I Want It! But I Don’t Need It!

Throughout my life at certain intervals, I have bought items on impulse or have asked for items for my birthday or Christmas, and I didn’t actually need it, I just wanted it. So here are a few items I have bought or been given over the years that have ended up collecting dust after just a few days in the desk draw or in the cupboard.

1. A few birthdays ago I decided I wanted a Go-Pro, so my wife got me one. It really is an amazing piece of kit and I used it on a summer family holiday. When I got home from our holiday it went in the desk draw and promptly stayed there for two years, only to re-surface very recently, because my daughter was going on holidays and wanted to borrow it.

2. Another birthday present that I just had to have was an iPad. I have no idea why! I ended up simply using it to play only one game on, and that was it. As soon as I got bored with the game, it disappeared out of sight, in fact I couldn’t find it for about a year. My other daughter asked if she could take it to Uganda in the summer just gone, of course I said yes, but I need to find it first. Amazingly I did find it, handed it over to my daughter and said you may as well keep it, because I’m never going to use it again.

3. Blogging has a terrible habit of giving you opportunities that can involve being gifted very cool products and you think I really want that, I will use that, of course I will, now I have a box of products that I never use, that are now collecting dust. They have cost me of course, because I had to write reviews and it’s taken my time and energy, but sometimes I wonder why I even said yes to the review when I end up never using it.

There have been a number of products that I did resist. One that springs to mind is the Apple Watch. When it was initially released I was convinced I wanted one, which made absolutely no sense because I have never worn a watch in my life. It was another classic example of I want it, but I don’t need it! Thankfully I didn’t waste my money on something I will never use. The problem is every time I see Kevin Bacon answer his phone on his watch in the advert. Omg! I want one so badly!

The strange thing for me is that I’m not an impulsive person by nature, so is the marketing and advertising of the 21st century subliminally convincing me that I need all the latest gear, when I can happily in truth live without it?

I would love to hear what impulse buys you have made.