You
know that coral trench coat that Target carried a few years ago? It
was about forty bucks, and really cute? Yeah, that one. I thought
about buying it. It wouldn't have been a completely ridiculous
purchase. I live in Minnesota after all, and one-third of my wardrobe
is outerwear.
Instead of buying it when I saw it (and tried it on - it fit
perfectly), I decided to think about it. Growing up, my mom taught me
if something catches my eye to wait before I buy it. If I really want
it, I'll still want it in a week or so. If not, it's an unnecessary
impulse buy. I'm here to tell you that piece of advice is a bunch of
phooey, and should be completely disregarded. It's the voice of
experience speaking here...I went back to Target, money in hand
(Figuratively speaking, of course. Who carries cash anymore?), marched
back to the women's department, and......Sold out. Gone. None. Left.
Ok, I thought. I can look it up online and find one. Surely there's a
Target store
somewhere in the metro area that still has one in
stock. I had no luck. Nobody even had them on eBay! The coat was
completely sold out. Here I am three years later, lamenting my decision
to "think about it". Thanks, Mom.
I was chatting with
a friend last night, and somehow the conversation turned to my missed
opportunity with the trench coat. Would you believe she knew
exactly which coat I was talking about?
It got me thinking...there are probably lots of these little missed
opportunities, and that it must happen to other people. It can't be
possible that I would be the only person out there that noodles on a $40
Target buy. Right? Right??

For
me, it's not just things I didn't buy, but also things I didn't buy
enough of. Take my favorite pair of gold ballet flats. I bought them
at Macy's about four years ago from the clearance rack for $16
(regularly $59). I only bought one pair. I had no idea they would
quickly become my go-to shoes. For I had never owned a pair of gold
shoes. I did not know of their mystical matching power: they matched
EVERYTHING! I lived in these shoes. Then, by the time I realized how
much I loved them and that they would not last forever, they were no
longer in production. The shoe style is still in production, but the
ever-versatile gold was a color of seasons past. Boo-hoo. No longer
wanting to wear frayed, scuffed, loose-insoled shoes, I began my hunt
for new gold ballet flats. Finally I found a new pair, after endless
hours of hunting. And, luckily, I do like them almost as much as my
first pair. Of course, I only bought one pair. Hmm. I should probably
get on that.
What missed shopping opportunities do you regret?
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