The Chronic Consumer

I know it’s barely the middle of August, but I’m already shopping around for blankets and stuff for winter. That’s because during spring cleaning this year I tossed out a bunch of old bedding that we’d had for way too long, which means I’m basically starting from scratch in terms of gearing up for cold weather.

Anyway, my list includes a new down comforter, an electric blanket, several regular blankets, and flannel sheets. Hopefully I’ll be able to catch a White Sale between now and November so I can be ready when the weather takes a turn for the worst!

The Tour de France is now underway, and though I’m not much of a cycling fan, I’ve been watching the early stages here because my son wanted to see Lance Armstrong ride. I can’t believe Armstrong is still competing at a top level like this. Cycling is a young man’s sport, and Armstrong certainly isn’t “young” anymore. Plus, you have to remember all he’s been through with testicular cancer and whatnot. It’s simply amazing all the things he has accomplished in his career!

That being said, I have to wonder how long it will be before the doping accusations start. No doubt Lance will get tested for hgh and whatever else cyclists might use to gain an edge on the competition. Although Lance has never tested positive, rumors and lies have swirled around him for years. I guess people just refuse to believe that someone could possibly be such a superior athlete. Whatever. Go Lance!!!

(Photo by Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Since I’m currently dieting, I’ve been trying to keep my junk food purchases to a minimum. But when I saw this new limited edition Bananas Foster ice cream from Häagen-Dazs, I just had to get it. I love banana-flavored treats, so this was a no-brainer for me.

And the purchase definitely did not disappoint! Wow, this was terrific in every aspect, and tasted simply amazing. To be sure, I can’t actually compare it to real bananas foster because I’ve never had that dessert before, but this ice cream is to die for!

I think I need another job or something! As you can probably tell from the lack of product reviews on this blog, I haven’t been able to shop much recently. It’s not because I can’t find stuff that I want to buy. Just take a look at my Wish List, and you’ll see that I add items to it almost daily. The fact of the matter is I don’t have much money to spend on extras, so I’ve been depriving myself!

Sometimes I think about getting a second job, but what with grad school and all, I’m not sure how feasible that would be. Plus, I would have to go through the whole interview and employment screening process, which is draining and time-consuming. Oh, well. I guess I’ll just have to ride out this downtime at work and hope for things to pick up in the future!

My mom has been sick recently, so I’ve been helping her out with shopping and stuff. Even thought she got the flu shot, she still came down with some sort of bug. Whether it was influenza or not is a matter of debate, I guess, since she didn’t actually go to the doctor, but the symptoms were there. Regardless of what it is, she’s pretty much confined to bed. The freezing temperatures and piles of snow don’t help matters, which is why I have to pick up some meds for her. On the list are Theraflu for the bug, Aleve to reduce fever, glucosamine hcl for joint pain, and some soup, juice, magazines, and assorted other items you’d like to have when you’re sick in bed.

Aren’t I nice?!

Okay, this is not at all shopping related, but I never said I would be able to stay on topic in every single post!

Anyway, I have an “online friend” in Oklahoma that I’ve been corresponding with for just over two years now. We’ve never met in real life, but I do consider him to be a real friend. We used to email each other numerous times per day, revealed personal details about our lives, and seemed to be pretty close.

But something has happened in the past couple of weeks to change that. There has been less and less contact, and now my emails are going unanswered. At first there were health issues. He had to go to the hospital for a few days, so of course he couldn’t communicate then. But he was back home the last time I heard from him, and doing much better. He said he was just “busy” and didn’t have time to write.

Well, what could he be busy with? He doesn’t have a job, isn’t traveling for the holidays, and doesn’t have any family in the area. He’s usually online all day like I am. I feel like I should hire an Oklahoma City lawyer to go check up on him. Seriously, he could be dead or something and I would never even know.

Yeah, I know it’s a stretch to go from “he isn’t writing to me” to “he’s dead”. I’m just using that as an example. Still, I miss him and want to know what the heck is going on!

So the dilemma: Do I keep emailing him until I get an answer? Or do I back off, fret about what might have happened, and simply wait for him to contact me again?

I think we need to rent a storage locker or something. We have so much stuff that our house is starting to feel cluttered, which is something I can’t stand. We have zero space left in our garage or basement, and installing one of those pre-fab sheds in the backyard is probably not an option at this point. We’re actually looking at outdoor fireplaces right now, so if we go ahead and get one, we’re not going to have any room left for a shed.

The only other option is to rent a storage locker. There are a couple places within a mile or so of the house, so I know the facilities are available. The only question now is about the prices and contract length. We don’t want to pay an arm and a leg just to store stuff that we hardly ever use, nor do we want to get locked into a long-term contract.

Or here’s another idea. Why don’t we just throw away or donate the stuff we never use and quit buying so much junk??? Now doesn’t that sound far more reasonable?!

The last day of my vacation is finally here. I know most people wouldn’t look forward to the end of a holiday, but I just need to get back home and get into my regular routine again. I miss my daily schedule of exercise, work, studying, and watching my TV shows. I haven’t done any of those things while on vacation, and while some would probably appreicate the break, it just makes me anxious.

Maybe what I really need is to start traveling in a way that allows me to bring most of my life with me. I’ve seen a lot of sell motorhome ads recently, and got to thinking that if I had something like that, traveling wouldn’t be such an ordeal. I’d have my very own place to retreat to at night, would be able to have a mini version of my office installed, and would be far more productive than I am when I have to rely on other people’s computers and internet connections. It’s definitely something to think about, though I’d have to curtail my other shopping and spending by quite a bit in order to afford that kind of purchase!