Searching for the Holy Grail.........I'm guilty

[CathyA]

I have a quality.......maybe not always a good one, of searching endlessly for some little thing. Once I decide I want something, it becomes a journey, like searching for the holy grail. I just can't give it up. Well, I recently heard from a friend that she had had a very interesting interaction with a Penguin on her trip to the gulf coast. I had no idea they had penguins there! She's a real nature lover, so I began a search for "March of the Penguins". I went to several stores looking for the DVD, but no luck, even though I'd seen it there last week. I spent time going through those huge bins of $5 DVDs.
I spent alot of time searching online for which store might carry it in their store, so I could send it in plenty of time for Christmas (along with several other things I got her). I also checked out online stores and tried to figure out the cheapest, fastest way of getting it. I became obsessed with finding a copy of this, in time to send it to her. I think the frustration may have even contributed to my getting into a bit of trouble with an unmarked police car. I felt like I had spent so much time and energy searching for this.

Anyhow........the funny part is..........she wrote me this morning and said "you mis-read what I wrote. I said PELICAN". :doh: :laff:

Is there a "March of the Pelicans" out there? :~)

[KayLR]

"Never mind." (--Rosanne Rosanna Danna)

[citrine]

LOL! I am the same way when I get an idea in my head....I research it to death!

[iris lily]

Anyhow........the funny part is..........she wrote me this morning and said "you mis-read what I wrote. I said PELICAN". :doh: :laff:

Is there a "March of the Pelicans" out there? :~)

hahahahah!

Well--maybe you can convert her to Penguins, they are much more interesting, anyway.

[CathyA]

KayLRZ...... That's exactly what I was thinking......with Rosanne Rosanna Danna! :laff:

I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.

[fidgiegirl]

OH CathyA!!!

[fidgiegirl]

It is funny, and I'll also add - I do this, too. But I have to be careful, because I can go one of two ways: 1) take waaaaaay too long to figure something out to perfection or 2) throw it all to the wind and act impulsively and spend money on something that isn't going to work or take on a practice that isn't sustainable. So I aim for somewhere in the middle, but have to do so intentionally.

[treehugger]

This is a hilarious story, CathyA, and I appreciate you sharing it with us. I think it's a very important character quality to be able to laugh at oneself, and encourage others to do so, too. :)

That said, my DH and MIL have that same "holy grail searching" trait, too, and I admit I get a little frustrated as someone who is fine with saying, "This is good enough." But, perfectionism has its benefits, too, so that's part of what makes DH and I a good match.

Kara

[JaneV2.0]

About the only time when I exhibit that elusive trait called "focus" is when I'm on the track of something--an idea or an item. I'm like a laser. It's the thrill of the hunt.

[Rosemary]

Too funny!
(Sigh - I do the same thing, and have to keep tabs on my perfectinist tendencies)

[JaneV2.0]

And that really is hilarious, Cathy--you almost ended up in the slammer chasing non-existent penguins!

[Float On]

Ha! Love it!
I was going to tell you that my husband makes a really neat penguin sculpture. Sadly.....he doesn't make pelicans.

[LilyB]

Cathy, Thank you for putting my endless quest for the perfect coffee mug for my son in perspective. He doesn't care what it looks like as long as there is coffee in it. Thanks, too, for my laugh of the day.

[heydude]

I do this all the time!

Some comments:

I call it "the burdon of proof," meaning, something has to cross a high threashold with me in order to justify buying it. It has to meet X, Y, and Z. It also has to captivate my interest long enough. I usually wait a good month from initial idea to actually thinking of *buying* it. Usually, ideas wear off in a few days or at least a week or two.

Also, some things do not survive the "do i want to return this?" trial period. Often times I get something and like it the first day, the first week even, but by the end of two weeks I just want to return it and don't want it anymore. This is bad I think and so I really try to not buy things that I may in any way want to return later.

Since very little gets past "the burdon of proof" stage and because so much time is wasted in the research phase and the "return it" phase, no many things actually make it in to the "i want to buy it" phase. All the time and effort means my standards for something are even higher than before.

It is often very hard for me to actually decide to buy something. To click on the "submit" button if online or to actually get in to the cashier line at the store.

I NEVER BUY ANYTHING ON IMPULSE. If it is not on my list, then I will not be buying it. Even if I want to buy it, I still have to go to a few stores and compare prices.

Once in awhile I miss out on something because I waited too long. That can be a real bummer.

In a way, I wish I didn't have to waste so much time and effort but in another way, it sure does keep me from spending money!

I love this thread.

To summuarize:
my phases.

1. Initial Idea (Day 1 up to Week 1).
2. Will the Initial Idea actually stick phase. (Up to Week 2)
3. Product Research Phase. Which one to buy? (From Week 3 ongoing for Years)
4. Price research phase. Where to buy it? (From Week 4 ongoing for Years)
5. PRODUCT PURCHASE (From Month 1 to Years)
6. Do I want to return it? (Lasting to 30 or 90 days afterward. sell on craigslist post 90 days)

[pony mom]

I'm so afraid of buying the wrong thing that I'll do extensive research, read reviews, compare features and then buy. The internet has made me nitpicky because I can do these things easily from home.

[try2bfrugal]

With car costs at about a dollar a mile, plus my time, I fight the urge to shop around in person and just get as much as I can from Amazon. I use Google and Google shopping to look for the cheapest price but lately for the items I buy it is almost always Amazon. I got some dishes from Walmart online a few months ago. They took about 3 weeks to arrive at the store and then we had to drive 7 miles to the store and back, so really Amazon would have been cheaper and quicker all things considered.

Plus I have a hard time buying things these days at brick and mortar stores without having access to any product reviews.