Have fun... now!
December 30, 2009 8:35 AM Subscribe
"Once you start procrastinating pleasure, it can become a self-perpetuating process if you fixate on some imagined nirvana. The longer you wait to open that prize bottle of wine, the more special the occasion has to be." Something to keep in mind in this season when many are flush with gift certificates.
But the anticipation is the most fun part of most things in life! That's why I'm looking forward to the day I become a viking!
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:42 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by mccarty.tim at 8:42 AM on December 30, 2009
Not that focus on an ideal and unrealistic expectations for the future can't lead to less than optimal results, but "procrastinating pleasure" goes by another name that most successful students know: delay of gratification. It's all about balance.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:43 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 8:43 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Is this procrastination or loss aversion?
posted by Hypnotic Chick at 8:44 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by Hypnotic Chick at 8:44 AM on December 30, 2009
I have a problem with this and rely on my better half to remind me to use things even if there could always be a better occasion. When I play an RPG, I'll end the game with 95% of the single use scrolls and potions still sitting around unless the game requires that you can only keep a few.
posted by a robot made out of meat at 8:46 AM on December 30, 2009 [22 favorites]
posted by a robot made out of meat at 8:46 AM on December 30, 2009 [22 favorites]
Childhood pleasure procrastination lesson #1: If you save the yummiest food on your plate until last, your brother will steal and eat it before you get to the end.
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:49 AM on December 30, 2009 [12 favorites]
posted by pick_the_flowers at 8:49 AM on December 30, 2009 [12 favorites]
When I was a kid I once got a frisbee that had BOTH these cool whistle things AND a glowstick so you could play at night. I saved that thing for a really, really, REALLY special occasion because of course the glowstick only works once. Periodically I would take it out and imagine how amazing it was going to be when I eventually used it.
I never did use it and now I don't know where it even ended up.
And now you know...the REST of the story.
posted by DU at 8:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I never did use it and now I don't know where it even ended up.
And now you know...the REST of the story.
posted by DU at 8:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Another strange thing about gift certificates is that you (well, me, my wife and my sister...that's the extent of my my sample group) feel like you have to spend them on the best thing in the store or you're wasting them. If I walk into a record store with $50 of my own money to spend I don't really second guess my purchases, but if it's a $50 gift certificate I typically wander around for an hour agonizing over what to buy, picking stuff up and putting it back on the shelf, etc.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
The extreme of this ends with someone shoveling the mummified cats out of your garbage filled living room.
The things you own end up owning you.
non-minimalist-ist
posted by Babblesort at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009 [7 favorites]
The things you own end up owning you.
non-minimalist-ist
posted by Babblesort at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009 [7 favorites]
I *wish* I had this problem (opening MasterCard bill, swooning).
posted by manos_frias at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by manos_frias at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009
As a committed hedonist, I never put off pleasure if I can help it. But I also forego some smaller pleasures in order to have the greater pleasure of not owing my soul to rapacious creditors (this includes the pleasure of shredding credit card offers I get in the mail while laughing maniacally).
But I would never let a good bottle of wine or a gift certificate to someplace good sit unused for any length of time. Life is too short, and what could be sadder than putting aside a gift for too long and getting hit by the Hypothetical Bus before I ever enjoy it?
posted by emjaybee at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
But I would never let a good bottle of wine or a gift certificate to someplace good sit unused for any length of time. Life is too short, and what could be sadder than putting aside a gift for too long and getting hit by the Hypothetical Bus before I ever enjoy it?
posted by emjaybee at 8:52 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, this too.
I have the problem of not using what I have...
I always did that with hobby supplies.
I have sandpaper leftover from the 1960s.
(OFF THE LAWN!)
posted by Drasher at 8:56 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
I have the problem of not using what I have...
I always did that with hobby supplies.
I have sandpaper leftover from the 1960s.
(OFF THE LAWN!)
posted by Drasher at 8:56 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Me? I'm rationing rice and holding off on defrosting that last pound of ground beef so I can have something to eat before my next disbursement of financial aid. So I can sympathize with this article, um, not at all.
Also, Bob is very angry to see "slack" used in such a way as to encourage banal consumption within a capitalist regime. Send $1 for more information.
posted by effwerd at 8:57 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
Also, Bob is very angry to see "slack" used in such a way as to encourage banal consumption within a capitalist regime. Send $1 for more information.
posted by effwerd at 8:57 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
Wow, me and my wife are the opposite of this! We're childless, have lots of free time and a comfortable amount of money. I think both of us realize that any or all of the above may change. So our conversations go like:
"Hey, Hampton Court looks cool and its here in London."
"Really? Lets go next weekend!"
"I saw this cool travel article about this fair in Provence next month..."
"Really? Why dont we look into flights!"
"My friend gave me this nice bottle of wine. Its good now but should age well too..."
"Hey! I'll prepare a special dinner and we'll open it tonight ok?"
I guess, that unlike the article states, we see ourselves as having less free time in the future.
posted by vacapinta at 8:59 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
"Hey, Hampton Court looks cool and its here in London."
"Really? Lets go next weekend!"
"I saw this cool travel article about this fair in Provence next month..."
"Really? Why dont we look into flights!"
"My friend gave me this nice bottle of wine. Its good now but should age well too..."
"Hey! I'll prepare a special dinner and we'll open it tonight ok?"
