26 November 2012

Gift 10+ years in the making

I am an admitted cheapskate.

Well, not exactly cheap, but I don't buy a lot of things on a whim.

It usually takes me a few days, sometimes a week or more, to determine if I really want to buy something.  Even then, I will buy it, and leave the tags on for a few days so I can decide if I really want the item.  Sometimes, it sits in the bag for a week before I am finally sure that it is a keeper.

I have gotten a bit better.  I recently bought a new coat and wore it two days after buying it since it was so cold.

Tomorrow, I am going to do the unthinkable.

I am going to use the backpack I just bought today.

It is the most awesome backpack ever.  It has so many internal pockets that I almost started drooling as the worker was showing me the bag in the Union Square Paragon Sports store.  It is just the coolest ugly shade of mustard and charcoal gray.  And it is really large - can hold up to 41L and even comes with a dedicated tablet pocket. (I guess I need to buy a tablet.)

It is going to be perfect for work, for grocery shopping, and as a carry on bag for travel.  I wanted a Timbuktu bag since those are super durable, but settled for the ubiquitous, and still durable, North Face bag.  The color helps it be different from others' - hopefully.  And the bag is awesome!!

My parents gave me money over the Thanksgiving weekend as an early birthday present since I won't see them again before the birthday and they will be out of the country in December.

I decided to use the money to get something useful.  My previous backpack has been in use for over a decade... since I was an undergrad.  The handles were worn and the insides were so worn that the rubber(?) inside continually flakes onto whatever is inside.  I'm hoping this bag lasts at least 10 years.

The worst part of the old bag is that it is not water resistant or proof.  During the snow a couple weeks ago, all the graded papers I had were moistened by the rain.  I worried for my laptop as well.  I never worried about my bag getting wet when I was just a driver who was in the wet for less than a minute at a time, but as a walking commuter in the rain for who knows how long each depending on where I am going, I need my bag to be protected.

The new bag is water resistant.

It is a gift to me and a gift to my students so they don't get back graded work with water marks in the future.

4 comments:

  1. I think a new backpack (especially a water-proof one!) is a great purchase and not a splurge at all.

    I still use the same backpack I started community college with and it is still going strong into professional school.

    Maybe we should both retire our old backpacks and have funerals or something...

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    1. Thanks! I am so excited about it!

      Glad I'm not the only one with long-term backpacks. I do need to figure out what to do with my old one. I don't feel I should throw it away. Maybe a donation somewhere.

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  2. Oooo a North Face backpack too! Brilliant brand! Most of my Winter clothes are from them just because they're far more practical than the tripe from most girly shops.

    That said...when I had to retire my DC shoes (they were horrendously broken by that point...we're talking non-existant soles) for Converse I was pretty heartbroken about it.

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    1. Was just on their site after reading your post. I didn't realize NF made regular clothes. I thought it was just bags and coats!

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