Day 19: Impulsive problem solving

I cancelled my Amazon Prime account over a year ago.

Haven't really missed it. I do still occasionally buy through Amazon but I'm never in a rush and can wait until the cart is large enough for free shipping, and then I don't mind waiting a week for my items.

But this week I have made two purchases days apart.

The first was personal. I'm trying to figure out weird storage problems in my long and narrow bathroom, and I was getting frustrated and was like, "Sigh, if only I had [simple product that I put off buying because it's not 'fun']."

So. I went on Amazon and bought it. It should arrive on Monday.

Then, now, at work, I got frustrated at the fact I couldn't entertain a kid during a break (I work with kids, kinda. They're not my job, but they're part of the reson I get paid. Anyway, sometimes there are kids with nothing to do just waiting).

Maybe I'm lazy along with all the other parents – I just assume a kid has a tablet or phone to entertain them. So when a kid was like, "I have nothing to do!", I was scrambling. Scratch paper and markers apparently only provide entertainment for so long.

Frustrated that I couldn't find something, and even though I know the parents should have provided this kid with something to do while they wait, I decided this was a problem to solve.

So I went online and spent $70 on kids' games, the kinds of things that would entertain a kid on a road trip in the before tablet days. Maybe they won't get used that much. But at least we can have an emergency kit of something.

It reminded me of the "kid kits" from the Babysitters Club, back in the day. I devoured those books. I thought it would be so cool to be a babysitter! Until you actually become one, ha. (To be fair, kids generally love me, and I did partially pay my way through university by being one of the most in-demand babysitters. But now, as an older single childless professional, children seem like little aliens to me.)

Sure, I probably should have sat on that for a few days. But I didn't. So there.

Impulsive purchasing strikes again, but I feel a little good that at least it's not for my personal consumption.