Mulling It Over

I get my last paycheck from my previous employer some time in the next week.  And it includes the week and a half of vacation that I accrued but didn't use.  And since they won't be taking insurance money out of it, it will basically double a regular paycheck.  So I'll end up coming out better financially (and therefore emotionally) by switching jobs.  The problem (not really a problem, more of a temptation) is that I'm about $450 short on my MacBook Pro fund.  And that double paycheck without any new bills or other needs arising in the foreseeable future will be burning a hole in my pocket.  Being gainfully employed with extra money and more pay at the new position makes it really tempting to just cover the short distance between the fund and the price of the laptop.  Add in the fact that I now get to use a Mac everyday at work and see how awesome it is, and it's really hard not to order the thing today.

But two things are stopping me from doing that.  For one, I know that as soon as I spend the money I'll need it.  Someone in the family (me) will get a speeding ticket.  Or someone will get sick while we're between insurances.  Or gas prices will rise to $6 per gallon.  And I just know that it will happen that way.  And the second thing stopping me from assisting my laptop fund is the realization that even if nothing financially unexpected happens, I will have to try to explain to my lovely wife why I think it's necessary to spend $450 of our money on a laptop that we don't technically need.  Here's how that conversation would go:

Me: "Honey, I was thinking... that next paycheck that I'm getting...*BLAM*!!!"

Because my wife possesses both psychic powers and a mean right cross.  So I would awaken in a hospital bed with a concussion, an astronomical hospital bill, and a bill from my wife for $450.  (And I'll be honest.  It's still pretty tempting.)