I guess, that unlike the article states, we see ourselves as having less free time in the future.
posted by vacapinta at 8:59 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Fuck, and me with a bottle of Utopias under the tree this Christmas.
posted by mrzarquon at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by mrzarquon at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I have never had this problem. If something is awesome, I use it until it breaks or I feel like I've finished it. Then I am both sad that it is gone and relieved that it isn't around to tempt me any more.
This includes a variety of things including nice bottles of scotch or wine, books, video games, and food ingredients. Use it, enjoy it, and be done with it.
posted by scrutiny at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
This includes a variety of things including nice bottles of scotch or wine, books, video games, and food ingredients. Use it, enjoy it, and be done with it.
posted by scrutiny at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Pleasure deferred is pleasure denied.
posted by Standeck at 9:06 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Standeck at 9:06 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
...I typically wander around for an hour agonizing over what to buy, picking stuff up and putting it back on the shelf, etc.
I do this for everything, and still somehow end up regretting it later on.
I have since resorted to theft. Quick, efficient and comes with an option for regret-free disposal, if I am not fully satisfied.
posted by shoebox at 9:06 AM on December 30, 2009
I do this for everything, and still somehow end up regretting it later on.
I have since resorted to theft. Quick, efficient and comes with an option for regret-free disposal, if I am not fully satisfied.
posted by shoebox at 9:06 AM on December 30, 2009
I also have a standing order that no one is to give me gifts that can be "used up" because I really hate the "well that was awesome but it was a one-time thing that can never be repeated" feeling and I'll just hoard it for all time and never use it.
("used up" is kind of loosely defined--people can give me food, say, or packages of origami paper. But not an origami book that comes with special patterned paper for making those particular animals.)
posted by DU at 9:07 AM on December 30, 2009
("used up" is kind of loosely defined--people can give me food, say, or packages of origami paper. But not an origami book that comes with special patterned paper for making those particular animals.)
posted by DU at 9:07 AM on December 30, 2009
I guess I'm the opposite of The Card Cheat, I kinda count gift cards as free money so I'll use them on things that I sort of want, but not enough to spend my "real" money on.
posted by ghharr at 9:08 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by ghharr at 9:08 AM on December 30, 2009
I have an entire closet full of computer games that I wanted to savor and play extremely slowly. Extracting all pleasure possible from its texture mapped, Hardware T&L ed and EAX interiors. And every time I go back to one of these games, I find their visuals extremely dated, the narrative and voice acting especially contrived.
Yet I'm sure, my younger self, unexposed to pixel shaders and million dollar budgeted games would have really loved Undying, Omikron, Nocturne and all those unloved, unplayed games in their cardboard coffins in my videogame mausoleum.
posted by prufrock at 9:12 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Yet I'm sure, my younger self, unexposed to pixel shaders and million dollar budgeted games would have really loved Undying, Omikron, Nocturne and all those unloved, unplayed games in their cardboard coffins in my videogame mausoleum.
posted by prufrock at 9:12 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
When I was a kid I once got a frisbee that had BOTH these cool whistle things AND a glowstick so you could play at night. I saved that thing for a really, really, REALLY special occasion because of course the glowstick only works once. Periodically I would take it out and imagine how amazing it was going to be when I eventually used it.
I never did use it and now I don't know where it even ended up.
As someone who likes planning things out more than I like actually implementing those plans, I would argue that your frisbee was possibly more valuable as a object of your imagination than it would have been as a toy if you had actually used it. Sometimes planning a dream vacation or imagining that your unopened bottle of wine would taste better than anything else on in the world is the whole point, and actually going on the (not so perfect) trip or drinking the (not so delicious) wine would ruin it.
posted by burnmp3s at 9:19 AM on December 30, 2009 [5 favorites]
I never did use it and now I don't know where it even ended up.
As someone who likes planning things out more than I like actually implementing those plans, I would argue that your frisbee was possibly more valuable as a object of your imagination than it would have been as a toy if you had actually used it. Sometimes planning a dream vacation or imagining that your unopened bottle of wine would taste better than anything else on in the world is the whole point, and actually going on the (not so perfect) trip or drinking the (not so delicious) wine would ruin it.
posted by burnmp3s at 9:19 AM on December 30, 2009 [5 favorites]
Like ghharr, I'm almost always freer with gift cards than I would be with cash -- I mean I have to spend them, right?
However:
I have a problem with this and rely on my better half to remind me to use things even if there could always be a better occasion. When I play an RPG, I'll end the game with 95% of the single use scrolls and potions still sitting around unless the game requires that you can only keep a few.
I do do this. Always. I mean, you never know. However, I seldom face fire-breathing dragons IRL and when I do, I always have on hand a surplus of impulsively bought DVD's to hurl at them.
As for single-use items IRL, my fam has moved hard in that direction, and I favour it, too. All depends where you're at. If you need stuff, you don't want a round of cheese and a bottle of wine. If you don't, that's about all you do want. How you approach this has a lot to do with scarcity. Growing up, a "penny" saved was never a penny earned full-stop, because it could be repeatedly saved, again and again. Now, with a few more pennies to go around, it's a different calculation, and sure, if you never spend it, you end up short-changed.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:20 AM on December 30, 2009
However:
I have a problem with this and rely on my better half to remind me to use things even if there could always be a better occasion. When I play an RPG, I'll end the game with 95% of the single use scrolls and potions still sitting around unless the game requires that you can only keep a few.
