I’ve needed fresh flowers to get through this interminable winter.
Months ago I stumbled across a bulging bouquet of carnations for $2 at Safeway; they were perkily peeking from my shopping cart before you could count to three. The pink blooms wound up in my mail organizer and in vases around the living room; there were so many — an embarrassment of flowers — that I crafted arrangements for many spots in our apartment.
I loved them. They were so happy, so joyful. But like all blossoms, well . . . they withered, shedding all over the carpet. They died.
Our place has been far less welcoming since then.
The days of my $2 flowers are long gone, especially in the cold. It snowed again yesterday. Every time we stop by the grocery store, I peek at the bundles of colorful stems in pots near the entrance — but they’re $12 or $15 or $20 apiece. As we get closer to closing on our new home, budgeting takes on greater importance. I clip lots of coupons. We’ve cut out (most) frivolous spending, and I couldn’t justify spending $10 on something that was going to wilt in less than a week. Better to buy meat and bread, you know?
But I’m learning that beauty is worth a little investment. Some splurges are simply good for the soul. After checking the flowers at Giant for the fourth straight week to learn the prices had finally dropped to $6, I cracked. Caved. Was all too happy to give in.
Everything is brown and gray and covered in the lingering vestiges of this cold, but I can see it turning around again. We placed bouquets of royal purple in our windowsill and the hallway, and I smile at the blooms every morning.
Winter’s thaw at last.
write meg! 
I really don’t blame you. You guys have had one hell of a winter. If you ever want to have bloom overload, come to Florida (where we are all sneezing and hacking over all these blooms!)
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We’ve had a bad winter here in Canada (and it isn’t over yet). But I have some flowers pushing up at the side of the house, a promise of things to come.
Leslie
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I love fresh flowers too. Those look really pretty.
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Fresh flowers can make everything more optimistic and bright, especially in the winter we’ve had 🙂
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It’s wonderful to use FRAGRANT flowers, too. A plant without a scent is like a beautiful person who has no personality – nice to meet at first, but not someone you want to spend a lot of time with.
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The beauty and color, and sometimes fragrance, of flowers can make such a difference in our outlook and are definitely worth the investment. 🙂
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I love this Meg! A little brightness makes all the difference. When I’m getting tight on money, I’ll display fresh fruit like green apples or lemons instead of flowers. Then my grocery’s get to work double duty : )
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Yes! Yes! Yes! I miss seeing green things, too! Can’t wait to plant and be outside again. I loved the photo you posted!!!!!!!!!! We are heading to the Pittsburgh flower show this weekend, because we all can’t stand to be cooped up inside any longer!
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After the winter you guys have had, you deserve to splurge on some fresh flowers, especially since it’s still so cold! We don’t have freezing/icy/snowy winters here in SF but it definitely gets gray and gloomy. In fact, “gray and gloomy” is how I’d characterize the majority of the year here (with the exception of a few precious sunny, fogless months) so we’ve budgeted $5/week for fresh flowers. Sometimes I still “splurge” (I bought ranunculus this week for $6.99…) but I think it’s worth it for joy fresh flowers can bring so indulge yourself, my friend. 🙂
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I hear ya. My latest bouquet just perished. I need more. We had more snow yesterday and it made me so sad I had to close the window. We’re hoping it’s our last for the season. *knock on wood*
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Cut flowers are very nice, I think I will buy some for my wife this weekend. In a way they are a sign of strength because we know it is something we do for ourselves that is an extravagance, a complete waste of money. We should all waste money on ourselves occasionally; better yet is to have someone else waste money on you. Perhaps a potted plant is the better investment, and yet somehow a little bit boring.
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While you can’t beat the occasional $2 Safeway bouquet, $6 is still a steal. That’s essentially starbucks. Totally worth it for the happiness.
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Your purple Alstroemeria are gorgeous, and they last so well.
I’ve found I buy a potted plant to put on my kitchen window sill, I still have the one from Christmas, so it works out to be very good value. Mine is a Pointsettia, I don’t know if you have them, it might be too cold?
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I buy whatever flowers are on sale for $5 at Safeway that week when I go grocery shopping and I am so happy when I see them. It’s $20/month I could spend elsewhere, sure, but I think they’re worth it 🙂
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Flowers are so nice ; ) Be the flower that spread the good things to surrounding people. 😀
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Lately I”m finding that the brightness of the flowers is definitely worth the splurge, at least for me! These are so pretty!
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I know what you mean — from the need to budget and the need for splurges! My wife treated me to a giant bouquet from Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago — those flowers made such a difference during the relentless gray!
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Same gloomy feeling here in Chicago, and no cut flowers in my house. And then yesterday, out of nowhere, one of my geraniums that I brought indoors for the winter to take cuttings from in the spring, sent up a beautiful pink flower. And yes, it made me smile!
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Such a great idea! It’s been cold and dreary here still, any splash of color would brighten my day. Glad you were able to find some beauties!
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What beautiful flowers! Both your $2 plethora of flowers and your new bouquet sound wonderful for getting through this last bit of winter to spring. Today was the first day I’ve been able to throw open the windows in my apartment while I worked and I loved every minute of it 🙂
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