What We Want vs What We Need

I'm not an impulse buyer--unlike a certain husband that shall remain nameless.

But sometimes...I wish I could be deliriously impractical and just buy something for the heck of it.

Today is not that day, but I came close. LOL

Worm Factory 360 WF360B Worm Composter, Black 
I was browsing online for sales when I came across a Worm Factory Composter. Some women want jewelry. Others want shoes or designer clothes. Me? I want a worm factory.

It was on sale for $71 at Jet.com, down from over $100. At first glance, a multi-tiered condo for future chicken food for 70 bucks seems like a great buy. But I know that the whole apparatus is a facade of marketing genius.

The only nice things about the whole contraption is that the bins are stackable and it sits on a base. The rest is fluff. I could make the same contraption (not nearly as pretty) for about ten bucks.

It sucks to be practical. My heart still wants to spend the money on the worm tower, but my brain says: Get off your bum and build it yourself. 

Do you ever catch yourself wanting to buy something you know you could make cheaper? 

Have you started shopping yet? What's the one impractical thing you'd love for yourself?

Aside from a worm farm, I've always wanted one of those electric pressure cookers. The one I want is still too expensive but I've got it on my Amazon wish list, waiting for it to go down in price. I'm patient. Sooner or later it'll go on sale.

 

Comments

I'm not big on clothes and shoes and jewelry either. I'd rather have books and office supplies.

I do like kitchen gadgets, but I don't let myself buy any...okay, buy many...since I really don't do much cooking. :)
Unknown said…
I got an LED lit ant farm for Christmas a few years back. It was the bomb diggity of gifts, one of the best of all times. :)
B.E. Sanderson said…
We already decided that we weren't getting each other anything for Christmas. There's nothing either of us really want, and what we need, we buy when we need it. If you're talking totally impractical, then for me, probably a KitchenAid mixer. I don't know that I'd use it very often or even what I'd use it for, since I don't bake much anymore. But still... shiny. Or a metal detector. They look like fun - for about a week. Then I'd get bored and it would sit in the closet. But oh, for that week! ;o)
betty said…
Having been part of the 4 year ordeal of de-cluttering after hubby's parents passed, I have come to step back when it comes to purchases and think "do I really want that" and then the reality "is this going to be a problem for someone to get rid of after I pass?" so I hardly buy anything these days unless I look at all angles of the purchase and deem it a worthy one. I'd be like you; looking for the best possible price or looking to see if I could make it myself. I think the only thing right now I impulsively buy are books to read on my tablet; but even then they are usually ones offered free or less than 3 dollars; I wait until they are offered at low prices even before purchasing them :)

betty
Maria Zannini said…
Madeline: I've long since run out of shelf space so when I buy a print book something has to go. Obviously what I really need are more shelves. :)
Maria Zannini said…
Diane: And here I do all I can not to farm ants. Lol.
Maria Zannini said…
BE: This year, Target has one for $159, and Amazon has the Professional model for $169. I bought mine 2 years ago for $110 in a super big sale at Amazon. It is wonderful and I'm not much of a baker. Makes my life easier since I'm not a good baker.
Maria Zannini said…
Betty: It's hard to pass up books.

But I hear you about thinking what I'm leaving behind too.
Susan Gourley/Kelley said…
I would love to have a new writer desk, but my old ones are okay. I have two cheap ones set at an angle to each other and I'm comfortable with them. But I've seen a few that are really great looking compared to my mismatched bunch. I sigh and move on.
Mike Keyton said…
I too am a sucker for the 'impulse buy'. It's what I call the Mr Toad syndrome (you'd know if you've read Wind in the Willows) My only saving grace - which you seem to share (if that's not an insult) is a mean streak which usually holds me back. Sometimes it doesn't though, and I love it when it doesn't - along with the newly acquired 'treasures'.

Like Betty, above, I used to be a sucker for the Amazon daily kindle deal. I've mastered that by scrolling down to the sour one star reviews, and hold back. :)
Stacy McKitrick said…
I've pretty much finished my shopping today (Cyber Monday!!), except for a few stocking stuffers, which will probably end up being candy or something yummy. Yeah, I still stuff the kids' stockings. Hubby's too. :)

The one impractical gift I'd like is a maid. That would be the best gift ever!
Sarah Ahiers said…
oh I totally want a worm farm. If I had space under my kitchen, I'd have had a worm tub years ago!
Author R. Mac Wheeler said…
I would love to turn my Goldwing in for a new BMW. I need to sell a lot more books than I've been, though.
Angela Brown said…
You are very hands-on, DIY-minded. I am not quite there. :-)
Maria Zannini said…
Susan: You should totally give yourself a writing desk. It's not just wishful thinking, but an investment.

I got so much more work done when I bought one of those Ikea desks. It's big enough for my computer, my giant monitor, printer and assorted accoutrements. Be nice to yourself. You deserve it.
Maria Zannini said…
Mike: I research everything, no matter how inexpensive it is. Why waste money?

I'm patient too. I'll wait years for the right price. There's nothing so dire that I need it right now. It's not like I'm shopping for a kidney or other vital organs. :)
Jenny Schwartz said…
I'd love to be an impulse buyer of books. Sadly, the price of books in Australia prohibits that. It's a bummer, but that's what wishlists and libraries are for :)

Maria Zannini said…
Stacy: I sometimes wish for a maid, but then I'd know I'd run around the house cleaning before she got there.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah: I knew you'd understand!
Maria Zannini said…
Mac: Now that's an expensive toy!
Maria Zannini said…
Angela: I'm motivated by frugal ways--though sometimes laziness kicks in and I have to opt for spending the money in order to save time.
Maria Zannini said…
Jenny:

Re: higher prices is Oz
That makes no sense. Why can't the book just be printed in Australia and distributed from there? Surely publishers can use print on demand there to save money--and subsequently make money because more people would buy.
the author said…
I usually refuse to buy anything I can make cheaper because I'm cheap, of course. If it's something I can't make I try to get it used if I can. Books are really the only thing I still buy new but I'm on a strict budget now.

I resolved this year not to buy any gifts for anyone this Christmas -- since summer I've been hand-making all my gifts for the family using materials I already have on hand -- and it's been very tough to resist shopping, especially today. I think it's better for me to stay out of debt, though, and it's pushed me to be more creative.

I can't read the Levenger catalogs that come in the mail because of all the gorgeous (and expensive) pens they carry, but the one impractical thing I'd buy is one of their True Writer Royal fountain pens in amethyst. I don't have to look at the catalog to remember how pretty it is. :)
Maria Zannini said…
Lynn: I know the pens you're talking about! My mother bought me a fountain pen when I entered high school. Back then fountain pens were pretty common, but I cherished this one because it was a gift.

There's nothing like a well-made pen. It's a piece of art in itself.
I'm crocheting myself some fingerless gloves instead of buying them (though I did go out and buy the yarn instead of using what I had on hand.)
Karen Jones Gowen said…
This is the time of year when all of our wants become needs!
Maria Zannini said…
Sandra: What I would've given for fingerless gloves when I worked in an office! I hope you'll show a picture when you're done.
Maria Zannini said…
Karen: Ha! It feels that way, anyway.