I do do this. Always. I mean, you never know. However, I seldom face fire-breathing dragons IRL and when I do, I always have on hand a surplus of impulsively bought DVD's to hurl at them.
As for single-use items IRL, my fam has moved hard in that direction, and I favour it, too. All depends where you're at. If you need stuff, you don't want a round of cheese and a bottle of wine. If you don't, that's about all you do want. How you approach this has a lot to do with scarcity. Growing up, a "penny" saved was never a penny earned full-stop, because it could be repeatedly saved, again and again. Now, with a few more pennies to go around, it's a different calculation, and sure, if you never spend it, you end up short-changed.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:20 AM on December 30, 2009
Not spending gift certificates or gift cards right away is an excellent way to get shafted when companies suddenly fold.
posted by entropicamericana at 9:22 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by entropicamericana at 9:22 AM on December 30, 2009
I have the opposite problem. Please send me all of your gift certificates and frequent flyer miles so that I can practice not using them. Thanks.
posted by iamkimiam at 9:22 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by iamkimiam at 9:22 AM on December 30, 2009
As a kid, I used to put off eating the best part of whatever food I was eating until last. One day, my father pointed out to me how little sense this made. "Always eat the best part of the steak first, when you're hungry."* If you save the best part for last, you'll be full and it'll be cold. You're not getting the full enjoyment out of it that way.
Delaying gratification is fine and a good life skill, but only when done for some reason — usually, for some greater gain down the road. Done simply for its own sake, it's a wasteful and pointless exercise in self-flagellation.
* Of course, if you're eating prime rib, the best part is the outside, so you should eat that part first.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:23 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Delaying gratification is fine and a good life skill, but only when done for some reason — usually, for some greater gain down the road. Done simply for its own sake, it's a wasteful and pointless exercise in self-flagellation.
* Of course, if you're eating prime rib, the best part is the outside, so you should eat that part first.
posted by Kadin2048 at 9:23 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
"Procrastinating pleasure" = dislocates shoulder reaching around for a negative-spin phrase.
posted by jfuller at 9:25 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by jfuller at 9:25 AM on December 30, 2009
Childhood pleasure procrastination lesson #1: If you save the yummiest food on your plate until last, your brother will steal and eat it before you get to the end.
Corollary #1: In a family with six children, one of the younger sisters will learn to hoard secret stashes, and then go on to become quite wealthy.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:25 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Corollary #1: In a family with six children, one of the younger sisters will learn to hoard secret stashes, and then go on to become quite wealthy.
posted by StickyCarpet at 9:25 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Childhood pleasure procrastination lesson #1: If you save the yummiest food on your plate until last, your brother will steal and eat it before you get to the end.
This was a bit of an eye-opener for me working with teenage kids from somewhat disturbed family situations. It was nigh-impossible to instill any forward-thinking when it came to something like food. If it was there and you wanted it you ate it, because if you didn't, it wouldn't be there later.
However, that only lasted long enough for people to realize that taking a bite out of things and putting them back in the refridgerator worked, too.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:30 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
This was a bit of an eye-opener for me working with teenage kids from somewhat disturbed family situations. It was nigh-impossible to instill any forward-thinking when it came to something like food. If it was there and you wanted it you ate it, because if you didn't, it wouldn't be there later.
However, that only lasted long enough for people to realize that taking a bite out of things and putting them back in the refridgerator worked, too.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 9:30 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
i dunno. i was brought up catholic. we pretty much forewent any kind of pleasure ever. most of the time, i still think feeling good & enjoying things is a sin.
posted by msconduct at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by msconduct at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2009
As a kid, after Halloween I would hoard as much candy as I could. Because what is a successful kid without a huge pile of candy? I'd usually begin the following Halloween with at least a dozen pieces left from the year before.
Now that I have a stable source of income, I've come to realize that if something gets used I can always (within reason) go out and get another one. Things don't stay around as long anymore.
Gift cards still never get used, though. I have about twenty bucks in an iTunes credit from last Christmas that I never used.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2009
Now that I have a stable source of income, I've come to realize that if something gets used I can always (within reason) go out and get another one. Things don't stay around as long anymore.
Gift cards still never get used, though. I have about twenty bucks in an iTunes credit from last Christmas that I never used.
posted by backseatpilot at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2009
I really enjoy watching the way my mother lives it up now. She had a very poor childhood (no plumbing, waking up a nights because she was too cold to sleep, lost all her teeth in her thirties because of malnutrition in childhood) and was financially strapped most of her adulthood (many kids, disabled husband, real estate deal gone south, poorly paid jobs, constantly stressed out about money). Now, at 71, she and my dad are modestly well off and have enough to travel and buy the things they really need and want. Some older people tend to think they have one foot in the grave so there's no point in buying themselves nice things, but my mother has nice clothes and is working on making her house exactly to her liking. She still clips coupons and is quite frugal compared to most people, but she lives well. She says she's had enough of doing without, and if she wants something, she's going to buy it.
I had a very hard time of it in my early adulthood and lived at a social assistance standard of living for many years. I do live much better now. Not that I live my life according to my mother's dictates, but it is nice to hear my mother even encouraging me to carpe diem after so many years of her being so uptight about money and having to work so very hard.
