Possibly the Best Idea Since Kinko's

What is up with the rampant proliferation of self-storage places? Seriously, if the world blew up and aliens came down to discover what this human thing was all about they would think we spent every waking minute accumulating STUFF. In their history museums of the human race they would have stuffed animals, car parts, salt and pepper shakers and Precious Moments figurines.

Public Storage, the company that seems to be the Kinko's of self-storage businesses, have been running ads all about storing your stuff. They show a couple going through all the stages - getting married, moving in together, having a kid, etc. With every stage comes more stuff thus the need for Public Storage. Maybe there is a bigger need lately what with people losing their homes and all but the ads are really focused on storing the stuff that doesn't fit in your house.

I recently heard a story on NPR about these two sisters that stored their parents stuff after they passed away. They were planning on keeping it in storage for a short time until they could get together and go through all of it. This makes sense. What ended up happening is a couple of years went by and they realized they had spent over $5 grand to store a bunch of stuff they ended up donating!

I don't know about you but I've always looked at self-storage places as a sort of emergency-type business. If you're in between homes or getting divorced or want to store a human head - ala Silence of the Lambs. We have a storage unit at work but I'm an event planner and there really isn't a good place in my office cube to store 20 glass candle holders or 30 directional signs from the bike tour. Makes sense for us to have a storage unit. Makes no sense to have one for random crap you can't seem to do without.

On the home front, I ended up buying a new greeting card for a wedding. This is just laziness on my part. I could make a pretty one at home but am too lazy to take the time necessary to make one good enough. I also ended up buying a new front derailleur for my bike after buying a used one that didn't work very well. I look at this purchase mostly as a safety issue. Plus, I bought it from a local bike shop so that helps, right?

We're half-way through the year - so far, so good. I really think I could live like this forever.

If You Buy Something Alone Did You Actually Buy It?

One of my favorite books, "Into the Wild," by John Krakauer, has got me thinking lately. Specifically Krakauer's assertion that, "Happiness is only real when shared." I really loved this idea when I read the book and then saw the movie a few years later but when I read the quote again in a recent issue of VeloNews in an article about riding your bike alone, it gave me pause. Not to give too much away about myself (and maybe I already have?) but I live alone, just me and my dog, Cadence, I ride my bike alone most of the time, run alone most of the time, watch TV alone, well, you get the picture. I also do most of my purchases alone. I would venture to guess that a lot of us do. Side story: I remember going to the grocery store with a new boyfriend years ago because we couldn't stand to do anything apart at that point and after finding several industrial sized cans of random food items in the cart I decided that maybe grocery shopping was something I could do by myself. I think it was his way of telling me he was bored out of his mind without being rude about it. He was sweet but I digress.

Most of us shop alone for clothes, for food and the random crap we all need to keep going. Big purchases are usually done with someone else, I suppose. When we spend more than $100 there seems the need for consensus thinking. "Is it the right color?" "Am I spending too much?" "How do you think it will look with the current decor." "What credit card should I put this on?" "Does this make my butt look big?" Whatever.

So does all this buying alone make us sad? Are we not happy when we buy a home alone (I did) or a car (did that too) or a vacation (done many times)? I think we are, at least I am. I don't deny that doing things with others brings a different kind of happiness and lots would argue a 'better' kind of happiness. But while I spend a lot of time alone I also spend lots of time with my friends and family and I simply don't 'grade' my happiness in that fashion. I'm either happy or I'm not. Being alone when buying a house or a car or going on vacation alone shouldn't diminish the experience. Is it merely the act of telling someone about it, making it more real, that is really what Krakauer was getting at? It's like that old saying, "If a tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound." Well, duh. Of course it does. And if the tree could talk it would tell you about it as you walked by.

I've also got public storage units on my mind but will torture you with that at a later date.

Choice

The Paradigm of Choice. A theory I first heard about in my required economics class at Michigan State. I nearly failed macroeconomics but microeconomics lit me up. It was the first time that I actually understood and enjoyed learning about numbers. Microeconomics was more about people, their behaviors and choices. I had a really great professor, too. He would teach us while not really teaching, you know? Through stories and personal observations he taught difficult theory and, of course, those damn numbers. I think I actually did some extra credit work and ended up with a 3.5. Not bad for the girl that got a 12 on the math portion of the ACT.

Maybe it's because it is top of mind for me lately but it seems that everyone, whether they know it or not, is spending more time deciding, or choosing, especially as it relates to their own personal economics. It's becoming about need versus want. Not only is it about need versus want, it's now considered 'cool' to be a saver, to be thrifty, to reuse and recycle. I find this incredible while not really all that surprising. Society is clearly dictating this groundswell.

On my own personal trip through a year of not buying anything new I've been seriously surprised at how simple it's been. The most difficult challenge I've faced so far is when it comes to gift-giving. Most of my friends and family are cool with getting used items as gifts but there are those situations where a used item just isn't appropriate. Of the 4 new items I've purchased this year 3 of them were gifts.

I've been buying used for years and with it now the cool thing to do I have to admit I do feel somewhat validated. The Paradigm of Choice has now validated my spendthrift lifestyle. I do want to buy that new $1800 Cannondale bike I rode last weekend though. Is there a Rationality of Choice theory? I need to look that up.

