Recently I had to choose between getting a gift certificate and a gadget. And I took a short time relative to others who are still deciding. But the entire thing spurred conversations on how we justify our choices and desires.
I have some addictions in life - quite a few really - but all relatively harmless except for to my bank account and closet space. I just know that I'm really lucky in what I've made of my life accidentally and on purpose because it lets me justify so many things in life I never thought possible (let's just say that I realized this year that insanity might happen)! But I am addicted none-the-less to books, music, gadgets, yarn, furniture/household goods and shoes.
I must say it's an eclectic list, but I'm also a huge justifier. I was definitely more stringent when I was on my teacher-salary-budget with what I could get. I would justify the music and books by using the gift certificates I earned with my credit card-ing rent, auto insurance, groceries and other necessities when I was on the teacher-salary-budget. But then I was only allowed to get what I had a gift certificate for. When I increased to engineer-salary-budget I was able to justify more and in more categories I hadn't ventured into before. Should I have been? Who knows, but I live with consumerism like everyone else and have commercial desires!
I now have ways of justifying every one of my addictions although at the moment I'm not allowed to buy yarn, books & shoes. This list changes regularly and I allow myself loopholes of justification. But I'm cut off due to an overabundance and lack of use on some categories. Yet I can give you justification for how I'd buy shoes, for example: "if I throw out / donate (depending on condition) 3 pairs of shoes, I can replace them with one I've been drooling over for the past 3 weeks." Or books: "it's a small local bookstore and they're fantastic and we need to support them since I adore them so and I found this book I wouldn't have found at Amazon.com so I have to support them right?" I don't currently know of a justification for yarn.
Price is a factor in some things I justify - like gadgets. Space in some. Need in others. So when I was given the option of a gadget without a price point, I honestly didn't know how to un-justify it. It was a gadget I've wanted since it went on the market and I could tell you a million reasons why, but I had 3 reasons why I "wasn't allowed yet". Two of these reasons were technical and one was sticker-shock. Take away sticker shock and I was left trying to figure out if my 2 technical justifications were strong enough to stand up on their own. There was the "I don't need this" and the "it's not perfect" versus the "ooo shiney pretty toy please let me play with it and have it for my very own" factor.
I realized that I let myself splurge with windfalls and normally hold myself to a more rigorous standard otherwise. I have too much crap (heh - need to clean out my closet and craigs list this stuff) already so it's pretty easy to keep myself from overdoing in some areas. But dang, we change our justifications in life so easily.
And that my friends, is why I will be the owner of one shiney gadget I've been drooling over, lusting after and just plain wanting for months - but I'd resisted it... until yesterday when I could "justify" it to myself.