Another facet of this attitude is having nice things and being afraid to use them, even when the items are relatively durable and would be fine if used with care. I have a friend like this. I knitted her a cream lace-patterned worsted afghan when she got married. A few years later I was at her house and she showed me a whole chest of quilts (handmade by her aunts, grandmothers, great-aunts), blankets and the like that she had packed away. The afghan was in the chest, looking as pristine as the day I finished it. The other coverlets in the chest were gorgeous, so it was no insult to have my afghan packed away in their company, but I didn't spend 100 hours knitting that afghan so it could sit in a box. I tried to tactfully suggest this by saying how when I visited another friend and saw her wedding present afghan looking a little worn I was very happy to see that it was being used and enjoyed, but my friend said, "Oh no, I don't want it to get worn!"
One of the items in the box was a Hudson's Bay blanket that was a wedding present. Her husband told me she freaks whenever he takes it out of the box. He says, "My wife thinks that if we have anything especially nice, we should keep it in a box and not use it, so it will be in good enough shape to pass onto our children, so that they can keep it in a box."
There's no point in even having nice things if you never get to enjoy using them.
posted by orange swan at 9:43 AM on December 30, 2009 [22 favorites]
I had a very hard time of it in my early adulthood and lived at a social assistance standard of living for many years. I do live much better now. Not that I live my life according to my mother's dictates, but it is nice to hear my mother even encouraging me to carpe diem after so many years of her being so uptight about money and having to work so very hard.
Another facet of this attitude is having nice things and being afraid to use them, even when the items are relatively durable and would be fine if used with care. I have a friend like this. I knitted her a cream lace-patterned worsted afghan when she got married. A few years later I was at her house and she showed me a whole chest of quilts (handmade by her aunts, grandmothers, great-aunts), blankets and the like that she had packed away. The afghan was in the chest, looking as pristine as the day I finished it. The other coverlets in the chest were gorgeous, so it was no insult to have my afghan packed away in their company, but I didn't spend 100 hours knitting that afghan so it could sit in a box. I tried to tactfully suggest this by saying how when I visited another friend and saw her wedding present afghan looking a little worn I was very happy to see that it was being used and enjoyed, but my friend said, "Oh no, I don't want it to get worn!"
One of the items in the box was a Hudson's Bay blanket that was a wedding present. Her husband told me she freaks whenever he takes it out of the box. He says, "My wife thinks that if we have anything especially nice, we should keep it in a box and not use it, so it will be in good enough shape to pass onto our children, so that they can keep it in a box."
There's no point in even having nice things if you never get to enjoy using them.
posted by orange swan at 9:43 AM on December 30, 2009 [22 favorites]
I was cleaning my apartment a few months ago and came across a Circuit City gift card. I keep it in front of a small pile of Amazon.com gift certificates from my credit card as a "memento prodigendi"--like a memento mori, but reminding me to spend. Oh Sekonic L-358 light meter, you will soon be mine.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:50 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Admiral Haddock at 9:50 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
I don't usually have this problem, but there is a Very Special Stamp that I've had for eleven years. It came from an insect-themed sheet of stamps, and it has a dung beetle on it. I wanted to save it for the perfect letter to any friend who could appreciate a stamp with a dung beetle on it.
This has inspired me to write a silly letter to my best friend (even though we text each other all day) and bestow the honor of the stamp on her (even though the letter will require extra postage, since the stamp isn't worth much).
posted by Toothless Willy at 9:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
This has inspired me to write a silly letter to my best friend (even though we text each other all day) and bestow the honor of the stamp on her (even though the letter will require extra postage, since the stamp isn't worth much).
posted by Toothless Willy at 9:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
I have a Ticketmaster gift card from last Christmas (2008) that I still haven't spent. Ticketmaster doesn't run most of the venues in Austin, which is generally a blessing but in this case is a curse. They closed the venue in suburban San Antonio that we used to go to in the summer. I feel guilty that I had to say "don't do that again" because I didn't spend the last one. I also had a Harry & David card last year that expired because I didn't get to the mall soon enough, which I didn't mention.
We got a gift card to the Alamo Drafthouse (movies and dinner) this year and I swear I'm going to spend it for all that I forgot to use it when we went to see Sherlock Holmes. So yeah, I'm totally feeling that article.
posted by immlass at 10:21 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
We got a gift card to the Alamo Drafthouse (movies and dinner) this year and I swear I'm going to spend it for all that I forgot to use it when we went to see Sherlock Holmes. So yeah, I'm totally feeling that article.
posted by immlass at 10:21 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I have a "controlled procrastination" project going on right now: When our daughter was born, I happened to have half of a case of a wine that I hoped would age well from our favorite vineyard. I marked each bottle to setup a schedule of drinking one bottle when she was 3,6,9,12,15, and 18 years old. So far, we've done the 3 and 6. Not much change in the wine so far, but lots in the kid.
posted by webhund at 10:36 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by webhund at 10:36 AM on December 30, 2009 [4 favorites]
It's interesting how this "problem" shows up or doesn't in different situations. It doesn't occur for me with gift cards (as someone said, it's free money), but I do have it with wine. I'll put away a bottle and because it's put away, it become "special" and especially after time goes by, no longer replaceable, and thus harder to consume.
I'll be in the cellar.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:48 AM on December 30, 2009
I'll be in the cellar.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:48 AM on December 30, 2009
I procrastinate pleasure like there's no tomorrow. When I "cash in" I often find that I've built it up so much that it's a shell of an experience compared to what I was expecting.
