Shopping

Did some shopping at a good sized indoor flea market. Noticed a few things. The place had plenty of cast iron cookware. It was the largest selection of used cast iron I'd seen anyway. Unfortunately, they knew the value of the stuff. I'd say it was fairly priced, but not cheap. Most of cooking is done with cast. Pretty much have all the cast iron cookware I need, but will never pass up a bargain on good cast iron.

The flea market had a good eye for tools too. Plenty of good quality used hand tools. They were a bit too pricey for someone just looking. Worth it if you needed tools. Good thing I already own a lot of old quality hand tools. They also had really cheap modern hand tools. It was all junk -cheap steel, plastic parts where steel's called for, extremely loose tolerances. They were nicely packaged.

Books were cheap, and I picked up a few of those. Can never have enough books. Got a really good pair of leather mittens, cheap. Would have regretted leaving those behind. Picked up a few electric items for some of my repair jobs. Didn't spend a lot of money.

The place did get me thinking. There was a lot of old stuff in pretty good condition. Things must have been fairly well built to survive the years. I wonder how much of the stuff we make today will stand the test of time. I'm guessing not much.

At least the flea market was interesting. There's very little for me to look at in the average mall. Many malls don't even have one decent bookstore. I might check out some overprice camping gear -if the place even has an outdoor store. One of the few places that interest me is those kitchen supply stores. I do most of the cooking in my household. There's sometimes a few gizmos that I'd actually think of possibly buying . . . someday.

As for most of my shopping, I think back to something I read once. Wish I could remember who said it, so I could give them credit. "Before buying something, picture it a year from now in a yard sale with a 25 cent sticker on it." That thought often stops me in my tracks.

Yard sales often depress me. First of all, it is actually full of those year old things with a 25 cent sticker on them. Strewn over the tables is the debris of our consumer culture. I can't but help look at the junk and think how at one time these items were must have purchases. Guess they really weren't, or they won't be in the yard sale.

I'll walk though places like Tractor Supply, hardware stores, or building supply stores, not so much to buy but to see what they stock. I'll go, hmmmmmmm, Tractor Supply carries two wire submersible well pumps. Keep that in mind if my well pump burns out. I'll note that the hardware store has an extensive selection of metric nuts and bolts. I'll see that the building supply store has varnish I need for my wooden boats. If suddenly I do need something, I know where to get it.

Shopping is not a recreational activity for me. If I actually need something, I buy it and then leave. My fear is that I'll spend money I don't have for something I don't need.

Next thing you know I'd have to find a job. I don't have time for a job.

-Sixbears