When consumption is good for you

Most people who know me know that I'm a pretty hard market to sell to. It isn't that I'm miserly, just that I'm not all that interested in buying stuff. In general. I'm more likely to spend a great deal of money on an experience, like tickets to a gig or travel or something other than stuff. But sometimes it's the simple purchases in life that can make you happy.

Yesterday I went to the North Sydney Markets to pick up my street signs. The proceeds from the sale of the street signs go to the community centre. I'd bought Doohat Lane and Croquet Club for $50 each (Doohat because I pass the street every day on my way to work and it always makes me laugh and Croquet Club for a friend who'll be hosting an Alice in Wonderland 30th Birthday party later this year). There were others that hadn't been sold yet and I managed to get Sirius St for $10. I'm not sure whether to give it to an astronomy nut or a Harry Potter fan. Buying street signs, for some strange reason, made me happy.

Then I hopped on a bus and went to The Good Guys in Chatswood to buy a washing machine that uses 50L less water than our current model and half as much energy. I won a $50 voucher courtesy of Jetstar (which I thought was from my Brisbane trip earlier this year but was actually from when I went to Hobart for work last October...) and managed to get the machine for $610 + $42 delivery = $652 - $50 voucher = $602. Of course it took me ages to save up that much in cash (and my flatmate won't pay for half of it because she's hopeless with money) but with the enviro benefits and the fact I'll be getting $150 in a Sydney Water rebate, that purchase also made me happy.

I was mostly buoyed by the fact that my credit card bill this month is less than $500 (when it is usually $1500), though it didn't include my recent Brisbane trip, which will be coming soon.

Then I caught a bus back to North Sydney Markets and bought some random secondhand goods including a 3/4 length pinstripe blazer, 'The 80/20 Principle' by Richard Koch, a mushroom coloured Portmans top and a Rif Raf crochet dress, as well as avocadoes and tomatoes from the produce people. And I didn't eat anything that would compromise my pants situation. And, for some reason, all that made me happy.