I think in this article the tourist/landmark phenomenon is off the mark. Not everyone visits landmarks in the places they live because not everyone cares about site-seeing. On the other hand, when you travel somewhere part of the adventure is the site-seeing because there is a shred of an illusion that seeing these sites will "induct" you into experiencing the place you're visiting. When you live somewhere, you are experiencing the place you're living, whether you set out to or not, and whether you visit so-called landmarks or not. I don't think it's delayed gratification so much as it is a different set of priorities and goals.
posted by tybeet at 10:49 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think in this article the tourist/landmark phenomenon is off the mark. Not everyone visits landmarks in the places they live because not everyone cares about site-seeing. On the other hand, when you travel somewhere part of the adventure is the site-seeing because there is a shred of an illusion that seeing these sites will "induct" you into experiencing the place you're visiting. When you live somewhere, you are experiencing the place you're living, whether you set out to or not, and whether you visit so-called landmarks or not. I don't think it's delayed gratification so much as it is a different set of priorities and goals.
posted by tybeet at 10:49 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
For a bottle of wine to survive a night with me, it would have to find a hiding place.
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:21 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Astro Zombie at 11:21 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
This is like my thing about iPod cases.
I used to be anal about keeping my iPod/Phone looking fresh and new, so I'd always spend a lot on protective hard cases to keep the silver from getting scratched and scuffed.
Until of course I realized that I was protecting the beauty of a thing I was now never ever seeing, so what was the point?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:40 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
I used to be anal about keeping my iPod/Phone looking fresh and new, so I'd always spend a lot on protective hard cases to keep the silver from getting scratched and scuffed.
Until of course I realized that I was protecting the beauty of a thing I was now never ever seeing, so what was the point?
posted by Senor Cardgage at 11:40 AM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
Here's the explanation: View 26:30 to 31:18
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:41 AM on December 30, 2009
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:41 AM on December 30, 2009
"I procrastinate pleasure like there's no tomorrow."
Hmmm. Interesting way of putting it.
I got a gift certificate to Pottery Barn this year, and because of this post, just drove down to the local store to try to use it. I found the prices, I don't know, sort of insultingly ridiculous. Couldn't really find anything I wanted, left with only a catalog. I think I'm doing it wrong.
posted by smcameron at 11:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Hmmm. Interesting way of putting it.
I got a gift certificate to Pottery Barn this year, and because of this post, just drove down to the local store to try to use it. I found the prices, I don't know, sort of insultingly ridiculous. Couldn't really find anything I wanted, left with only a catalog. I think I'm doing it wrong.
posted by smcameron at 11:51 AM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I've been on a serious decluttering kick for the last 4 years. By this point, if I'm not using it, then I get rid of it, end of story. Keeping things that have no use is a great way to fill your house with geologic layers of unchanging piles of stuff.
The problem with gift cards is that if you don't use them within a month or so, they tend to get lost or accidentally thrown away. If I haven't found a use for a gift card within a reasonable time span, I either donate or sell it.
(Charities are thrilled to receive donations of gift cards. They can either use them directly (any charity will need office supplies or stuff from Amazon) or give them to the people they're helping.)
posted by ErikaB at 11:59 AM on December 30, 2009
The problem with gift cards is that if you don't use them within a month or so, they tend to get lost or accidentally thrown away. If I haven't found a use for a gift card within a reasonable time span, I either donate or sell it.
(Charities are thrilled to receive donations of gift cards. They can either use them directly (any charity will need office supplies or stuff from Amazon) or give them to the people they're helping.)
posted by ErikaB at 11:59 AM on December 30, 2009
Ah, hedonistic ascetism!
posted by Eideteker at 12:13 PM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
posted by Eideteker at 12:13 PM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
I find the biggest problem with gift cards is not so much 'saving them' but going to stores I tend to avoid in favor of online shopping. A $50 Best Buy gift card is nice, but that same $50 would buy a lot more on the internet than it would at Best Buy.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 12:38 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 12:38 PM on December 30, 2009
As a classic car enthusiast, let me say I love buying cars from the folks who never use them, put seat covers on them from the day they bought them, and generally never really enjoyed the car for what it was. (See also, plastic covers on furniture, etc.)
I have sitting on my shelf a gift certificate from Nordstroms from 1989. In real money, it must now be worth, what, half of what it originally was? I lost it for a few years, and now I'm rarely near a Nordstroms. At this point, it will be an interesting experience to present a non-expiring certificate from more than a decade ago and see if they'll take it.
posted by maxwelton at 12:51 PM on December 30, 2009
I have sitting on my shelf a gift certificate from Nordstroms from 1989. In real money, it must now be worth, what, half of what it originally was? I lost it for a few years, and now I'm rarely near a Nordstroms. At this point, it will be an interesting experience to present a non-expiring certificate from more than a decade ago and see if they'll take it.
posted by maxwelton at 12:51 PM on December 30, 2009
I have a "controlled procrastination" project going on right now: When our daughter was born, I happened to have half of a case of a wine that I hoped would age well from our favorite vineyard. I marked each bottle to setup a schedule of drinking one bottle when she was 3,6,9,12,15, and 18 years old. So far, we've done the 3 and 6. Not much change in the wine so far, but lots in the kid.
So you have six bottles, and you're drinking a bottle every three years. The last one will be drunk on your daughter's eighteenth birthday. This means that when she turns twenty-one and is legally permitted to enjoy the wine with you, there will be none left for her birthday and she won't get any at all.
