So, the other day, I stumbled across something about a louis vuitton crocodile purse. Don’t even remember where, maybe some flashy website or an ad that popped up. Wasn’t looking for it, it just sort of appeared. And the first thing that hit me wasn’t, “Wow, I want that,” but more like, “Seriously? Who actually buys this stuff?” The price tag, which I kinda guessed would be astronomical, just seemed unreal for a bag.
It wasn’t jealousy, not really. More like… detachment? It got me thinking about value, you know? What we spend our hard-earned cash on. I looked around my own place, thought about my own little splurges. Nothing on that scale, obviously, but it made me think about the things I do chase.
For a while there, I was really caught up in upgrading everything. Latest phone, fancier car payments, always thinking about the next ‘level up’. Seeing that croc purse, though, it just put things into a weird perspective. It felt like chasing a ghost. You get the thing, and then what? You just need the next thing.
What I Did Instead
So, you know what I did? It sounds kind of unrelated, but it felt like the right counter-move in my head. I went down to the basement. We had this old wooden chest, belonged to my grandfather. It was beat up, covered in dust, hinges rusted shut. Been meaning to fix it for ages, but always put it off for something ‘more important’ or ‘more fun’.
Well, I dragged it out. Spent the next few weekends working on it. Not buying fancy tools, just using what I had mostly.
- Sanding down the old varnish. That took forever, my arms were killing me.
- Carefully cleaning the wood, finding this really nice grain underneath all the grime.
- Polishing the old brass fittings. Had to get some special stuff for that, but it wasn’t expensive.
- Fixing the hinges, making the lid open smoothly again.
- Finally, putting on a simple, clear coat of wax. Nothing fancy, just protecting the wood.
Took me maybe three weekends altogether. Didn’t spend much money, mostly just time and elbow grease. But honestly, finishing that old chest felt way more satisfying than clicking ‘buy now’ on some gadget ever did. It’s solid, it has history, and I brought it back to life. It’s sitting in our living room now, and it feels… real. Way more real than some status symbol bag I’ll never own.
Funny how seeing something totally out of reach, like that crazy expensive purse, ended up grounding me a bit. Made me focus on something tangible, something that actually added a bit of simple, solid value right here in my own home. It’s not about being cheap; it’s just about figuring out what actually feels worthwhile, I guess. And for me, right now, it’s fixing up old things, not chasing new shiny ones.
