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Post by dtesposito on Jul 28, 2014 20:08:03 GMT -5
one of the heating coils has developed a split and is bulging like a huge scary bubble and about to burst
Oh that sounds creepy! I rely on my microwave in the same way--the last time my microwave stopped working I had to take my shopping cart to Target the same day--that was the only store that I could walk to that had microwaves. I couldn't have lasted long without one.
Diane
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Post by outfromundah on Jul 29, 2014 6:52:50 GMT -5
But I have no idea where my receipt is!! And of course I never sent in the warranty card, and couldn't lay my hands on that info even if I had sent it. It is never necessary to send in the warranty card for an item to be covered. All you need is proof of payment. Filling out and sending in a warranty card just means your name and info will be sold to mailing lists.
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Post by puppybox on Jul 29, 2014 10:47:46 GMT -5
But I have no idea where my receipt is!! And of course I never sent in the warranty card, and couldn't lay my hands on that info even if I had sent it. It is never necessary to send in the warranty card for an item to be covered. All you need is proof of payment. Filling out and sending in a warranty card just means your name and info will be sold to mailing lists. Oh, thankyou, you have saved me guilt!
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Post by puppybox on Jul 29, 2014 11:08:32 GMT -5
As for going into the thrift store intending to buy nothing, and why would one do that when its clearly illogical:
First: yes. we must stop ourselves when we are walking into a store to buy nothing and ask ourselves how much we should buy nothing and whether we are going to be able to resist if we see a deal or a treasure.
second: shopping without buying IS possible, and it can be fun, it gets you out of the house and you don't need a friend to go with you. while it is often condemned as nasty consumerism, I prefer to adopt the philosophy from the book "the artists's way" which sayas that you must feed your inner artist with sensory input, and thrift stores with all their weirdo stuff can fulfil that.
third, and I think this is the most relevant: to successfully thrift shop, you must go often. you can't just say "I need a great quality sports raincoat" and go get one. you have to give it 3 months and 6 visits. So, you doi have to go before you really need things, with a vague lsit of things you will/might need in the future. this is dangerous for people with hoarder tendencies. My solution is to have some rules in place. for example, no more of anyting in this category, even if its amazing. My next step to improve at this will be to really inventory/take stock of everything I own. I have done this int he past and it gives me a great sense of being organised and incontrol and I become able to not only say no but hard to say yes because I KNOW it's too much or not.
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 29, 2014 14:55:17 GMT -5
to successfully thrift shop, you must go oftenBut you see, then you are going INTENDING to find something wonderful to buy--you aren't really going not intending to buy something. The wonderful thing may not be there, which prevents your buying it--but that's different from going to the store, intending to buy nothing. Walking through stores looking at stuff as entertainment can be fun, as long as you're not an impulse shopper. I can do that at stores that have the type of things that interest me, but that I don't necessarily want to buy or that I can resist. Like, kitchen stores, craft stores, places that carry household goods and furnishings. I enjoy browsing through them and find things I would like, but I can easily talk myself out of them. Of course, if I'm in a book store, there's no way in the world I can walk out without something. So even when there were lots of book stores around, I never went in unless I had some extra money and could justify a purchase, because the idea of my not buying at least one thing was laughable. Oh, and places that sell plants--I can't resist those either. If I go into a Home Depot I can't walk through the outdoor nursery area, I have to go in and out another door or I end up buying at least one small plant. But I digress. What I meant to say was going into a store just to look is dangerous if you can't control your buying, and if you have multitudes of everything you could possibly need already at home. I do get that if you're looking for something specific at a thrift store you have to go often to see what they have. But if you buy a bunch of other things in the meantime, while waiting for them to have the thing you want to save money on, you're better off just going and buying that one item new--financially you're about the same when you factor in all the other impulse buys you've made, and your home will have less clutter. Puppybox, you're in a somewhat different category because you're specifically trying not to buy new, and that goal is the first one you're thinking about. But if your FIRST goal is having fewer things in your home and resisting new purchases, then thrift stores can be counterproductive. (Although I admit they're lots of fun.) Diane
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Post by dtesposito on Jul 29, 2014 14:58:30 GMT -5
to really inventory/take stock of everything I own.
