The Father’s Day gifts I bought myself.

Just to show that it really is the small stuff that counts, please let me share with you what I bought.  Maybe this will also give you some ideas of things you could buy yourself or dear, old dad for Father’s Day.  Here are my recent purchases:

1.  Nike Oklahoma State Cowboys Cap

I love caps.  A new cap with the logo of my favorite collegiate sports team is something I enjoy, but it has to be good quality.  I hate wearing cheap caps.  I bought a Nike cap.  I know that I probably paid a little more just for the name and the Swoosh, but it also seems to be higher quality too.  The fabric it is made of breathes better than the cheap stuff which keeps my head cooler during the hot Oklahoma summers.  I splurged a little on the cap, but it will be something that I will wear for a long time.  I’m very happy with the purchase. Go Cowboys!

2.  Mario Kart for the Wii

We joined the throngs of other people several months ago and bought ourselves a Nintendo Wii using part of the proceeds from our garage sale.  The whole family has enjoyed it.  We have even had a couple of social gatherings at the house just to play the Wii.  A colleague at work recently recommended Mario Kart for the Wii.  We normally rent games instead of buying them, but Mario Kart was so highly rated that I decided to buy it sight unseen.  I’ve only had it about a week, but I’ll have to say that it is awesome!  I’m not a huge video game player so, games like Mario Kart are the ones I enjoy.  It is easy to learn and simple to play, but still challenging enough to be fun.  Go get it!

3.  Teva Flip-flop Sandals

I think that one of the greatest luxuries in life is comfortable footwear.  I can hardly wait for summer because I love wearing shorts and sandals.  With the onset of 90+ degree temperatures here last week, I decided it was time for a new pair of flip-flops.  All of us in my family are big Teva fans, so I decided to check out Sierra Trading Post for a good deal.  Sierra offers excellent discounts on name brand footwear.  I found a great pair of Teva flip-flops for about $10 and then my wife had a promotional code that Sierra had sent her for an additional 20% off!  My new flip-flops are ultra-comfortable and only cost me about $8.  Sweet!

4.  Cheap sunglasses

Do you remember the song Cheap Sunglasses by ZZ Top?  I used to listen to this song over and over on my cassette tape deck back in high school.  Maybe that’s why I never buy a pair of sunglasses that costs over $15.  I bought two new pair at one of those carts set up in the mall a month or so ago.  I think I paid $20 total for both pair.  I like the cheap ones because if they get lost or broken, then it isn’t that big of a deal.  I’d drive myself and those around me bonkers if I had to take care of a $100 pair of Oakley sunglasses.  Although I seldom lose or break the cheap ones, I’m sure an expensive pair would be toast within a week if I were to ever buy them.

The small luxuries are really the best gifts.

Did I need any of these things?  Absolutely not!  There will be some ultra-frugal types out there that might admonish me for such frivolous spending.  However, I’ll argue that life isn’t worth living without a few luxuries.  Again, I paid cash for all these items.  If you can’t do that, then you shouldn’t buy them.  However, when properly budgeted, some small gifts like this really are the best.  I love all the items I purchased and I would do it again in a heartbeat.  I smile just when I think about these things.  They truly bring a degree of happiness to my existence. 

What was the last gift you received or bought yourself that adds to your happiness?

Photos by alex-s and Marcus Vegas