I am terrible when it comes to buying big purchases. I have no problem with spending, say, $20 for three pairs of skivvies (Jockey, knit. Very comfy) without agonizing over it.
By the way, we’ve gotten four or five inches of snow and it’s still falling. It’s white and fluffy and it is, indeed, a winter wonderland. I’m loving it; it’s making my heart smile. I’m glad that I got Thai takeout a few days ago so I don’t have to go anywhere. I am very privileged in that and because I have someone who plows for me. I can just sit and enjoy it from inside my house, which is exactly how I like it.
Anyway. I can order takeout and not feel bad about it as long as it’s under a hundred dollars. That seems to be my tripping point in general–a hundo. Anything under that and I am basically fine with it (again, a huge privilege on my part, I know). But, once we hit that price point, then I start agonizing.
Let’s start with shoes. I buy one pair of sneakers, one pair of boots, and one pair of sandals when the last one of each is beyond repair. I used to buy New Balance tennis shoes, but I will not do so any longer because the owner/CEO/head honcho is/was a Trump supporter. That means I have to find another brand when this pair wears out. None of the usual suspects, of course, beacuse they are trash (Nike, Puma, Reebok, etc.), but there has to be a company that is ethical. I am Googling now.
That’s part of the problem. I get paralyzed when I start comparing the different items. I can spend hours looking at boots, for example. It’s beacuse I have very specific needs for my shoes. They must be black, for example. That’s not a problem, at least not online. In stores decades ago, finding black sneakers for women was impossible. I’m sure it’s different now, but I gave up. I shifted to buying online and have not looked back.
I need extra-extra wide as well. My feet are fat as fuck. In addition, I’m a half-size, which makes it even harder. 8 1/2 EE/WW/ whatever. Then, it’s just a matter of plain black sneakers. That’s not so bad. The sandals and boots, however, are a different matter because style comes into it.
I would love a pair of knee-high boots (or thigh-high), but I have thick calves. THICK calves. So thick. Very thick. Really thick. I doubt I would be able to find a pair of boots that will go over them. I have had these thick calves for all my life. When I was a teen, a girl in my church said it was lucky that…what exactly did she say? I’m not sure it even made sense. It was something about how big my calves were but I was lucky because….why? It was muscle? No, it had something to do with fat and how if it was fat, I could lose it but her thighs were muscle or something. I don’t remember. It wasn’t great, though, because it implied I was fat. My calves are just really muscular, not fat.
Anyway, the last time I looked at sandals, it took me hours to find a pair of walking sandals. They turned out to be not great, either. For long-distance walking, I mean. They’re fine for normal walking. As for my boots, my current ones are cheapos (roughly thirty bucks) because I got tired of looknig for good ones. I haven’t had to use them much, though, so it’s been ok thus far. I may buy a new pair this year, but it’s not as if I’m going very far.
So. Beyond that, there is only one thing that I buy on the semi-regular that costs a great deal–my computer. A laptop costs a thou, roughly, and a desktop costs $700 or so–at least the last time I bought one. That was roughly a decade ago (the desktop).
I had to buy a new computer to play Elden Ring. This was not in question because I had to play the game. I had to play it on release. They dropped the specs 10 days before the game dropped, which meant I had to get it done in less than two weeks. Weirdly, it was less stressful because I knew I had to get it done.
Part of the problem of shopping for me is the fact thta there are endless possibilities. When I look for a new pair of boots, for example, I can find hundreds of black boots with a thick wedge heel that are waterproof. I will say that finding ones that can hold up to Minnesota winters is not easy. No, I don’t want three inch heels. No, I don’t want boots that are not waterproof. No, I most definitely do not want stiletto heels. Boots are not fashion in this part of the world; they are a necessity.
I’m bringing this up because I need to buy some fairly high-priced items for my office. One is a computer desk and another is all the peripherals I need. I was going to write that I didn’t have as much a problem when making big purchases like the desktop computer, but I think that was more because I had a timeframe in which I needed to buy it. When I have a deadline, I can meet it even if I work to the back end of it. It’s when I don’t have a deadline that I flounder. Sometimes, setting my own deadline can do the trick. Othertimes, not so much.
I do have a soft deadline for setting up my office. I want to get it done this month. It’s already the fourth day of January, though, which is surprising. It shouldn’t be because time flies, but it is. How the hell di dwe get here?
My problem is that I think of all the problems I’ll have setting up my office. I need a sit/stand desk, which means getting rid of my (crappy) desk that I bought from Staples. Will the person who delivers the sit/stand desk take away the other one? Who knows? I know I can ask, but the thought of that exhausts me.
I’m done for the day. More tomorrow. I really need to plan my new office setup.