First off, thanks for all the well wishes. My cat came through surgery with flying colors. He was pretty woozy when he came home, but before long, he was demanding treats, which meant he was definitely feeling better.
While he was having surgery, I started thinking about what we value. Because his surgery was dental related, the vet was going to do a cleaning while he was knocked out. When I dropped him off, the tech asked me if I wanted them to do anything extra if they noticed problems while they were in there - such as other problem teeth and the like. Of course, I said yes, do whatever you think is necessary. The cost didn't cross my mind.
Thankfully, his surgery was exactly what we expected, so there were no added costs, but without thinking, I was willing to spend that money, because his health was the most important thing to me at that point. And yet when I'm at the grocery store, I will debate over whether or not I need that extra $3.00 worth of fruit.
While money is money, and $25 is $25 no matter what you spend it on, it's interesting how priorities differ and when money is more important and when what you're spending the money on is more important. I think for me, the times when I don't think about money are when it comes to my pets' care, my own healthcare, plane tickets home for the holidays (though I do try to find cheap ones), and a few other things.
Not that I always think about money, of course. Some of it is automatic, or more savings focused. "Do I need to buy this or not." But sometimes, there are more important things to consider than money.