I had two layovers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Airport this week. The airport has some great shops, and I walked through them practicing great restraint.

Oh, the handmade sweaters in a cute kid’s store. Perfect for my nephews! And only $48 each…

And in a quirky gift store, I found a whole line of items with perfect 1950s women and snarky modern sayings. I love those things. And I found this adorable little business card holder, only $22, with silver trim and retro brown and pink designs.

Before I quit my job in August to set up shop as a freelance copywriter, I would have purchased two sweaters and one business card holder. And I would have dropped $50 or so at The Body Shop, grabbing a couple of little pamper-me products for my mother, my sister and myself. Perhaps I would have also checked out the other toy stores to pick up a few little stocking stuffers for the boys, or maybe something bigger than their stocking just to have when they picked me up from the airport so I could get that wonderful question, “Auntie Beth, is that package for me?” My little stroll around the airport mall could have easily cost $150… with no effort, no thought. And chances are on the way to Denver from San Diego for the actual holiday trip home, I would have added to the gift pile.

I’ve purchased all kinds of things for myself and my family and friends. Where are these gifts now? Do they sit on pedestals in my friends’ houses, enriching their lives? Do they think of me when they use the cranberry-scented body lotion, or does my nephew sleep with the remote-control T-Rex? No. They’re just things. For the most part, they quickly get absorbed into peoples’ houses, and in a few months, people have trouble remembering who gave what and when. And perhaps in a few years that T-Rex will sit on a rickety table at a garage sale with a yellow “$3″ sticker. I’m not saying the gifts weren’t appreciated or enjoyed when they were given, but does buying and buying really make someone’s life better?

When I quit my job and the flow of money stopped, I discovered a lot more about my spending habits than I ever knew. The books say to have 3-6 months of savings in the bank when you start your own business. Some of us don’t think that far ahead. I gave notice the first week in July, and then I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do for a living. Despite the fact that I made at least 3-4x what I am making now, I had no real money saved. A couple of late commission checks helped me pay off one big ole’ credit card bill, but my cushion was gone.

So I started to leave lean and mean. And then I got leaner and meaner. I used to spend $80 easy on a trip to an upscale-ish grocery store. Now I spend $30 at your run-of-the-mill supermarket. I’d spend $100 on hair appointments one a month. Now I stop in for a $25 cut in a strip mall. I bought a $60 coffee maker because it had this cool blue light, and I never make coffee. Instead of an iron, I bought a fancy clothes-steaming device, which I never use. I bought boxes of fancy matches for my fancy candles. Why? Don’t cheap matches work just as well? Of course they do — I just thought I had money to burn.

I told my sister and my friends we needed to go on a holiday present hiatus for this year, although my sister and I went in on presents for our parents together. I have a couple of little things for the nephews — one I got with frequent flyer miles, the other I picked up for a great discount at a conference for school librarians. I’m very excited about seeing my family for the holidays, and I’m not at all regretful that I’m not going to show up with a suitcase packed full of presents, which I can quickly empty and fill again with my presents and new purchases. This year, we’re going to laugh and drink coffee together, brewed from my parents’ $14 coffeepot. Perhaps we’ll watch a holiday movie and go downtown to look at lights. My nephews will look adorable in sweaters they already own, and if I meet someone who needs my business card, I’ll pull out my little green mesh bag with the palm tree zipper and happily produce one, even though I don’t have a designer brown-and-pink holder. Thanks to my transition to being a small business owner, I recognize that I don’t need to spend $150 in a mall in MN to make my family or myself happy.