A dilemma and a lesson learned

Week three of my six months’ challenge and I’m having lots of fun watching my seedlings grow (hope that it's veggies coming up not weeds!) and making paper waste bin liners. It’s easier than it looks if anyone wants to try it – you can find out how here.

 

This week I faced a dilemma and I would love readers’ feedback.  TAFE NSW is going through a major restructuring and due to the changes, we have new business cards and name badges. We have been instructed to go online and order ourselves the new-style name badge – they come in lots of pretty colours. But I can’t make myself do it. Most other staffers in my section have their new name badge and I’m must admit I’m a bit jealous.

So what to do?  Let’s break it down:

·        The badges appear to be made of plastic and magnets

·        They look great

·        Work is paying for them so technically I won’t be purchasing it

·        But do I really need it? I’ve lived without a name badge for ten years at TAFE – do I really need one now?

I would love some input on this dilemma please :)

 

The important lesson I learned this week involved a very cute pair of shoes I bought the week before I started my challenge. I was shopping with the gorgeous Lily (my Melbourne-resident daughter) and we ventured in to DFO for a bit of retail therapy. I have always had a weakness for shoes, especially when shopping with Lil. She has great fashion sense and we have fun when perusing the shoe stores.

The first shop we entered was having a 70% sale and we were both drawn to a pair of mustard coloured leather loafers. They didn’t have any in Lil’s size but they did in mine – or so I thought. The first pair was slightly too big and the second slightly too small. ‘They will stretch,’ said the shop assistant. ‘And they’re only twenty dollars.’

Twenty bucks! What a bargain. I put the smaller size on and walked around. They were sort of comfortable (they weren’t). Only twenty dollars! I’d better get them.

I pulled them out to wear this week. They are too small and too uncomfortable. What a waste! They may have been cheap but I shouldn’t have bought them. I was sucked in by the sale.

And this is what consumerism does to us. If it’s a bargain, we’d better buy it as we are saving money - no we’re not if we don’t wear it! And we are definitely not doing the planet any favours.

Thankfully I think I’ve found a home for them. But I’m mad at myself for wasting my money and the resource. Lesson learned.