So, sometimes I feel like I "need" something new -- sometimes I'm attracted to improved features, or feel like I'm missing out or whatever. It happens to most of us. This is what I do instead:
I deep clean the thing I already own, make repairs, even paint or customize it if that would make it better.
For example, I've had the itch to get a new vehicle. But, instead, I really detailed the car with good-quality products. The dog had made a mess of the backseat cushions. I took them entirely out and scrubbed them down, let them dry in the sun to get rid of dog odor. I buffed out some scratches, got the windows almost invisible, oil hinges, even cleaned out the trunk area. There was almost no dog hair, dust, or dirt anywhere. Sure there were some 'character marks' but once the car was deep cleaned and shiny (and smelling good, because I put in a brand new air freshener) it really scratched that itch for 'new shiny.'
I've done this with appliance and kitchen stuff, shoes... you name it, I've done it. I was feeling some sewing machine envy the other day, but I broke out the toolbox instead and got my machine up to snuff and moving smoothly. Boom, desire gone.
ETA: sometimes I'm really attracted to a feature on a product -- like an ice maker or some other 'convenience.' When it's feature envy, I always try to figure out a way to rig-up that feature. In my case -- I only want ice for a few months out of the year. Buying a bag of ice once a year for a whole 2 dollars, even for the rest of my life will be far, far cheaper than a new fridge and the water line to make the icemaker go.
October 17, 2018 at 05:31PM
