I have a problem. OK, depending on who you ask, I have multiple problems… but this particular problem is one I feel many of my readers also suffer from.
I’ll call it the obsession-followed-by-instant-guilt purchase. You know what I’m talking about.
It’s when you see/hear/find something that you MUST have. Then you research it to death, stalk pictures online, and completely convince yourself that you just have to have said item. And then you buy it. And then, immediately after buying it, you feel a huge since of guilt for purchasing something that you by absolutely no means needed.
I do this way more often than I should admit. And I just did it again.
Fortunately for my bank account, most of my impulse followed by guilt purchases are rather minor. They also, for whatever reason, tend to revolve around things that I just have to have for my Filofax. It’s somehow easier to justify needing that perfect item to complete my organizational system… or so I tell myself.
This time the impulse came from Flickr. I saw a photo with a great ‘payday’ sticker, so of course I had to go and ask where it came from. And of course the answer was Barnes and Noble. And of course there is a Barnes and Noble right in the town I live in. I swear, the debt Gods are conspiring against me.
So, I decided to stop in B&N just to look– to really decide if I wanted to shell out the cash for the 2,300 sticker pack. Yep, 2,300 stickers. I arrived at the store and started digging through the calendar section. Much to my dismay, the stickers were no where to be found. At this point, I should have considered this a sign and promptly left the store. But no. I had to go and ask the employee if they knew whether or not they had any in stock. After their computer showed eight available in store, the employee combed the shelves with me, again to no avail. Sign number two… also ignored. The employee finally said that she wanted to look upstairs- the stickers might be located in a section up there (I forgot what it was called). Ten minutes and me almost leaving the store later, she came back down with the stickers in hand. Turns out they were back somewhere in a store room.
She asked me if these were the ones I wanted. And at this point, how could I say no and leave the store empty handed? I told her they were exactly what I was looking for and headed to the register to pay my $9.60. Yep, that’s right, they were under ten bucks. And I still feel guilty. Don’t ask… there’s something wired incorrectly in my brain that makes me feel guilty over a purchase that rings in at less than the price of a burger.
But more so than the price of the stickers themselves, I’m really just wondering if I’m going to use them all. All 2,300 of them…
Some of the stickers will most definitely get used. Payday, birthdays, baby showers, these are all things I could definitely use reminding of. Not to mention the pack came with a page of alphabet stickers, blank stickers so I can write my own labels, and star stickers…
I know that these will be useful, especially since I can color code to my heart’s content. What I’m more concerned about wasting are the “family” stickers (yes, I was aware that it’s called the Family Facts Calendar Sticker Pack when I bought it). Even so, I’m pretty sure I’m 10+ years away from needing play date and PTA reminders.
But then I keep going back to all of the other amazing stickers that I could use now…
And then I just don’t know what to think. In the end, I feel like it comes down to two choices:
1. Keep ’em, and either give away stickers I won’t use or hold on to them for when I have baby brain
2. Toss ’em back, and use my $9.60 return on something else (that I likely won’t need).
Readers, what do you think? Should I stop feeling guilty and keep these, using the stickers I can to make my system better, or were they a waste of money?
Please vote in the poll on the right ——-> and leave any comments below!
Don't feel guilty about these stickers! They are so cute, and really, a purchase under $10 seems reasonable to me. Of course, I'm the one who went Christmas shopping today and bought more for myself than other people (not really, though I did buy myself a new bag – it's red, it was a great price, and I always buy myself a Christmas gift). Besides, if you'll use a majority of these stickers, it's worth it. Just think of how pretty your new FC inserts will look with these babies!
No guilt! I totally agree with Kanalt. I almost bought these last year but, oddly, did not. Keep them and share the family-ish stickers with someone with kids. Four kids, specifically. Ahem, especially a crazily-busy mama that loves her crimson Malden as much as you.
😉
And how much extra weight will they add to your Filofax if you used all of them!! 🙂
Just spent about two hours searching the web for these stickers and ended up ordering them from the US, as they are not available in Germany! And it's all your fault… 😉
When you said:
"It's when you see/hear/find something that you MUST have. Then you research it to death, stalk pictures online, and completely convince yourself that you just have to have said item. And then you buy it. And then, immediately after buying it, you feel a huge since of guilt for purchasing something that you by absolutely no means needed."
That was EXACTLY me. Exactly. And it is why I'm on the no-buy. I spent way too much time, effort, and money (returns cost in effort, at least, and sometimes return postage, and sometimes gasoline to get back to the store) on a whole lot of stuff, and often it was stuff I'd convinced myself I needed, but didn't really. So I got off that train, and I'm happy that I did. Once I do go back to discretionary spending, I'll no doubt be approaching it in a whole new way.
Ignore the guilt!!! Those stickers are fab, and even of you only count the ones you will use they are still a great bargain – that makes it all OK :o)
I agree with the others – keep the stickers and give away the ones you won't use. $10 doesn't break the bank and if you take them back, you'll just angst after them!
I enjoyed reading your post. Although it wasn't meant to be, I found it an encouraging reminder of how we get ourselves into a fix.
You sound just like me with exceptions. I spend alot more money and sometimes don't return the item. I'd keep the stickers. They look like a lot of fun to use and they are not that expensive. Perhaps, in the immediate future, we should just stop the searching and buying and just live and focus more on mundane pleasures. Our energy and peace of mind are highly valuable. I'm currently keeping a need list and a desire list in my Filofax to keep me constantly aware of when I'm spending money/time on non-essentials. I'm not saying non-essentials are not worthy of our effort (I'm thinking a journal, a movie you love, art supplies – you get the idea), but mindfully and in moderation.
@Kanalt, Amanda & LJ- Lol, thanks for banishing the guilt- I really am loving these the more I look at them!
@Sandra- you crack me up! I'm glad we've got our little deal in the works 🙂
@Steve- not very much weight at all, thank you very much!
@Iris- Oops! Hey, at least I'm finally the enabler and not the enabled for once!
@Ro & Savannah- Yes, I agree with you both completely. I have been doing much better with random spending- focusing on my wedding has really helped! It makes me look at a potential purchase and think "Hmmm, what could I have at my wedding for that price?" Thanks for sharing your wisdom & ideas!