Over the past few weeks, I realized something interesting about myself. I don’t like to run out of things. Anything. Ever. And it’s not just the things I use everyday. Clearly, running out of soap or deodorant would cause some problems, so it makes sense to have some in reserve. Of course, I don’t just run out and buy some deodorant when the container starts to feel a bit empty. No, I always have at least one other container in the closet, sometimes two or three. I justify this by saying that I buy when the sales are good, which is true, but at some point, it is possible to stock up too much.
Especially since this is how I treat a lot of things. Personal care products, certain food products, etc. If I lived further from a store this might make sense. But I walk past a grocery store and a CVS on my way home every day. Picking up a few items would never be a problem.
But it’s not just your standard sort of consumables. No, it’s everything that might get “used up.” I listen to podcasts when I go running and I always have to have at least five podcasts on my iPod, even though I won’t even finish one on my run. Why? What if I end up running longer than I planned? What if the podcast has an error in it? What if I decide I hate the podcast?
Same with books. I can’t get on a plane without at least two books with me, even for a 2 hour flight where I won’t finish one book. I can’t have only one unread book on my Kindle. Why? Because of the what if’s.
Please note that it would not be the end of the world to be without a book or a podcast. I would probably survive. I just like always being prepared. I figure it’s not a problem at this point. I’m not spending more than I would, I try to buy on sale, and I use what I have. But at some point, storage might be an issue!