You're kind of a jerk.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:51 PM on December 30, 2009 [10 favorites]
So you have six bottles, and you're drinking a bottle every three years. The last one will be drunk on your daughter's eighteenth birthday. This means that when she turns twenty-one and is legally permitted to enjoy the wine with you, there will be none left for her birthday and she won't get any at all.
You're kind of a jerk.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:51 PM on December 30, 2009 [10 favorites]
FOB, if she's home on her 18th birthday, nothing to prevent her having a glass of wine with her dad, provided he doesn't call the cops and say "Hey, I'm letting my underage kid drink wine!"
posted by emjaybee at 12:57 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by emjaybee at 12:57 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
FOB, if she's home on her 18th birthday, nothing to prevent her having a glass of wine with her dad, provided he doesn't call the cops and say "Hey, I'm letting my underage kid drink wine!"
Actually, according to this site and assuming the location on his profile is correct, as long as the child isn't in public, she can start drinking now.
posted by nooneyouknow at 1:18 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Actually, according to this site and assuming the location on his profile is correct, as long as the child isn't in public, she can start drinking now.
posted by nooneyouknow at 1:18 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Ha! I have a bottle of Sauza Tres Generaciones I've been 'saving' for a 'special' occasion. I think I bought it ten years ago. It's not like it's improving with age in the bottle - more likely going stale and evaporating. I've had two kids since then, and I don't think there'll be any occasions more special than that. Looks like tequila for New Years Eve...
posted by obiwanwasabi at 1:29 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by obiwanwasabi at 1:29 PM on December 30, 2009
smcameron: "42I got a gift certificate to Pottery Barn this year, and because of this post, just drove down to the local store to try to use it. I found the prices, I don't know, sort of insultingly ridiculous. Couldn't really find anything I wanted, left with only a catalog. I think I'm doing it wrong."
I may be misunderstanding, but it sounds like you weren't really inclined to buy stuff at Pottery Barn anyway, so no loss, right?
I actually just got back from spending some bank coupons at H&M, and while it wasn't a problem finding things to buy (more than it usually is clothes shopping -- argh), there was stress involved in the "must use by x or it expires and then anything you buy from there in the next few months is STUFF YOU COULD HAVE HAD FREE!!!!!" pressure. Luckily (*cough*), I now have a coat and some shirts and stuff.
posted by bettafish at 1:36 PM on December 30, 2009
I may be misunderstanding, but it sounds like you weren't really inclined to buy stuff at Pottery Barn anyway, so no loss, right?
I actually just got back from spending some bank coupons at H&M, and while it wasn't a problem finding things to buy (more than it usually is clothes shopping -- argh), there was stress involved in the "must use by x or it expires and then anything you buy from there in the next few months is STUFF YOU COULD HAVE HAD FREE!!!!!" pressure. Luckily (*cough*), I now have a coat and some shirts and stuff.
posted by bettafish at 1:36 PM on December 30, 2009
Like the iPod cases mentioned above, I have always been totally bewildered by people who cover their nice furniture with protective plastic covers, even when they are putting on a social event. What are they saving it for that's so important that it means I have to sit on uncomfortable plastic? I find it kinda insulting.
Having said that, I inadvertently horde gift cards. Since I ... um... "grew up"... my parents give me the same present every Christmas and birthday: a $50 gift card. Now this is a very diverse gift card - it can be used at department stores, grocery stores, liquor stores and more (Coles/Myer, for fellow Aussies). I shop at these stores a LOT, but for some reason never think of using the vouchers, even though they are in my wallet.
The problem is, they expire after 2 years.
Boxing day, I did a stocktake. I had to throw out SIX that had expired (that's $300!). I have 4 ($200) that are still valid, which I plan to spend as soon as I can, even if it's just on groceries. Throwing away those six cards made me feel like I was robbing my parents :(
(And I don't understand why they expire. What a scam)
posted by Diag at 1:41 PM on December 30, 2009
Having said that, I inadvertently horde gift cards. Since I ... um... "grew up"... my parents give me the same present every Christmas and birthday: a $50 gift card. Now this is a very diverse gift card - it can be used at department stores, grocery stores, liquor stores and more (Coles/Myer, for fellow Aussies). I shop at these stores a LOT, but for some reason never think of using the vouchers, even though they are in my wallet.
The problem is, they expire after 2 years.
Boxing day, I did a stocktake. I had to throw out SIX that had expired (that's $300!). I have 4 ($200) that are still valid, which I plan to spend as soon as I can, even if it's just on groceries. Throwing away those six cards made me feel like I was robbing my parents :(
(And I don't understand why they expire. What a scam)
posted by Diag at 1:41 PM on December 30, 2009
Er, don't know what that "42" is doing in there.
posted by bettafish at 4:37 PM on December 30 [+] [!]
More like babelfish, amirite?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:42 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by bettafish at 4:37 PM on December 30 [+] [!]
More like babelfish, amirite?
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:42 PM on December 30, 2009
I have a Lands' End gift certificate sitting in my office right now from May 13, 2003! It aged behind a filing cabinet and has been aging in my office for about a year now.
I'm hold with Lands' End right now checking to see if it's still good.
posted by vespabelle at 1:42 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
I'm hold with Lands' End right now checking to see if it's still good.
posted by vespabelle at 1:42 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
my gift certificate is good! yay! I'm going to buy myself something frivolous and fun and most importantly NOT ON SALE! (I always want to buy on sale. it's a sickness.)
posted by vespabelle at 1:46 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by vespabelle at 1:46 PM on December 30, 2009
I marked each bottle to setup a schedule of drinking one bottle when she was 3,6,9,12,15, and 18 years old.
