The Cost vs. the Value

This past month, I've become very aware of "trips to town" and what I spend.  I wasn't keep track of the dollars, so much as in the month of High Holy Days.  There are more Shabbats, and since I was also trying to be aware of the day differential for other Torah Observant folks, the trips to town were well planned.  Funny isn't it, the more that goes into the planning, the more aware of other details we become.  My excursions to the local municipalities were not so much about penny pinching as they were about efficiency.

I've written enough about my lifestyle to indicate most of my sustenance doesn't come from town, but the things I don't raise here, I need and I didn't want to run out on a day I couldn't buy or sell.  I was also a little more snack conscious in there are so many days I wouldn't be cooking.  I've pretty much determined home grown cucumbers and old fashioned popcorn are the best snacks going.

Now, you may be asking yourself, does this article actually have point?  Yes, as a matter of fact it does.  I got to view shopping from a priority perspective, rather than convenience or economic.  The value of the purchase was more important than the cost at the cash register.  The fact that everything was purchased to revolve around the High Holy Days was ever in the forefront of my decisions and transactions.

Saturday is never a town day, but this month, there was another day most weeks that was also not a day to buy and sell.  Then there were my sliver moon friends and Jerusalem sighted moon friends who had days differing from my dark moon new month, and although I didn't observe those 'extra days of variance' officially, I certainly didn't want to go to town in disregard of their observance.  I try to always remember and never forget, I may be wrong in my understanding.

It was truly a blessing to spend this month completely revolving around the High Holy Days of YHWH.  The value of being able to know about these days and set them apart, far exceeds the cost of missing a day's work or a sale in town!