This is a good idea, because if you have lots of everything you truly do forget what you have. When you find things you forgot about, it's like getting something new even though it's not new. Or, you'll find things you don't care about any more and realize you can get rid of them.
Diane
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Post by papermoon on Jul 29, 2014 16:39:23 GMT -5
But I have no idea where my receipt is!! And of course I never sent in the warranty card, and couldn't lay my hands on that info even if I had sent it. It is never necessary to send in the warranty card for an item to be covered. All you need is proof of payment. Filling out and sending in a warranty card just means your name and info will be sold to mailing lists. Yes, I know this. My point was, that I have no paper trail whatsoever. None that I can locate, anyway. This is the monetary damage that squalor can do. Instead of a free replacement, I have to pay for a new one.
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Post by dayeanu on Jul 29, 2014 19:58:37 GMT -5
Why I went to the thrift store without planning to buy anything, and why I bought something:
I went to the thrift store because I was spending a couple of days in a quaint old "spa city" that is famous for its quaint and quirky antique shops, thrift stores, artists' lofts, etc. The shops are part of the tourist attraction in that town. To visit the shops, thrift stores, etc., in that town, is akin to visiting various sorts of museums. Since the town is 150 miles from where I currently live, and I'm never there with time to just stroll about and look, I wanted to enjoy the "scenery." While I did not go in with the intention of buying anything, the mirror was on my long-term "acquire" list.
Puppybox, you mention that you can't just go to the thrift store when you need a specific item. I've never heard the "three months, six visits" rule, but it sure makes sense! That's one reason why I don't shop our local thrift store - limited selection. In our small town it might take years before an item turned up.
As for the mirror, I've been looking at similar mirrors with intent to purchase, for probably 15 years. (Including shopping retail stores). Everything was either too flashy, too poor quality, or more money than I wanted to spend. I was very pleased with this purchase. The mirror frame is remarkably plain, which is nice, but it's a very good quality older frame/mirror, and $10 is a real bargain!
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Post by dayeanu on Jul 29, 2014 20:01:56 GMT -5
But I have no idea where my receipt is!! And of course I never sent in the warranty card, and couldn't lay my hands on that info even if I had sent it. It is never necessary to send in the warranty card for an item to be covered. All you need is proof of payment. Filling out and sending in a warranty card just means your name and info will be sold to mailing lists. outfromundah - this is great info to know! Also....I keep getting those debit card "credit points". I must have quite a few by now. I need to check into that. Also, good to know about the warranty on stuff!!! As far as how to use this thread, I guess you can use it any way that helps you. Since I am a binge spend-a-holic, I am using this in part for accountability. I actually found myself thinking about how I would feel posting my purchases here BEFORE I bought them. I want to be totally honest here, or there's no point posting, IMHO. So I thought about what I would say when posting my list here. It ALMOST kept me from buying the 1946 penny. I'm also using this thread to examine WHY I buy things that are not necessities. For example, I did not realize I was buying the three items as a result of poor decision-making skills UNTIL I posted here. So, while I did not start this thread, I think it's ok for me to say, "use it however it helps you."
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Post by angela on Jul 30, 2014 2:12:26 GMT -5
I don't go into thrifts nearly as often now and I did over the last six years or so.
I thought I was disciplined and I was mostly shopping for clothes for work. I did very well with this goal and have been well-dressed from my local thrifts for most all of my jobs. The job I have now at the clothing store..I have been buying new (with a very generous employee discount) from the store since the owner specifically told me she wants employees to wear the store clothing. I have far fewer clothes but spend approximately the same amount of money. But it's necessary for the position.
I also very enjoyably decorated my house in the thrifts or used stores and found most all my books there. A lot of good fabric for crafting and other supplies for crafts though I would say this has been the smallest category of acquisition.
I stopped going into the thrifts as a routine thing when I started getting my clothes new at the store where I work though I still go in when I need something specific, and I've gotten pretty lucky this summer with garments.
When I did my first round of decluttering books earlier this year, it was very clear to me that I don't need to buy another book for a very long time.
When I started sorting my yarn...same thing. I just don't need another skein of yarn!
Used to be, I'd go in, see something intriguing, let myself indulge in Someday Syndrome and bring home the stuff to add to the piles of the same sort of unused stuff.
