Re-Accumulating Stuff

You wouldn't think buying a colander would be depressing, but it was, a little.

With procuring a new temporary permanent place, I have to re-accumulate some stuff that I shed a couple of years ago. And as I re-accumulate some stuff, I have to be mindful of unloading it again in the future.  I am rootless, after all.

Today, for instance, I bought the colander, a mop, and a toilet brush. Soon, I'll need to buy a skillet lid, but I didn't need it today, so I'm postponing that inevitability.

To add to the angst, I felt torn between buying the cute apple-green colander set - that is perfect for my apartment's decor palette - for $7 versus the super-cheap white one for $2. I fought the same internal battle when I had to buy a cutting board: the one-dollar, milky-white nothing or the sexy green, sassy-shaped number for five bucks. In both cases, my left brain beat out my right, and I made the boring but economical choice.

I tossed about in my mind the utils argument - as in, aren't so many utils of pleasure worth the extra few bucks? Well, no, I argued back, at least not when it comes to kitchenware.  I reminded myself of the law of "lots-of-a-little-adds-up-to-a-lot." So I spend an extra four dollars here and here and here and here ... and before you know it, a month's rent can be expended on transitory cuteness.  

I also toyed with a handsome black-handled, steel mesh strainer, medium or large, and $7 or $10 respectively, before I finally found the serviceable, cheap number I knew had to be somewhere in the store.

Update: In a pinch, tin foil serves as a skillet lid.