I went to Wal-Mart today with my sister. I had a list of things I needed – things I really needed like laundry detergent.
It’s Mother’s Day (so therefore, I deserve a gift, right?)
I saw this pillow. I was drawn to this pillow – the color and the textures. Without thinking, I put this pillow in my cart.
And then froze. And spent a considerable amount of time thinking about this pillow and it’s place in my life. More time than I am comfortable with. Here’s a few of those thoughts:
- I want it
- it would look great in my new colorful living room
- I have throw pillow covers from Ikea that I loved when I bought them unpacked in a box waiting for the right spot to be used
- it will probably end up on the floor with dog hair on it
- it’s really pretty
- it’s made in China and I don’t know the conditions it was manufactured in
- it’s probably made of re-purposed fabrics
- since it’s made in China, it’s probably a ripped-off copy of something hand-crafted that is too expensive for me to afford
- it’s affordable (less than $16)
- it’s probably a ripped-off copy of someone’s original idea
- I could use that $16 to make an additional payment on a debt
- still really like the pillow and want it
- it’s not crafted all that well
- sigh, deep sigh
I took the pillow out of my cart. I also took out the $15 worth of craft paper that I just know I could make something really great out of. My studio is still pretty much packed up and I don’t have a purpose for it right now. It would go into the “potential use” pile and I have plenty of that kind of stuff already.
To be honest, my sister then took me to Michael’s and I bought two items that will provide me with hours of crafting/art enjoyment using supplies that I already have (one on clearance that I’ve been watching for a while and the other using a 40% off coupon). Less expensive than the pillow and paper.
Not a total win, but in the end I’ll have something homemade to decorate my home with rather than a mass-produced pillow that I really don’t need. I’ll have had the fun of making something and that makes me happy.
Happier than picking up a throw pillow off of the floor and wondering why I even bought it 6 months from now.
Shopping used to be thoughtless and “fun” – until the bills came due. Now it’s rather like hard work.
Progress!