Priceless

Just like the Mastercard ads say, there are some things that money can't buy; they are priceless. I've seen first hand the joy that a young child can get from playing with a cardboard box or wrapping paper in preference to the expensive gift contained inside. In the midst of a crappy day yesterday, a one-minute phone call from a gorgeous 3-year-old instantly made everything feel better. Yes, totally priceless.

Not for our princess

Our kitten seems to be from the same school of thought. We bought her a scratching post - not one of those big elaborate ones with several platforms for climbing up and into to, but a simple post that we had hoped would entice her away from scratching our furniture (or carpet). She is terrified of it. It seems to be the fuzzy carpet-type base that she's afraid of most; she'll do anything to avoid touching it but can sometimes be convinced to play with the post part if we lay it on its side and show her what to do. She has gone through stages playing with squishy rugby balls, ping pong balls and a laser pointer, but her preferred recreation materials are those we haven't paid for - and I'm all good with that. Currently, her favourite 'toys' are screwed up pieces of paper or envelopes, various leaves she has brought inside and a boot lace tied to a stick. Endless fun!

The pet shop gave us a cat tunnel when we stocked up on kitten pellets this weekend. We thought we'd give it a go but, given her previous track record with purchased cat toys, weren't sure how she'd react. Turns out she loves it and immediately started running through the tunnel and rolling around inside it. She must have known it was free; if we had bought her something similar, she'd probably turn up her pretty little nose and walk away.

I love this Mastercard ad. Money bought the essentials, but the resulting feelgood factor was truly priceless.



What is priceless for you?