Cold turkey was the way to go for me.
I still very rarely indulge in a purchase but the first step for me to stop acquiring is to just drive by the darn store.
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Post by papermoon on Jul 31, 2014 0:40:47 GMT -5
Thrift shops terrify me. I am afraid if I go in I will get sucked into the vortex.
I have a one-way relationship with Goodwill... I never ever enter the front door; I only drop things off for donation at the rear loading dock. Then I run for my life!
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Post by lucie on Jul 31, 2014 2:59:41 GMT -5
I do not know about the 3 month, 6 visits rules, for me it is always that I find something when I am looking for something else. (remember - I bought a dress when I needed shoes)
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Post by dayeanu on Aug 2, 2014 8:49:10 GMT -5
to really inventory/take stock of everything I own. This is a good idea, because if you have lots of everything you truly do forget what you have. When you find things you forgot about, it's like getting something new even though it's not new. Or, you'll find things you don't care about any more and realize you can get rid of them. Diane I'm fortunate in this regard. I don't have to take inventory. I already know I have multiples of everything. Yesterday I bought a new phone and phone plan. In facing my financial squalor, I am appalled at how much I am paying for a phone plan, internet connection, etc. I have been looking at the pay-as-you-go plans that are available in my area. I decided to buy a Straight Talk phone. For $45 a month you get unlimited talk, text,and data. I bought one of the cheapest phones they have that is still somewhat of a smartphone. $29 one time fee for.the phone. $45 for a month of unlimited usage. If I can reduce my phone and internet services to $45 a month, this will help significantly. Even if I decide to add a wi-fi hot spot package, it will still be cheaper. And controllable, as I can buy Gb of data as I choose. Its not an automatic monthly fee. They also have a "bring your own phone (or tablet) plan, where you use your phone or tablet on their pay-as-you-go network. I am using the $29 phone and plan right now. I've not cancelled my At&t service yet. I'm giving this a trial run. (The phone AND the service card are fully refundable for 30 days. So far, it seems to work fine (I'm having to learn my way around.the new phone) (For the money I would save,I'm willing to put up with a bit of inconvenience. So far,the only inconvenience I have noted is just learning to use the new phone. And the screen is small. They had bigger phones but they cost a little more.) Has anyone else tried this? I'm especially curious about using your own phone and tablet on their service. (I think I'm going to re-post this in by-ways to get more input)
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Post by papermoon on Aug 2, 2014 18:36:41 GMT -5
Target has a sale on my deodorant. And if you buy 3, you get a $5 gift card. So I bought 3, got the card, then went back in to the children's department, and picked out some black leggings in little girls' size Extra-Large for $6 (which is identical to my women's size Small for $12). So with the gift card plus tax, the leggings cost only $1.47... and they're a perfect fit, woo-hoo!!
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Post by irisbloom on Aug 2, 2014 22:50:30 GMT -5
Depression kicking my butt has kept me from being as active on this forum for a while, but I'm trying to come back.
Anyway, shopping has been kept to a minimum. Just necessities and ecig stuff. Still on the ecig though I tried to quit. Now I'm going to just lower my nicotine strength gradually until I'm down to nothing but flavor and oil then break the hand to mouth addiction.
I have bought a few things recently. Bought some more books by Thich Nhat Hanh (I'm still agnostic but leaning more and more toward Buddhism), bought a copy of When the Wind Blows by Raymond Briggs, and bought House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Then for my kindle I got The Buddha and the Borderline, a young woman with borderline personality disorder's autobiography about how converting to Buddhism helped her heal. Also to cheer me up after a heavy bought of sadness (not depression as I had a logical reason behind this sadness) my husband got me a necklace made with a recycled bullet casing. The bullet casing has a quartz crystal set inside it and a silver peace sign dangling beside it. He and I thought it was beautiful and ironic. The person who made it also claims to donate part of the money she makes selling gemstone jewelry to various charities.
I'm stopping for now. Going to focus on reading the books I got, my writing, cleaning and desqualoring, and enjoy my beautiful necklace.
One more thing, I seem to have broken my addiction to buying clothes. That was a huge thing. No more until the ones that fit wear out or get too big if my therapy works and I finally lose weight (more of that in another thread).
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