Once all the necessities like food and housing and transportation and such are taken care of, what good is money if you can’t spend it on things you want?

I struggled with money for a long time, mostly because I didn’t make enough of it. And I will always continually rant that even if you don’t make a lot of money, you still deserve small indulgences. I’m not talking about going into debt pursuing some lifestyle that’s out of your reach at all here — just that sometimes allowing yourself that $4 drink at Starbucks or that $8 bottle of nail polish makes all the difference between feeling miserable and feeling like things are going to be OK.

I am lucky in that I make pretty good money right now. I am actively working on paying off my debt (I have about a 12-18 month plan for doing so) and I don’t really buy a lot of stuff (I like food and drink and experiences more than stuff). But every now and then, it’s fun to allow myself a few things.

These boots

I was actually shopping for proper shoes for work when I came across these beautiful boots on ASOS. The ’90s teenage girl that is still deeply a part of me wanted them badly so that means I wanted them badly. I thought about them for a full 90 minutes before I bought them (and to be fair, as soon as I saw them, I knew I was buying them, but you know, I decided to pretend to ponder it for a bit.)

They are fabulous and I love them. I’ve only worn them briefly around the house (because it’s still stupidly summer out there and therefore, not boot season) so I don’t know how comfortable they are. But I don’t really care. Because look at them!

Funnily enough, my mom linked me to this Cathy comic, which was almost 100% the experience I just had. (Also, if you say a bad word about Cathy, I will fight you.)

Teen Titans Go to the Movies

I was recently cat-sitting for a friend and he has HBO which meant I finally got to watch Teen Titans Go to the Movies (which, for whatever reason, is still currently exclusive to HBO when it comes to stream it — you can buy a digital copy but not rent one). I think it was about the 40-minute mark where I paused it and ordered it on Blu-Ray. I am now threatening to make everyone who has yet to see it watch it. I loved it that much.

I admit to being a little cool toward Teen Titans Go when it first started because it was not my beloved Teen Titans animated series. It will never be that, but it’s not trying to be. I’ve come to enjoy it on its own merits and while I don’t watch it all the time, it’s always sweet, funny and incredibly silly every time I do. We need more of that in the world.

Tenth Ward Genever

Tenth Ward Distilling is a woman-owned distillery in Frederick, Maryland, and they make some interesting booze. Rather than just doing the usual things, they are making liquor like Smoked Corn Whiskey, Caraway Rye and Absinthe Nouvelle, which is actually the best absinthe I’ve had (I’m not 20 anymore so I no longer have to pretend absinthe is somehow wonderful. Tenth Ward’s is, though.)

Tenth Ward made a genever, which is like gin, but … not. Here, they’ll explain it to you. It’s different. It’s interesting. It was a bit more of a white whiskey and less of a gin than I was expecting but I also didn’t know what I was expecting. I can’t say I absolutely loved it, but it’s one of those things that I’m glad I bought it and I’m glad I tried it. I will basically buy and try everything Tenth Ward makes.

While Frederick isn’t far away (and is very cool — there’s Record Exchange, Treaty General Store, and Classic Electric Tattoos, and that’s just a start), it’s still enough of a trip I don’t get to go there enough. But considering Tenth Ward has a few releases that are only available there, it’s probably worth going there more often.

A Membership to The Nib

OK, while I can’t say this is absolutely a necessary purchase, it’s one I want you to consider.

The Nib is a site of political cartoons, comics journalism and comics personal essays and memoirs. They do amazing work. They are now going independent (and not by their own choice). Membership plans start at $2 per month and you can get their awesome quarterly magazine for as little as $4 a month. I want to see The Nib continue — they do such important and powerful work — and I think you may want this too.

Need more convincing? Here are several comics The Nib has posted recently that I’ve loved (in no particular order):

• Digital Fur Can Only Do So Much by Gemma Correll
• Twins For a Day by Mathew New and Jake New
• Look But Don’t Touch by Kasia Babis
• How to Make Up Planets and Accidentally Influence People by Kane Lynch

• I Came Out Late in Life. And That’s Okay. by Alison Wilgus