The Blind Leading The Blind

As a homeowner one has to come to terms with worrying about such things one never thought one would worry about. I tend to be a worrier by nature - I blame my mom - and, really how many women have you met that aren't worriers? Instead of worrying about what I might wear on that date (what date?) or wondering about such things as that grey hair peeking through on the top of my head and when my next hair appointment is; I worry about blinds. Yes, blinds. Not hunting blinds. Window blinds. Boring. Ass. Window. Blinds.

It's cool. Really. I have come to terms with this type of worry a long time ago. It's actually somewhat comforting to be worried about something so innocuous. There are certainly worse things I could spend time pondering.

So, the blinds. I've needed blinds on my downstairs windows for four years - since I moved into this house. Downstairs is where I keep my 'living room.' I sit down there every morning, put my makeup on in front of the TV and then get dressed. In front of windows without blinds. I have curtains up but no blinds. And every morning for the past four years I think to myself, 'seriously, you need to get some blinds up before Mr. Peeper figures out you're getting dressed down here every morning.'

Therein lies the dilemma. Once I got serious about getting these blinds I was well into my not- buying-anything-new year. Finding used blinds has been a real test of my patience. Many times I almost got into the car and drove to Target to lay down my money on new blinds. I think I visited at least 10 used stores - nothing! Just so you know, most places, I come to find out, will not take donations of used blinds. I finally ended up finding perfect blinds at a Habitat store. When I went to pay for them ($10!) the clerk told me they don't normally carry blinds. Once again, my lucky day! Now, that grey hair...

It Might Not Be New But It Still Costs Something

I find myself at the thrift stores quite a bit lately. It used to be a 'special' trip to head out on a Saturday for a day of thrift shopping. Now, it's quickly becoming a 3-4 times a week thing. What this says to me is that I still have a jones for shopping. And this is disappointing.

My last boyfriend told me numerous times that I was a high-mass consumer and I've been trying to buck this label for years. I think it's where this not-buying-anything-new thing was borne. Really, how many shirts does one woman need? How many pairs of shoes or silly trinkets for the house? I've run out of hangers for the mass amounts of clothes and floor space for the shoes (and I have a large, walk-in closet!) and my house is starting to look like an old woman's who also has a lot of cats.

So, while I haven't been buying anything new, I have been purchasing a ton of shit. Shit I don't need. I am, from today forward, not only not going to buy nothing new, I'm not going to buy crap I don't need.

Take that ex-boyfriend!

What a Deal!

Since starting this little experiment in January my first home appliance took a digger and died. My DVD player kept getting stuck at 15:11 and would go no further, wouldn’t stop, wouldn’t chapter forward or backward and generally just gave up the ghost. In today’s throwaway world it would cost more to fix the player than it cost to buy it 8 years ago so I was left with the DVD player on my laptop. I thought, ‘fine, I can deal with watching movies on my laptop.’

Since I already cancelled my cable months ago, the red envelope has taken on a monumental importance in my casa. The only thing to watch on the 5 channels I do get is “American Idol” and truly, I’m just not that into it. The DVD watching on my laptop lasted about 3 days and then my aunt suggested I visit a pawnshop. My aunt is a genius! I don’t know why I didn’t think of this earlier!

A few days ago I tripped on into my local pawnshop in search of usable, cheap DVD player. I hadn’t been in a pawn shop for about 17 years, back when I pawned my camera three times – I kept going back to get it out of hock. I had my choice of 4 DVD players and a Blu-ray player. I don’t really get the whole Blu-ray thing. Is it like 3D - totally a waste of time? Of the 4 players available, there were two in my price range. Neither had a remote so I picked the $15 model. An Apex. I’ve never heard of Apex but as I mentioned, I don’t get the Blu-ray thing so what’s in a brand name to me anyway?

I took it up to the counter and they plugged it in and showed me that it worked – sold! I was feeling that now familiar smug feeling I get when I feel like I’ve pulled one over on ‘the Man’ by not buying anything new. The nice woman at the counter rang me up and only charged me $10! I reminded her that it was actually $15 and she tells me that she gave me a discount – just because!

I’ve watched 3 movies on my new-to-me/used DVD player and except for wanting to watch the special features or chapter through something, it’s all-good! Now I’m waiting for the used universal remote I just bought on EBay to arrive.

A Tan Would Come in Handy Here

What's a non-spender supposed to do with runs in her nylons (the most horrible invention ever!) and 20 minutes to get to an event? Wish for a tan? Break the rules and deem nylons a health item? Steal a pair from the drug store so that I'm not officially breaking my rule? None of the above, my friends. I've never really had a tan and am starting to embrace my pale hue and while I could say that nylons are a health item since they have a 'panty' attached, it's a stretch. And the last thing I stole was a tube of mascara when I was 12 so that's out too.

I retreated to the good 'ole standby - nail polish. I would venture the "Hint from Heloise" that has gotten the most traction is using nail polish to stop a run in your nylons. Is Heloise still around? If she's online she'd get a lot of hits on this helpful, practical and free (as long as you already own a bottle of nail polish) tip.

I dug around in my manicure basket and came up with an old bottle of clear nail polish that worked splendidly on the multiple runs on my nude nylons. Off to the event I went.

I really do wish I had a tan though. Summer legs would look much cuter!