Portrait of an obsession

[kicking_k]

I’ve noticed that a lot of people suffer from a kind of specific retail weakness, which manifests itself in buying a certain item more often than they really need to. This can be either because they don’t remember that they already have plenty of whatever it is, or just because they really like it and can’t resist

Comments

[weirman]

Wow. That really is a lot of socks.

I can't think of any comparable retail weakness. I definitely buy too many books and computer stuff but other than that, nothing comes to mind. I'm really pretty frugal, actually.

I will say, however, that I don't ever throw anything away until it's literally falling apart in my hands. So due to that, I have t-shirts that are probably more than 15 years old, and socks that I've had for most of this decade.

[kicking_k]

There is one pair of socks in that picture which I THINK I've had since my age was in single figures. They just refuse to wear out!

And I definitely have aged T-shirts. The T-shirt problem is another story - I don't think I have 71, but I wouldn't be entirely surprised. I counted up my black tops a few years ago and found I had more than 30.

[gwyneira]

Books, duh. :)

Okay, also lip gloss/chapstick/lipstick. I just disembowelled the makeup bag I keep in my purse and discovered: one red lipstick, one pink lipstick, one red shimmery lip gloss, one pink shimmery peppermint-scented lip gloss, one chocolate-raspberry chapstick, one Bouncin' Berry ChapStick (which is Liam's, in my defense), one Carmex, and one Mixa French chapstick (which we bought out of desperation in Paris, because G. wouldn't use any of my flavored chapsticks). I thought I had a Cherry Coke-flavored chapstick in there, but I must have put it somewhere else.

I think I could start collecting yarn, but I have so far managed to resist, by virtue of only going into yarn stores when I need something specific.

Now I am browsing the Sock Dreams website and trying to resist.

[llcoolvad]

Y'know, I don't HAVE a sock problem, but I probably have more socks than you do! It's likely got more to do with my age compared to yours, and that socks (when you own that many) just don't wear out that fast.

As for my retail puchasing problem, I tend to buy most things in twos. So if I am going to get a bottle of ketchup, I get two. The only things I buy one of are the real perishables like bread. Otherwise, I come home with two jars of peanut butter, two jars of spaghetti sauce, four pounds of spaghetti, like that. It means I shop for those things half as often, but it also means it's a good thing we have a large pantry.

Oh, and I find stationery items hard to resist. Notebooks, cool pens, etc. And bags (purses, satchels, totes, etc.). I think that's it. Sigh.

[kicking_k]

I find stationery very tempting, too.

We are limited in our supermarket shopping because we have to tote everything home on our bikes, so we don't tend to overstock the items we buy every week. It's the things we buy less frequently that we end up with more of. Bread, on the other hand, we do buy in bulk; then J splits the loaves in half and freezes them.

[theladybast]

Like Belgatherial, I have a tendency to buy books faster than I can read them.

I also tend to buy more tinned tomatoes than is strictly necessary, but they always get used up and are good when I need to make emergency pasta.

[miss_scarlet007]

Items of black clothing that I already have, which makes no sense. Leather coats especially. They're expensive enough that I have to restrain myself, but I still covet them.

[kicking_k]

Don't get me started on my black top collection! Still, black goes with everything...

[miss_scarlet007]

Indeed. Especially black.