Spending

Still no itemized list of paying off what I owe. It’s coming. I hope.

I will tell you what I have been squandering my money on though.

$64  for a nail salon visit to Happy Nails in West Hollywood. I got an eyebrow wax, pedicure with a foot scrub, and a french manicure with a flower design. I mean I think it was 52 bucks, and I tipped 12 bucks. Granted, I haven’t had a pedicure in over a month…I would say I could go to a cheaper place, but I seriously think Happy Nails is worth every penny. I tried  a cheaper place by my house, and the waxing is lazy, and I don’t trust them with my toes. *sigh*

$70 parking ticket this morning. Score.

$160 church tithe. Here goes the controversy. I was sitting in church for the first time in a few weeks and I knew I was going to give something in the offering….but I didn’t think it would be 160 bucks! I’ve been going to church since I was a kid, and my belief system is one in which I believe in giving a tithe, ten percent of my income. Not just sometimes, but everytime. It has to be consistent. Anything less would be stealing from God. When I was younger, giving 4 bucks on a 40 dollar allowance was nuthin. Even in college, 8 bucks on my 80 dollar weekly check was nuthin. But when I became an adult with an actual salary, giving 50+ bucks became difficult. Not so much as the dollar amount, but the fact that I was always so broke, 50 bucks could easily pay my electric bill. So I stopped tithing. I mean, I stopped tithing before then but not because I was broke. I stopped because I thought I was slick.  A few years ago I stopped tithing because I figured God would think I was stupid for not paying rent on time, or something to that effect. Essentially I told God, “look, I can’t afford to tithe right now.” I could barely pay my bills, and He knew that. The numbers didn’t add up. So I told God that in addition to believing for a higher bangin ass salary from Him, I was believing for the capacity to give Him my tithe…to the point where the amount I had to give him wouldn’t phase me. I wanted to be making enough money where I could give Him his tenth and not trip about it, because I had more than enough.

So there I was Sunday morning in church. Trynna pretend like this wasn’t my first big paycheck….pretending like I didn’t have the brand new salary that was more than what I had asked God for. A little less than a year ago I asked God to give me a salary 5K lower than what I make now. He made it happen, and here I was trynna act brand new. So I whipped out my checkbook and wrote a check. I can’t beat God giving, this is true. It’s an investment as I see it. Call me crazy if you want, but this giving to God thing works.