What change did you make after being locked down for three months? For me, I learned that I need to use the good stuff for myself and not just for others.

There is a fragrance that I love and have worn for several years. It’s expensive. So, when I became single and felt like I needed to be a little more frugal, I decided to wear it just for special occasions. I have a less expensive fragrance that I wear daily. Very cost-conscious of me, don’t you think?

I volunteer at a women’s prison and the women love the smell of that expensive stuff: they comment on it every single time I walk in. So I spray it on for my visits there, and for dates, which means I only wear it to the prison! I can make a bottle last forever that way.

I was rationing my perfume during the lockdown by wearing it only on days when I had Zoom get-togethers: I pretended that I was going out on those days. It made me happy and I felt dressed up. I had to ask myself why I decided that I was going to ration something that makes me so happy? How much money could I be saving on fragrance? Pennies? It’s crazy! No more!

Now, I am spraying myself head to toe with the good stuff every day! I’m like Pig Pen from the Peanuts comics walking down the street with visible clouds around me. And, I love it.

So, no more saving the good stuff for others. I’m going to use it all the time. If I want to wear it when I go to bed, alone, I’m wearing it. If I want to wear it to the gym, that’s fine.

If you’re saving your best for others, stop. Whether it’s dishes or clothing or fragrance, do not save the good stuff for everyone else. Use it for yourself! You are the only one you need to make happy.