The problem with this, of course, is that your kid won't be old enough to enjoy it with you. But that's probably not your point.
I had a friend who, on her 21st birthday, was served a 21 year old bottle of wine at her birthday dinner with her parents - her dad had saved an expensive bottle. She did not enjoy the wine. And the bottle was kind of a waste on her. Shame.
You really have to be forward thinking, and find a good scotch that will age well until your kid is like 35. That would be a great drink.
posted by jabberjaw at 2:08 PM on December 30, 2009
The problem with this, of course, is that your kid won't be old enough to enjoy it with you. But that's probably not your point.
I had a friend who, on her 21st birthday, was served a 21 year old bottle of wine at her birthday dinner with her parents - her dad had saved an expensive bottle. She did not enjoy the wine. And the bottle was kind of a waste on her. Shame.
You really have to be forward thinking, and find a good scotch that will age well until your kid is like 35. That would be a great drink.
posted by jabberjaw at 2:08 PM on December 30, 2009
Oh, and I just found a 5-year-old Cheesecake Factory gift card with $18 bucks left on it! Now I just need to find the desire to eat at a Cheesecake Factory.
posted by jabberjaw at 2:09 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by jabberjaw at 2:09 PM on December 30, 2009
I've been holding off on commenting in this thread because I knew it would be an experience I wanted to savor and revel in.
As it turns out... it's pretty ok.
posted by quin at 3:16 PM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
As it turns out... it's pretty ok.
posted by quin at 3:16 PM on December 30, 2009 [2 favorites]
jabberjaw: So far as I know, scotch doesn't really age in the bottle, so you'd have to buy a whole cask -- which might be kind of cool, but I'd be afraid I'd do something wrong over the years and spoil it all somehow, and so far as I know the casks aren't really airtight, so there is some loss to evaporation.
posted by smcameron at 3:54 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by smcameron at 3:54 PM on December 30, 2009
I'd be afraid I'd do something wrong over the years and spoil it all somehow
Like ... drink it?
posted by Diag at 4:58 PM on December 30, 2009
Like ... drink it?
posted by Diag at 4:58 PM on December 30, 2009
Sometimes it is just sloth. Many of the best wines that are well aged are merely forgotten for too long. I have a bottle of beer that was meant to be aged. Well, now it is going on a dozen years. One of these days it needs to make its way into the fridge and then my belly. Someday.
posted by caddis at 5:36 PM on December 30, 2009
posted by caddis at 5:36 PM on December 30, 2009
I've got four bottles of 1994 port in the wine fridge. I could drink it now and it would be pretty nice. Or I could wait, and wait, and wait some more, and THEN drink it. And then it would be awesome.
Sometimes, patience is best.
That said, as soon as I can afford that Leica M9, I'm buying it.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2009
Sometimes, patience is best.
That said, as soon as I can afford that Leica M9, I'm buying it.
posted by seanmpuckett at 5:48 PM on December 30, 2009
Diag: (And I don't understand why they expire. What a scam)
There's actually a law where I live (California) that they can't expire. I don't know if it was because of a voter proposition or what, but it's definitely saved many a gift card of mine from turning into nothing more than plastic.
posted by Defenestrator at 6:54 PM on December 30, 2009
There's actually a law where I live (California) that they can't expire. I don't know if it was because of a voter proposition or what, but it's definitely saved many a gift card of mine from turning into nothing more than plastic.
posted by Defenestrator at 6:54 PM on December 30, 2009
Huh, I guess I'm in the minority here. I love getting gift cards because it lets me spend money at a place without the guilt of "I should be saving this money for the future." I'm always excited to use them and often do so as soon as I can.
Definitely agree with most of it, though. I used to keep my iPhone in a case to keep it pristine, and I realized that all it did was make the phone bulkier and less enjoyable to use. Now I use it without a case, and while it has a few scuff marks on it, it feels great in my hand and at this point I'm not worried about scratches.
When it comes down to it, though, I have a mental "break even" point with pretty much everything I own. It's a time-based value and isn't really something I set when I receive something; rather, after a few months of owning something I'll tend to realize "This was worth the money, I use it all the time and would buy another if it broke" or "This was a poor purchase and I need to make a better decision next time."
Something that just sits on the shelf has an infinite break-even point that will never be attained; it just sits there, never fulfilling its intended purpose. Conversely, if an expendable item is received and used, it can simply be replaced at a later time, assuming it turned out to be a useful thing and finances permit.
It'd be like hanging a beautiful violin on the wall. Sure, it'd be nice to look at, and you could proudly show it to people. But wouldn't it be better if you actually played it once in a while?
posted by DMan at 9:39 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Definitely agree with most of it, though. I used to keep my iPhone in a case to keep it pristine, and I realized that all it did was make the phone bulkier and less enjoyable to use. Now I use it without a case, and while it has a few scuff marks on it, it feels great in my hand and at this point I'm not worried about scratches.
When it comes down to it, though, I have a mental "break even" point with pretty much everything I own. It's a time-based value and isn't really something I set when I receive something; rather, after a few months of owning something I'll tend to realize "This was worth the money, I use it all the time and would buy another if it broke" or "This was a poor purchase and I need to make a better decision next time."
