Material Girl

I have to say, one of the things I like least about myself is my infatuation and need for things. As an adult, I've realized that I have this flaw and I do try very hard to over come it.

When I was in college, I was always hungry for purses, gadgets, shoes, whatever. I would inevitability succumb to this need and buy whatever it was that I wanted. Sure, I'd be interested in it for a little while, play with it, wear it out, whatever, and then I'd get interested in something else, and whatever the new thing was consumed me. Then I met Jeff. Suddenly, I wasn't so invested in my computer or a new cell phone. As time went on and I started working, I became even less prone to buying stuff. I grew as a person and realized that I didn't need things to fill my life so much.

Every now and again it gets a little hard to resist the urge. I'm out shopping with a girl friend, or some one shows off a new gadget and and this little monster inside of me rears its ugly green head and screams, "I WANT THAT!". Usually, I can over come this. I ask myself "Do I really need that?" "Is it going to make me happy?" (usually the answer is no, of course not). "Can I afford it?" and "Will I still want it in a few weeks/months?" Generally, I can leave whatever it is in the store and by that evening or the next day I've forgotten about it. Once in a while I'm prone to some retail therapy. Last week I bought a new purse (less than $25) that I didn't exactly need. But I liked it, and so did Doug and I'd had a very stressful day dealing with the doctor. Overall, I think I'm doing much better, especially as I realize we're running out of room to keep things!

Friday we dropped Doug off to spend the night with my parents, and decided that we were going to go to Thai and a movie. We finished dinner and had almost two hours until the movie started. The movie complex is in a little outdoor shopping mall. We decided to take a stroll and do some window shopping. The first store we came across was a Sprint store. I said, some what jokingly, that we should look at new phones, as ours were three years old. Well, more accurately, I believe that I said, "The Smithsonian called and they were interested in my phone." Jeff said we could look, "just look", so we went inside. The store was mostly empty at the time. I saw some phones with qwerty key boards, which I've been lusting after for some time. The salesmen came over and asked us some questions, and I asked him if we were eligible for an upgrade, it being three years since we got new phones. I have to tell you, I've never gone so long without purchasing a new phone! Anyway, it turned out that we were both eligible, and had been for quite some time, for new phones. To make a long story short, we each got a new phone.

Initially I felt a little guilty about getting a new phone. I don't need one, and it won't make me happy (well it will, but not that kind of happy). But it does fulfill one of my axioms. It was affordable, as it was free! So I've decided that this was a guilt free pleasure. Sort of like fat free frozen yogurt, but you know, good.