01/30/2006: "The 21st Century's version of window shopping"

Right now I'm broke. I have to make it about 3 weeks on next to nothing which is hard since I have everything set up as autodeductions from my checking account (I can't shuffle around who gets paid and who doesn't nearly as easily). I have to pay my late sales taxes because my friend told me they publish your name in the paper if you get too delinquent!

Anyway, one thing I like to do when things get like this is go to websites and spend hours shopping for things I can't afford. Last night I carefully considered the pros and cons of buying a cone 10 over a cone 5 kiln, I tried to decide between the emergency survival kit with the lemon or the chocolate flavored food pouches (I watched the movie Supervolcano), created colored patterns for a new spinnaker, calculated how big of latch I'd need to support a 4-stroke outboard (or shall it be a 2-stroke?)....I also filled up my amazon cart with my top 100 movie list (those available on DVD anyway, speaking of which, Delicatessan is coming out on DVD in May), I also made some starting bids of $5.00 on items in ebay that I know will sell for waaaaay more than that.

I *know* I'll never buy any of it, but shopping as though money weren't an issue is comforting when money is an issue. On the other hand, when I have money (never enough to buy all that but relatively speaking) I don't spend any time online shopping. I guess it's true that the more you can't have something the more you desire it.

Replies: 6 Comments

on Monday, January 30th, Kasia said

Yes - I agree totally. I also like imagining I have all the thing I dream about, but if I have more cash on me - I (almost) never buy them. The power of dreams!
I haven't read your blog for 3 days - my crazy computer broke down....but i am back - happy and relieved. (though not totally happy - because of the things that are happening in my country now. Stupid, stupid winter!!!)

on Monday, January 30th, Elise said

It's hard to stay positive when such horrible, random tragedies continue to happen...it does put some perspective on things, like a broken computer isn't the end of the world, (though it can be horribly annoying).

Let's hope that the rest of the winter is uneventful...
:(

on Monday, January 30th, ann said

I avoid stores when I don't have money, because it depresses me to want something and not be able to have it.

By the way, I'd go for the chocolate-flavored survival goo if I were you :)

on Monday, January 30th, Elise said

Well, it's good to know your preference as you're a part of my emergency preparedness plan!
:laugh:

on Tuesday, January 31st, greg said

I'd loan you my working spouse, but she's cutting it too close as it is :P

Statistically *they* say, hard economic times results in increased sales of alcohol and ice cream. Strange my family should fall into that demographic like a glove! :D

Paint Elise!! Paint like the wind!!

on Tuesday, January 31st, Elise said

Oh how I would love a vodka and ben and Jerry's smoothie this morning! I just woke up to call into work because I had to take a sleeping pill in the middle of the night and now I'm too tired to drive into work. Back to bed I go!