Materialism and you - Frivolous purchases
 

No matter how frugal a person you try to be, I'm sure that like me, from time to time something comes along that you have no need for but really, really want none the less and so you buy it and to hell with the consequences, feeling only a momentary pang of guilt as you hand over the cash.

For those of you who don't read my journal (And I'm sure there must be a few of you out there), I just bought a pair of Adidas JS Wings:

http://clarexu.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/jswings.jpg

Yes, I spent £140 on a pair of trainers with fucking wings on, possibly the greatest paid of shoes I have ever seen. Thing is, they're hugely impractical and being white, I won't be able to wear them any time there's a hint of moisture in the air, plus I only have like two pairs of trousers that will go with high-top trainers so I'll have to go and buy a load of new ones. That's also far and away the most money I've ever spent on a pair of shoes.

So what have you bought recently that there was absolutely no need for but you wanted it and got it anyway? Has the global recession in any way tempered your spending on luxuries and whimsy or are you diligently doing your bit to keep the high-end retailers in business in this difficult period by signing over the best part of your pay cheque to them?

Seriously though, they've got WINGS.

I think my last Halloween outfit falls under this category. I'm actually too embarrassed to say how much I spent on it, but it was custom made. I'd never done a costume properly before so I feel a little justified.

The last thing I bought which I had absolutely no use for but had to have was on the Mullet Power card game:

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/6210/mulletpower2.jpg

I've got loads of sets of silly top trumps cards. Crap cars is particularly good.

I buy a lot of smaller things frivolously, but I rarely spend over $50 on anything without serious thought. I guess I'm a Jew like that.

The bulk of my stupid purchases are usually something I plan to MAKE out of whatever I am purchasing. I get these big ideas and then find neither the time nor the execution style to complete my ideas.

I don't usually buy things like shoes, clothes, or accessories in a frivolous manner. On occasion, I will purchase a pair of shoes I find really cool, try to wear them, and it turns out they're no where NEAR as comfortable as I had hoped. But really, that's all I am guilty of in that arena. Maybe some cheap clothes, too. (I rarely spend over $20 on one piece of clothing). Sometimes, I think it'll look FANTASTIC and then it... well... doesn't.

I try to keep the spending down unless I NEED something, or unless I want a nice little treat.

I have a bad habit of buying books when borrowing from the library is just as good. It's not terrible but I do have a few books lying around that I haven't yet read.

That a lot of money to spend for the addition of wings, Shin. If I wanted my shoes to have wings I would just cut some out of cardboard and attach those to my shoes until the feeling went away instead of spending the equivalent of $250 Canadian for a pair of shoes. But then, I'm not exactly an impulse shopper. I don't think I've bought anything out of the blue in years, if ever. I'm pretty careful with what little money I have.

This year, as in since January 1st, 2009, I have already spent over $800 on CDs.

And yet

if I were to have a powerful magnet delivered to your home

I would be the bad guy

Can someone explain that one to me? Magnets don't affect CDs...

I'm disciplined about purchases that I expect to last, but it's the little temporary indulgences that get me. I've already spent a couple hundred dollars on fruit snacks this year. Fruit snacks.

What if the magnet had a bomb

what then, smart guy

Now, Pang

Blowing up other people's refrigerators is not nice

food is expensive these days

One could always hide INSIDE the refrigerator

Indiana Jones proved it's possible

Is this your latest excuse for overeating?

"Gotta stay close to the fridge in case of nuclear attack"

whoa, who said anything about a nuclear bomb?

at least wait until i'm out of the way, please

I keep all of my CDs in a refridgerator.

Magnets don't affect things in refridgerators.

If we're going down that route, then I suppose my sushi habits should be mentioned. Every few weeks I spend a good £10 on sushi. One day I actually went back to the store two more times for other things and bought sushi again each time. Then there's the £250 a month on average that fuels my gin addiction, and I drink white label.

I always buy limited or collector's editions of video games if they're available instead of the regular versions, which will do just fine considering the given purpose of the game. That's about it. Unless you count the exorbitant amount of money I spend on beer every week. (About $200)

How ironic, I made this thread and then my boss gave me the shoes as a birthday present. :)

So what are ya gonna do with the ones you just bought o__o?

I myself am a sucker for buying a few DVDs every so often, failing to realize how much money I spend over time...stupidest thing I ever bought though...$70 climbing shoes that I used for about a month and now rest at my parents house probably smelling of failure.

Random electronics tend to be my main sin for frivolous purchases. Projector, stereo, that kind of thing. Bought a 120 iPod when I had a perfectly good older one, and I'll never fill up either of them.

They are the ones I just bought. He was in London and picked them up for me then said I didn't need to pay him for them as they were a present.

Shin, if I had the money to throw around I would definitely buy a pair of trainers with wings on it. Be proud, brother.

I, myself, when I had the luxury of earning money used to buy a lot of TV box sets. I have 24 on DVD 1-5. Le sigh.

But I think my most recent frivolous purchase was a pair of boots. I rarely splash out on shoes, I'm not a shoe kinda girl, but I really really wanted these. They were £70, money I should've spent on food but who needs to eat?
http://www.clarks.co.uk/Assets/Clark...327705_A_p.jpg
To be fair, I've worn them loads and they're comfortable as hell surprisingly.

sneakers, tons of them. I dont even wear them all the time, i just like them. these are my current set in my new loft.

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/150/dsc01552rc6.th.jpg

Hats.

If I see a hat that screams hella ballin or somesuch, you'd best believe I'll fucking buy it. I've missed trains for hats before. Even came damn close to being stranded in Santiago because I just had to spend an hour deciding which goddamned panama I liked most.

I made myself a new rule a few years back: New country? New hat. The fedora came from Argentina, the commandant hat from Russia, the pretentious hipster cap from Spain. And so forth. I've only dropped about £300 in total on my collection so far, but it's certainly swelling.

Oh, and I have a propensity for picking up rare/limited musical trinkets, too. If my favourite midwestern eco-feminist black metal band releases a picture disc limited to a scant 700 copies, I'm under obligation to purchase it.