guy who created it.  I’m not sure how this will go (though I’m sure I’ll keep you posted as I progress).  But I know that I’m doing something.  And doing something (even if it’s wrong) is better than doing nothing.