Hello French market bag. The years have been kind to you. You still look as good as you did the day I got you, probably because all I do is look at you. Not that you couldn’t or wouldn’t work, it was just I never asked you to. I guess I really didn’t need a French market bag.
While on a walk, a friend and I popped into a new neighborhood mercantile. The shop was adorable- filled with lots of pretty things. There were woven baskets galore. I left the shop thinking, “I’ll come back tomorrow and get one.” Well, tomorrow became the day after and then two days after… In response to my friend asking if I’d gone back to get a straw bag, I answered “Not yet. I need to figure out which one I want.“ And then it struck me. Maybe I don’t want another one. What about the one I already have and don’t use? And to this my friend responded. “Maybe the whole point of shopping is to re-introduce us to what we already have.” What an insight. It might not be the whole point, but it’s not inconsequential.
To help stave off negative consequences, before you buy, ask yourself these questions posed by April Benson, Ph.D, a shopping addiction specialist and author of To Buy or Not To Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop. I asked and I answered.
Why am I here? (On a lark.)
How do I feel? (Glad that there is a non-chain store with a helpful shop keeper in my neighborhood.)
Do I need this? (No.)
What if I wait? (It will give me time to curb impulsivity and irrational enthusiasm.)
How will I pay for it? (The financial consequences would have been small, but a small frivolous purchase is still frivolous.)
Where will I put it? (In a closet or on a shelf- more curating the under-employed.)
So, hello again French market bag! Maybe we should get together more often.