I got to hang out with Katie today. It's nice that just a simple dinner can help two people who haven't seen each other in months. She is doing well which is good to hear. I mean, I'd hope that if she wasn't then I would have heard about it prior to now. Anyway, I got the chance to check up with the happenings in her life and she bought me dinner for my birthday. Dinner seemed to go too quickly though and I was almost got myself a dessert just to linger a bit longer in the restaurant until she suggested to stop by the Jordan's Furniture store across the street.
We were able to continue talking about things and she showed me the couches that she and Jared really liked and were hoping to purchase at some point in the future. I told her that Dave and I were also looking for a potential sofa and we began sitting on couches to try them out. It was a lot of fun and I think I'll be dragging Dave there tomorrow. At first, I hadn't even considered Jordan's because I thought most of their sofas were too expensive. She initially asked if we had checked out the sofas at IKEA and I said I had but there is something about assembling my sofa myself which turns me off. I don't mind assembling my dressers, bed frame, bookshelves, desks, and tv stands. Those don't bother me. It just something about piecing together my sofa using Swedish instructions that I can't seem to reconcile in my brain. It's too bad really as they are inexpensive and look nice. There's a very good chance that I may change my mind when it comes to making the actual purchase though.
In the end, I need Dave's opinion. He is far more decisive about what he wants and what he doesn't so that helps. I look around, I like many different styles, then get overwhelmed by the sheer number of choices. There's a pressure to choose the right couch and make the right investment. Is it better to pay a bit more for something of better quality that will hopefully last longer? If so, how do I tell the difference and just how much is too much? Then, if I know myself, I finally decide on a particular one just slightly above the price I'm comfortable spending and while sitting in it I rethink the question and wonder if it really would be worth of if I should just save myself the money and go with something cheaper. When I shop, I usually leave with nothing except feelings of dissatisfaction and frustration.
I am not a shopper and I think about the things I buy way too much. This has actually caused me buyer's remorse because I think and talk myself out of the purchase. Unlike most people who spend many minutes twirling in the dress they just tried on or lounging in a potential new couch giving themselves enough time to justify the purchase. I spend my time angsting about the price or the possibility that I'll find something I like even more somewhere else or that it just isn't the right time to make this type of purchase, I should sleep on it. I do this, walk out without whatever it was and then spend possibly years regretting the fact that I passed it up and it's no longer available.
For example, when I was a freshman in college I found this absolutely gorgeous corset at King Richard's Faire with real boning and beautiful fabric that I could select to make my own customized article of clothing. I tried it on and I was super comfortable in it and it looked fabulous. Unlike many other corsets, it was pretty enough and gave me enough coverage that I could wear it as a top out in public (which was totally feasible when I was college). It was also $300. I don't think I had every spent $300 on any article of clothing before except perhaps my prom dress and I'm not sure if I even spent that much. It was relatively easy to talk myself out of the purchase. However, ever since then I've regretted it. I went back the next few years but the merchant didn't return. They had given me a card but I carelessly misplaced it not long after it was handed to me and despite Alli's incredible searching skills we couldn't find it. Since then, I've never really been able to buy any other corset. The $60 ones at Victoria Secret or Fredericks just don't seem to cut it; they seem too expensive and don't seem to offer a fourth of the quality.
Sadly, I do this far more than I realize. Especially with Etsy stuff. I find perfect gifts for someone but it just doesn't seem like the right time. I come up with some excuse as to not purchase it. I then spend the next couple of days thinking about it and decide that it actually is worth it and by the time I get back, someone else has already bought it. I feel super depressed because I'll never find anything else that was that perfect. It's a shame really. I understand that the opposite extreme is not the best choice as splurging on every that suits your fancy can do a good deal of damage to your funds but being too frugal can also be a problem.
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