June 12, 2004

Buyer's Remorse

I have a problem. I suffer from buyer's remorse…BIG time.

I think this comes from several years of living under the poverty line. I won't get into details now, but for a few years, not all that long ago, things were rough. I had 2 lengthy stints of being unemployed. I lived for a year in the "storage room" of a basement apartment. I lived on a friend's couch for 3 months. But worse than that, I was literally homeless for a short period of time. It was a really tough time in my life.

So, as a result, I now suffer "buyer's remorse" whenever I make a purchase that isn't directly related to paying rent, bills, or the necessities of life (food, toiletries, clothing, smokes, booze, etc.) And considering my DVD addiction, that means a LOT of remorse.

Sadly...that's not even ALL of them...

But it's gotten to the point where I can't even take advantage of a STEAL of a bargain without hating myself.

Case in point…on Friday (payday) I popped into HMV to take a quick look around for some DVDs. They frequently have KILLER deals…2 for $20, 4 for $40, that sort of thing. I've even found myself buying DVDs I don't necessarily WANT in order to take advantage of a deal. (This is all in Canadian Dollars, by the way, just in case it doesn't sound like much of a deal)

Well, their latest deal involved buying boxed sets of TV shows…2 for $80. About 2 seconds after reading that, I had "Family Guy Volume 1" and "Firefly" in my hot little hands.

That wasn't even the best deal, by the way. Their "Buffy" sets normally retail at $84.99 EACH, yet they were also 2 for $80. Doesn't make sense to me, but hey, it's not MY store.

Anyhow, both of the sets I picked up normally retail for $65 each. Which means, that after NOT buying these for months out of guilt, I could get both of them and save $50 bucks in the meantime.

Yet, as soon as I got them home, I felt incredibly guilty. I couldn't be PROUD of the deal I got…I felt BAD for spending the money. Does that make ANY sense at all?

I'm not a shopaholic…I'm a remorseaholic.

Tonight, I think I'm gonna go to the pub and blow the $50 that I saved. That should make me feel better.

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