Something that just sits on the shelf has an infinite break-even point that will never be attained; it just sits there, never fulfilling its intended purpose. Conversely, if an expendable item is received and used, it can simply be replaced at a later time, assuming it turned out to be a useful thing and finances permit.
It'd be like hanging a beautiful violin on the wall. Sure, it'd be nice to look at, and you could proudly show it to people. But wouldn't it be better if you actually played it once in a while?
posted by DMan at 9:39 PM on December 30, 2009 [1 favorite]
Diag: "Boxing day, I did a stocktake. I had to throw out SIX that had expired (that's $300!)."
Maybe it's too late, but you might want to double check. I had a card that was expired according to the marked date, but when I entered it into the computer, it happily accepted it.
posted by alexei at 9:42 PM on December 30, 2009
Maybe it's too late, but you might want to double check. I had a card that was expired according to the marked date, but when I entered it into the computer, it happily accepted it.
posted by alexei at 9:42 PM on December 30, 2009
I don't understand 'deferred gratification' -- or even 'saving'. It seems so disembodied.
I love material things - I fully indulge myself with textures, colors, scents, etc -- but all of them are meant to flow along like water in a stream. They are not supposed to get lodged in an eddy next to me. More will come later.
After Christmas I love re-gifting whatever I cannot eat or use immediately. Double enjoyment! Things -- material things -- are supposed to keep moving. I don't have the patience to house, protect, display, or build my life around objects.
In fact, I have several times in my life been able to pack up my most cherished things into a few bags and move on. I now have it down to (almost) one bag.
posted by Surfurrus at 12:33 AM on December 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
I love material things - I fully indulge myself with textures, colors, scents, etc -- but all of them are meant to flow along like water in a stream. They are not supposed to get lodged in an eddy next to me. More will come later.
After Christmas I love re-gifting whatever I cannot eat or use immediately. Double enjoyment! Things -- material things -- are supposed to keep moving. I don't have the patience to house, protect, display, or build my life around objects.
In fact, I have several times in my life been able to pack up my most cherished things into a few bags and move on. I now have it down to (almost) one bag.
posted by Surfurrus at 12:33 AM on December 31, 2009 [1 favorite]
I don't understand 'deferred gratification'
I find most products are disappointing but am able to forget this and thus enjoy the anticipation which would later be paid for by a letdown were it not possible to defer this indefinitely.
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:12 AM on December 31, 2009
I find most products are disappointing but am able to forget this and thus enjoy the anticipation which would later be paid for by a letdown were it not possible to defer this indefinitely.
posted by Obscure Reference at 5:12 AM on December 31, 2009
I suffer from the geek version of this problem: Whenever I finish an RPG, my characters have backpacks stuffed with scrolls, potions, wands and all sorts of consumable ultra-powerful magic items I was saving just in case, that I could have used to finish the game in half the time.
posted by Dr Dracator at 5:25 AM on December 31, 2009
posted by Dr Dracator at 5:25 AM on December 31, 2009
a non-expiring certificate from more than a decade ago
Hate to break it to you, but that "more than a decade" has turned into two decades.
posted by lostburner at 5:50 AM on December 31, 2009
Hate to break it to you, but that "more than a decade" has turned into two decades.
posted by lostburner at 5:50 AM on December 31, 2009
There's actually a law where I live (California) that they can't expire.
A while back my boss finally used a Macy's gift certificate she got as a wedding present in the 70s. They had to go look it up in a catalog to make sure it was the real deal.
posted by troybob at 8:22 AM on December 31, 2009
A while back my boss finally used a Macy's gift certificate she got as a wedding present in the 70s. They had to go look it up in a catalog to make sure it was the real deal.
posted by troybob at 8:22 AM on December 31, 2009
When I play an RPG, I'll end the game with 95% of the single use scrolls and potions still sitting around unless the game requires that you can only keep a few.
I blame System Shock for this.
posted by Evilspork at 10:56 AM on December 31, 2009
I blame System Shock for this.
posted by Evilspork at 10:56 AM on December 31, 2009
FYI on the Pottery Barn gift cards, they can also be used at Williams Sonoma and West Elm (same company) - might be easier to find something at one of those places.
posted by yarrow at 11:36 AM on December 31, 2009
posted by yarrow at 11:36 AM on December 31, 2009
A gift card gives me a gift that I have never yet been able to give myself, which is the feeling of walking into a store with a little money in my pocket and the ability to buy myself some things I just want. If it's my money, I'll spend it on needs every time. Cash given to me will almost always be spent on needs. A gift card? Well unless I need something specific from that store, I get to have a bit of fun. Last time, it was a Target gift card and I used it to buy all the little things I look at and covet when I'm shopping for things like yet another infant nasal aspirator. I bought some big sunglasses and mittens and a cute hat for fall and some towels that would actually match the bathroom... fun stuff.
posted by Never teh Bride at 6:11 PM on January 1, 2010
posted by Never teh Bride at 6:11 PM on January 1, 2010
Like the $50 per pound chocolate champagne truffles I bought for the millennial New Year (remember that), then ate a few of (they were very good) and saved until the rest went bad.
posted by blue shadows at 5:02 AM on January 3, 2010
posted by blue shadows at 5:02 AM on January 3, 2010
« Older There ain't no room for these cheap regrets... | 腾蛇乘雾，终为土灰 Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by amro at 8:42 AM on December 30, 2009