I walked the neighborhood this morning and it was cold, less than 20° F with a chill wind. I wore gloves that I thought would be warm enough but they weren't. My hands got cold enough that I went to Amazon when I got back and looked up warm gloves. I read the comments, especially the negative ones. One pair reminded me of a pair I was pretty sure I had in the closet. We have three good-sized cardboard boxes of gloves and scarves and winter stuff, mostly gloves.
I found I have two pairs that are still attached together, never been worn. I know this is characteristic of me.
I don't think I am a spendthrift, at least not in the sense that I throw money around for pleasure. But I often find that I go to the store and buy things I don't need and already have at home. Mostly, it is supplies, especially food, but it can be anything. I rarely think to check what we have. I think of what I want and I go and buy it. Reminds me of our family trip out West in the 70"s. We camped much of the way with our two teen daughters. Each afternoon, we would drive up to a market somewhere and as we got out of the car, I would imagine a food that seemed, in my mind, a pleasant thing to eat that evening. I would say something like "let's get some ham" and I would immediately be at odds with the woman I am married to. She repeatedly took the position that it was unwise and uneconomical to decide beforehand on something to buy. She advocated looking around, seeing what was available and what was on sale and, only then, deciding what to buy.
I guess it is the habit of buying without looking at what I have first that has led to the thousands of Kindle books I have. A successful download of a Kindle book results in Amazon not downloading another book. When I mistakenly try to get a book I have already, I get a notice that I bought that book already. I am often pleased that I had good enough taste to buy such a worthy book before. Similarly, we have developed a supply of backups after I have bought a second box of cereal without realizing that we already have one waiting to be used.
