Saturday, May 1, 2010

Thrift Store Junkie

I have noticed that there are certain times in a month when I desire to acquire strange and fantastic items for a fraction of what they would be worth brand new.
No, it has nothing to do with those brief but annoying monthly visits from Aunt Flo,(although there may be future blogs about that...stay tuned!).
I seem to particularly want to spend money when I have none to spend.
There is always a period of deficit every few weeks when allocated money has been spent on food, gas, bills and other necessities. I usually have little more than $10 which should be preciously tucked into my wallet for those in-between paycheck emergencies like when my oldest has 'special lunch' at school or we have run out of milk.
Instead, that small bit of cash generates a magnetic pull to the nearest thrift store where it will be used to purchase such things as an out-of-print book about vermiculture, or a furry, emerald green, riding cap from the 1960's.
There is something so uplifting yet at the same time slightly guilt-inducing about this practice. It doesn't feel clean and wholesome to raid the family coffers for such frivolity. But that's also why I like it. I find great satisfaction in using my superhero-like eye for detail to scan the store and unearth the treasures. I demonstrate the ultimate, post-modern, hunter-gatherer aptitude.
So, in a twisted way, I am providing for my family, if only because it makes me happy and I always come home with a bounty of gifts to bestow upon them.

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