At the request of my hockey team, I’d secured a pretty last-minute ice time for a practice one cold Saturday evening. Before running out the door, I grabbed a bottle of my favourite sparkling wine from Benjamin Bridge and put it in the fridge for when I got home and then I pre-ordered dinner so I could come back from the rink and settle into great wine and a meal without any fuss.

How organized, right?

I came home from the rink and quickly changed into my favourite sweat set before popping my bottle (actually, M had to open it because I couldn’t get the cork out lol) and poured a glass. I took a sip. I considered. I took another. And then, I commented on the flavour of the wine being especially heavy on Chardonnay – far more so than usual. So, I turned the bottle around to look at the tech specs, shocked to see 87% Chardonnay and 13% Pinot Noir.

And that’s when I realized I hadn’t put my favourite bottle in the fridge.

I had accidentally put the nicest bottle, the one I was saving for a special occasion, in the fridge and opened it on a random Saturday.

And d’ya know what? It was the best happy accident.

In the end, I drank the better part of a $90 bottle of 2018 Brut Reserve while sitting on my couch in glorified sweatpants. A bottle I had thought I’d save for a special occasion later this year made a quiet evening in the middle of winter feel special. I decided to swallow the guilt of indulging in such a great bottle of wine with the wine itself because, honestly, it’s not like I could re-cork it anyway.

Like so many of us, I save the “good” things for later.

I don’t burn the nice candle. I don’t use the nice lotion. My nice clothes stay on the hanger. I reach for the plain or cheap glasses and mugs. I’ve held off on using the good ingredients in the house so long they’ve expired before I could enjoy them. In short: I’m missing out.

Since that deliciously fateful Saturday several months ago, I’ve actually been challenging myself.

I had used up the last of my “cheapie” body lotion and so I put the nicest bottle I own in its place in the bathroom to use nightly after my shower. I use my expensive perfume, the one I bought for our wedding in August and actually forgot to put on that day, almost daily. I wear my nicest and favourite things on a random Tuesday, rather than saving them for an important meeting or work outing.

It’s little things, right?

But, it’s more than that.

Because I’m not buying cheaper versions of the things I love and I’m instead choosing to savour and really enjoy them, I’m actually spending less. The shift into quality over quantity is tangible.

The good wine, the fancy earrings, the pretty perfume. They’re there to be used and enjoyed! And, as they say, life’s too short… so what are we waiting for?