Covering my basic living expenses with $18,000 a year* leaves me a lot of surplus discretionary money. First, I paid off my debts with it. Next, I bulked up my reserves with it. Then, I built up my retirement stash with it. But now I have no debts. My reserves are covered**. And I have all the retirement funds I think I will need. Still the surplus money keeps coming in and piling up. So I think it is time for a no-guilt spending spree. Here is how I am going to do it.

I actually have to "work" at spending money because I have a strong frugal mindset and a very satisfying basic lifestyle***. I just will not go throwing money around spur-of-the-moment or on whims. That is part of why my discretionary fund is now well over $28,000. I have to plan to spend at least some of that. So I am targeting $5000 for a planned spending spree. Here are the details.

$5000 Spending Spree
[] $750 for a spring break hiking trip because I love hiking****.
[] $1000 for a winter comfort to-do list because I hate winter.
[] $500 to kickstart a local trail improvement volunteer program.
[] $500 to test run astronomy as a new hobby.
[] $1000 to have a blog professionally set up because I am so frustrated at trying to do it myself
[] $500 to have built-in bookcases done because I collect books (and I am feeling too lazy)
[] $750 for big-boy toys: a microscope and a little lake rowboat from Craig's List, plus a new rifle.

Finally, I need to set a deadline for this spending and make myself accountable to meet it. So I am setting June 30 as the deadline for the spending to be done. And I will be putting up a Page on my SavingAdvice blog to make public my progress -- or lack of it -- on this spending.

This is a happy problem, I know. And I think anyone (almost anyone?) can have this happy problem if that person adopts a frugality-without-sacrifice*** living mindset and resolves NOT to deficit-finance an otherwise unaffordable lifestyle.