Free Pie
I am happy to share my blog with Nichole Starr, a good friend who, through this guest appearance, becomes an official Life Of Danger Crassmate. ~Kerry
Hello, my name is Nichole and I am a consumer. I am an easy target of BOGO, the clearance rack, yellow dot sale, red tag sale and .5% off something I would never have otherwise purchased. A red tag elicits the same response as a red cape to a bull; watch out for the charge! Pun inadvertent but I'll keep it. While heading back from the gym last night, my mind began to wander, anything to keep at bay the thought of my back sweat soaking into the cloth seat of my new car...that I paid the "online sale price only" for. It struck me, my daughter is a consumer as well, via mom's wallet and a similar sucker for a sale. Which is how I ended paying $23 for leave-in conditioner - it was "buy one get one." Who needs to pay $23 for leave-in conditioner even if it was 2 for 1?! Unfortunately this realization came a week late. Baby steps.
“I had to wean myself off Ebay after a routine visit to the doc revealed a surprising elevation in blood pressure. I could come up with no other explanation than competitive shopping.”
A few winters back while still residing in Wisconsin, I passed a gas station advertising a free gallon of milk with a $7.99 pie purchase. Oh I felt it immediately; the quickening of my heart, sweaty palms, a shortness of breath at the thrill of the chase. Oh yes chase, because surely everyone driving by sees this amazing deal and there is a line for gas station pie. I must get in that line before the pie is gone. Fortunately for me it was the dead of winter, it was cold and I didn't feel like slogging through the snow for pie.
And thank goodness for that because...gas station pie, come on! Oh, and no one in the house drinks milk. But it was free milk! There was a moment where I got excited about an over-priced pie and milk that would have gone virtually untouched until it curdled and I pressed it down the sink. Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about.
When I first discovered Ebay I was a force to be reckoned with, it was a blood sport to me and I was glued to my computer screen, refreshing at 5 second intervals waiting until the last 10 seconds before issuing my final bid. Yes, I was THAT person. I was a winner! I had to wean myself off Ebay after a routine visit to the doc revealed a surprising elevation in blood pressure. I could come up with no other explanation than competitive shopping. Then came Craigslist, a little less stressful. And then Facebook online garage sale groups...again, my name is Nichole and I am a consumer. My 12 step program is a work in progress. The first step is admitting to a problem so I'm well on my way to...wait, I see an email just came in from one of the many...oh so many online discount shopping sights I've subscribed to. 65% off shoes! I'll be right back.
Alas I resisted. With age comes a certain wisdom. Ok, with a downsized closet and recent eighty-pound shoe purge comes wisdom. In any event, I am learning to curb my impulses although there is still much room for improvement, and not much room for shoes.
Nichole Starr
You can find Nichole on Facebook as "Tales From A Not-So Super Starr."