Layout:
Home > Some people just don't get it

Some people just don't get it

January 4th, 2008 at 02:08 am

Actually this is hardly anything new to most people reading these finance blogs, but I thought this was funny/amusing/sad (take your pick). I had this thought before, but dealing with the sharp cold snap here on the east coast, it brought it back to mind.

This past summer I was visiting relatives up north, and since I had a free Saturday morning with my son, I decided to travel about with him and check out the yard sales. Nothing extrordinary there, we picked up some items at good prices, at some places they wanted way too much and left. My total expense was probably $15. Odd part was there were two places, many miles apart, that each had a sign up saying they were selling items so they could pay their heating bills this fall.

You know, there are people who would feel so sad for people in such a situation, and its certainly isn't funny. That said, as I stood at each place, looking at table after table after table of - I'll be kind and call it junk - I wasn't sad for them. The only thing in my mind was to ask them if they could be that stupid. "You don't have money? Well, duh, take a look about, here's your money. Don't buy half of this and you would have enough to pay multiple winter heating bills."

I knew better and kept my mouth shut, but jeeze, no wonder some folks don't have money. They do it to themselves.

9 Responses to “Some people just don't get it”

  1. disneysteve Says:
    1199412658

    Very often, when shopping at yard sales, I wonder, "Why did these people buy this crap in the first place?"

  2. Ralph Says:
    1199413066

    Very often, when looking at my basement, I wonder, "Why did these people buy this crap in the first place?"

  3. luxliving Says:
    1199413502

    Looking at my basement I often wonder, why did I let all those people who bought all this crap in the first place give it to me??????

  4. Broken Arrow Says:
    1199415831

    You're right, it IS funny/amusing/sad. Mostly sad I think. Thanks for sharing.

  5. baselle Says:
    1199423253

    And usually at a yard sale, I think, "companies are making this crap because they know someone will buy this crap with money they don't have."

  6. disneysteve Says:
    1199458033

    "Very often, when looking at my basement, I wonder, "Why did these people buy this crap in the first place?"

    Very funny, Ralph!

  7. denisentexas Says:
    1199461518

    Ralph, you crack me up! I have to say there's a little silver lining to losing our house and a good deal of our belongings - we don't have nearly the crap that we used to and what we do have is 'important' crap. No need for a garage sale..it's all the dump.

  8. Caoineag Says:
    1199462970

    I do know the best yard sale in my area when I was growing up was at the house of a known shopaholic. She had a yard sale every year and would have stuff that was different sizes, styles and shapes. All of it was new and I always wondered why she didn't just return it to the store once she realized that she had gone nuts.

    She is the only person I ever felt sorry for because she knew she had a problem and was working on it (the yard sale was part of therapy, seeing that she never used that stuff and shouldn't get it in the first place) but struggled with it daily.

    Oh, and she was getting better. Each year the garage sale shrunk. I think it took her the better part of 5 years to stop the habit.

  9. disneysteve Says:
    1199473513

    "All of it was new and I always wondered why she didn't just return it to the store once she realized that she had gone nuts."

    I have often seen, and sometimes bought, items at yard sales that appeared to be brand new, still in the package with the price tag in place. I guess people didn't want the hassle of returning them. Oh well, my benefit. I got the item for a fraction of the original cost.

Leave a Reply

(Note: If you were logged in, we could automatically fill in these fields for you.)
*
Will not be published.
   

* Please spell out the number 4.  [ Why? ]

vB Code: You can use these tags: [b] [i] [u] [url] [email]