Today was an exciting day. The post arrived, and although I was hoping one of my swap packages might show up — it didn’t — there was still something excellent in with the junk mail. A twelve dollar rebate/gift certificate to Menard’s! No relation to tricksy foxes — Menard’s is a hardware store somewhere between Fleet Farm and the Home Depot. My mom bought something there a while back and had her rebate sent to my house. Twelve whole dollars! My first thought was ‘PLANTS!’ but I resisted.
See, one of the tabs in my binder says ‘wishlist’. Doesn’t that sound greedy? Like I have a running list in case anybody ever wants to give me a gift? It’s a bit more mundane than that. Now that I don’t go shopping the same way I used to (ie, buying whatever I need/want as soon as I think of it), I find it difficult to remember exactly what it is that I wanted in the first place. That must mean I don’t really need those things, yeah?
Well, kind of. I need a new pen, because I use it every day to keep my journal (and I have to use that one specific kind of pen! — 01, black, in case you were desperate to know). The nib wears down over time, and mine is reaching its end, but it’s not quite there. So putting it on my list reminds me to get one the next time I’m at, say, Mill End Fabrics (which just happens to sell them) and have some extra cash.
Like I said, my first thought when the Menard’s rebate came was that I wanted more plants, because I know their perennials are dirt-cheap right now. But then I thought I should look at my wishlist and see if anything on there could be bought at Menard’s. New kitchen sink plug, yes; new shower curtain liner, yes; frosty window cling film, also yes. It came to just under $12, and I’m particularly excited about the new plug. Seems the rubber on those loses some of its oomph after a decade or four. Who’d have thought?
Maybe that’s not really very interesting, but I feel like keeping a wishlist really paid off for the first time, so I thought I would share. I did get some plants in the end — not from the store, but from cuttings that my mom made of some of her house plants. I’m hoping Beany doesn’t take a sudden interest in them, like the squirrels did with my eggplant and pepper plants. Grumble, curse, groan.
I keep a list like that too. Sometimes just writing it down takes the place of buying something I don’t really need. After a while I am able to purge things from the list that would have been impulse buys if I had bought them when I thought of them. If something stays on the list after several purges I know it’s not just an impulse. Or if so it’s a really strong one.
I keep a list too and like Debbie says quite often things come off the list after a while. It is great for feeling in control of your spending. Also I feel that I value the things I have bought more if it has been on the list.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who is thrilled over something as small and mundane as a new sink plug. Perhaps because it serves an important function simply and quietly, which is how I want my own life to be.
I use the same pen as you, and no other pen will do!
It is funny to me that reading about Menard’s makes me homesick (I’m originally from La Crosse, WI), but it does! Who would have thought? I just wanted to say that I love reading about your food and really enjoy your photos.
I love that you say “tricksy” like Gollum.