For her birthday, I gave my mother-in-law a membership to one of my favorite places on Earth, Costco. Today, the two of us went and signed her up, then spent an hour (at least) exploring the store. For the first time ever, since I normally have two small boys in tow, I had the opportunity to walk down every. single. aisle. Wow. What a store. Really. They carry everything!
Costco is a really difficult store in which not to spend money for a few reasons. First, the stuff they sell is GOOD STUFF. Plus, they rotate merchandise frequently, so something you see today may not be there next time, or ever again for that matter. Get it today or risk never getting the same deal again. Last, the prices are outstanding. How do you say no to such great deals, even if you don't need these items right now?
I really had an opportunity to see the store today in a new light. First off, like I said, I didn't have the boys with me, so we were able to take our time. But also, for the first time, I wasn't allowed to throw whatever I wanted in my cart. As we all know, there is an allure about the things we cannot have. Multiply that by, well, a zillion. I passed by this pack of felt floor protectors for just under $10. This was a ginormous pack of like 50+ multi-sized pieces, the majority of which I would have eventually used (I think). For under ten bucks! A tenth of that package at Target would have cost $5. Then I came upon my favorite Ticonderoga pencils. I don't need pencils right now, but these are really good ones and who knows if they'll still carry this brand the next time I need pencils. But I didn't need them, so I didn't get them. I completely passed by the book section, even though I could hear it softly calling my name. Lord knows, with 300+ unread books on my shelves, I really didn't need to even browse.
There were temptations surrounding me from all sides. Bluetooth speakers (which I wanted for Christmas but didn't get), iPad accessories, really cute puffer jackets (which I almost talked myself into needing, but then reassured myself the 12 jackets I have in the coat closet really should be sufficient). Rather than being sad for each item I wanted and couldn't have, though, I decided to be proud of myself and take joy in knowing I was strong enough to easily pass them up and move on.
My mother-in-law didn't fare so well. But then, she hasn't taken any sort of pledge, so in retrospect, she didn't do too terribly. She didn't even fill one cart. Thank goodness we had breakfast right before going, otherwise I am CERTAIN had she sampled the crab dip, chicken sausage, brie cheese and all the other assortments of goodies being handed out, she would have caved to many more treats.
