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 | shopping anxiety |
I am an annoying shopper. I don’t like to spend money at all, ever, unless I have researched all possible money-spending options and am quite sure that I am pursuing the single best money-spending option possible. This tends to mean that I waffle. Pick it up, put it back. Pick it up, put it back. Do I want this, or that? Or neither? Is something else better? Or is there a better price somewhere else? Clearly I’m okay with shopping taking a toll on my mental health instead of on my wallet. This may not be entirely rational behavior.
But it is fun for whoever shops with me! Wait, no. No it is not. At least not according to my mother and my sister, who took me fabric shopping last week. Being experienced fabric artists, they know all the best places to shop, so they took me to a store hidden in an industrial park. I stood in the $3 a yard section for, I don’t know, hours, saying, Do I want this? Maybe that? Or no, maybe I better not, until my mother finally grabbed the bolt I was waffling over and threw it down on the counter and bought it herself.
My mother now owns a yard of kicky green floral-printed cotton. And I want it.
Sigh. I may never be able to convince her to shop with me again.
I may not shop with you again, but you can have the cute green fabric!
Love you! Mom
I figured.
Perhaps the new rule should be: if it can be described as “kicky”, and it’s also $3, buy it.
It would eliminate much heartache.
See, but the problem is, when I already have a dozen OTHER kicky $3 things in my cart, plus maybe a couple of Necessary But Not Especially Kicky things, should I really add in another kicky thing? Even for just $3?
Oh, I know how being that person feels. My sister still has a ban on shopping with me in place since the 80s – mind you, she feels like breaking it occasionally and I instate it, because if I don’t want to make a decision RIGHT NOW pressure being brought to bear will not make the decision any easier!
Can’t relate. I’m a fabulous shopper and great spender of money. Also, I’m great at finding bargins…the drawback is that i spend way too much money and have no retirement to speak of!