The cost of free

I was brought up in a fairly frugal family and have cheerfully adopted many thrifty traits as my own (although I refuse to wash and reuse aluminum foil as my mother did). So, I am often enticed by anything labelled "free". I'm not stupid and I'm probably the least likely person to get lured into a scam by the use of the word. But a legitimate freebie? Oh baby! Yep, more often than not, I'm in.

However, I am a minimalist work in progress and I erred big-time recently. One of my Facebook friends posted a link to free IMAX tickets at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. The free presentation was showing on a night when I'd be in Denver, so I eagerly scooped up four tickets for Jeremy, Bethany, Kaydi and myself. On the night of the event, Jeremy and I drove across town in rush hour traffic, met the kids for dinner, where I we picked up the $38 tab, and then schlepped back across town to wait in line for the IMAX tickets (at which point I woefully realized that I should have worn a coat). Once inside and seated (and I'd stopped shivering), I realized I was a few inches from a woman heavily doused with perfume--the "scent" (and I use the term very lightly) of which was strong enough to gag a skunk. The film was okay--not my favorite IMAX movie of all times, but interesting and had great cinematography. Then, back in the car, to drop off Beth and Kaydi (whom we'd offered to drive to avoid using two cars). The back to Alyssa's house to drop into bed exhausted.

Summary of the night? Well, it certainly wasn't free, as it cost us money for dinner and gas. My eyes were damn near swollen shut from my perfume allergy. I ate more than I should--always do when I go out to eat and it never tastes as good as the meals I make myself. And sure the company was great--we always enjoy spending time with Bethany and crew. But we could have done that without the "free" IMAX tix. Had the movie been fantastic, it may have been worth it, but since it was just okay....hmmm...not so much.

I think a true minimalist is one who evaluates the usefulness and joy brought about not only by objects, but also by the events that come into our lives. Sure, it's a no-brainer that expensive homes have to be maintained and tchotskies have to be dusted. But minimalism isn't only about the stuff that physically clutters our lives; it's also about the way our time  gets over-scheduled as well (also our thoughts, but that's another blog post). Allowing one's time to be governed by occurrences and events that don't enrich us as much as we deserve to be enriched is just as wasteful, in my opinion, as frivolously spending money on items we don't need.

Had I been more introspective about how I wanted to use my time last week, then I would have rationalized that even though the IMAX tickets were free, the overall experience was not going to bring me the amount of joy equal to the amount of time and money that I spent on the event. And while Stinky Perfume Lady couldn't have been anticipated, I did know that driving across town in traffic would be irritating and that dinner would be costly in terms of both calories and cash. But did I think about those things beforehand? Nope. I got drawn in by "free" and never looked back--until the Monday morning quarterbacking phase, at least.

But that's okay. Minimalism is a journey, not a destination, and I am certainly learning much along the way. And what I've learned about minimalism this week is that it's not only about tangible stuff but the intangibles as well. I, for one, plan to become a lot more frugal with how the currency of my time gets spent.


Maureen Thomson and Jeremy Myers are a husband and wife team offering professional housesitting services worldwide. Visit our HouseSitting Couple website for more information.