“Unnecessary possessions are unnecessary burdens. If you have them, you have to take care of them! There is great freedom in simplicity of living. It is those who have enough but not too much who are the happiest.” — Peace Pilgrim
When I returned home, I decided to hold off unpacking my purchase. My husband was stressed about some exams he was required to take for work and I suspected he would see my purchase as a mere pot, and not a Le Creuset Dutch Oven.
It was possible he would gag at the hefty $200 price tag.
For the next ten days my dutch oven sat lovingly wrapped in tissue paper.
The day after his final exam was completed (and we knew he had passed) I showcased the incredible deal to my husband. I had been openly coveting Le Creuset cookware for several months so to his credit, he was aware that I wanted one. Although he was hesitant, he agreed that we could keep it.
As I unpacked my dutch oven and placed it gently on the cook-top, I couldn’t help but admire the color and the fine craftsmanship. It looked so damn gorgeous!
Fortunately, the joy I was feeling was abruptly hijacked by the thought of how this big dutch-oven was going to crowd my kitchen.
You see, I had just spent the last few weeks de-cluttering my home and trying to get my teen-aged daughters to join me in the process (with their own rooms). How could I possibly stand there and justify a $200 pot that I had to pay for with my credit card?
Could I be more ridiculous?
When I returned my purchase to the store, I noticed they were sold out of this brand of cookware. No doubt, my sea blue dutch oven was going to make someone fleetingly happy.
Shopping can feel therapeutic and often it temporarily fills a void within us. It’s fun to shop and it makes us feel good. This feel good factor is transient, however, and so we must resort to shopping over and over again.
By its very nature shopping is addictive.
If this incident had taken place a few months back, the dutch oven would be settled comfortably on my stove top. It’s not there right now because I came to my senses and returned a very expensive pot back to the store.
I’m able to sit here and recount this incident with my pride intact, because I feel confident that I am making progress in my quest to live more with less.
4 Responses to “How a Dutch Oven Almost Jeopardized My Journey in Simple Living”
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I had only planned on one Black Friday stop the other day – Fred Meyer around 10 am to get some 1/2 priced socks and undies, as I do every year. And then I saw their ad with a ridiculously discounted enamel-coated Dutch Oven. I HAD to have it. So I got up at 4 a.m., drove to the store and walked bleary-eyed to the dutch oven. And it was tiny. That’s when I had the, “what the hell was I thinking” moment and went off for my socks. :)
Your story made me laugh out loud!
Oh my, why did I read this and why did I search for how does Le Creuset dutch oven look like afterwards? I had no idea I absolutely need one in carribean blue before :-) I always thought I’m not much in kitchenware.
Yeah, it looks gorgeous. But it feels really good to be able to tell myself, I just don’t need this. So freeing, isn’t it?
It is freeing. I can see myself getting frustrated with it sitting on my stove top all day. Shifting it here and there just to access my cooker! I’m so glad I returned it. Sorry, you had to go google it ;)