My Pumpkin Obsession Just Cost Me $118. And I'm Okay With It

Once again, I found myself spending a small fortune on all things pumpkin-related.

It happens to me every year. When late September rolls around, I tell myself I'm not going to go overboard on the pumpkin spending front. And that was a message I was especially intent on drilling into my head this year, what with inflation making every single bill of mine more expensive. 

But lo and behold, we've reached the end of October and my pumpkin spending tab has totaled $118. That's not a small amount considering we're talking about a single food product. 

Still, I refuse to beat myself up too much over the fact that I've once again given into my pumpkin obsession. And there's a good reason why. 

It's all about the pumpkin

Some people can't stand it when pumpkin spice everything hits the shelves. I'm not one of them.

Although I'm not generally a fan of those ultra-sweet pumpkin products (Pumpkin Spice Latte, I'm talking to you), I happen to really like the savory products. And when incorporated correctly, pumpkin can be a great addition to things like cakes and muffins.

As such, over the past 30 days, I've managed to accumulate a $118 credit card tab for pumpkin-related purchases. These include:

• A host of seasonal products at Trader Joe's
• A supply of pumpkin muffins from Costco, which I freeze and store since they're only available during this time of the year
• Overpriced pumpkins at the local farm

That last one is perhaps the only purchase I may slightly regret. I can easily justify my Trader Joe's haul because a lot of those pumpkin products are food items we've been eating (like granola bars, which are a staple snack and breakfast item in my house). And given Costco's ultra-low price point, I can't even bake my own pumpkin muffins at a cheaper cost. 

Now, did I have to spend almost $50 on ridiculously expensive pumpkins we're going to gut, carve, put out on Halloween, and then discard? No, I didn't have to do that. But my kids and I had a blast picking our pumpkins (once we battled the crowds to get in). And to be fair, we also bought some smaller pumpkins that I won't simply carve and then toss, but rather, cook with and turn into soup and stew. 

In fact, I can make my peace with my pumpkin-related spending for two reasons:

1. It's something I only do once a year
2. It's something that truly makes me happy

I'm not someone who spends a lot of money on clothing, and I drive a 15-year-old car that's seen better days. But I do believe in spending money on things that bring me and my family joy. And if that thing happens to be pumpkin, so be it.

Letting myself off the hook

I really didn't think I'd end up spending over $100 on pumpkin items this past month. But now that I've done that, I'm not going to beat myself up. What I will do, however, is pledge to enjoy every last bite of pumpkin goodness until I've exhausted my supply.