Always have a plan!

Always have a plan when you leave home on a shopping trip.

Cleraly define the parameters of what you have to do and what your goal is.

Don't do what I do, go out with vague ideas of what you want to do.

Something like, "Chelle, I'm going to the second hand bookshop, I won't be long."

This changed to "I'll take Dana with me, that will keep me in check."

So I got to the bookshop. Did a search of the reference books, found 1/2 dozen titles that interested me. Dana found a book, and on a whim I did a quick visit to the sci-fi/fantasy section. Bad move. While not finding anything I was just walking away when something caught my eye. I have a habit of knowing when there have been changes made to rows of books etc, and a little warning light came on. Danger, danger, something new detected!

Yes I found the Doctor Who books had extra titles! A massive 33 new titles. I was running from memory (which is not always a good thing for me), bought 37 and found that I only doubled up on 4 titles.

So I was a very happy man. Bouyed with my success I took the "long way" home. Stopped at Mr Toys at the old Big Top. Bad move, found two 1:72 Black Hawk Helicopters, ready made and nicely painted for $25 each. That little warning light was on again. This wasn't part of the plan. Stop, you don't really need it? After all all of your modern figures are 25/28mm. But no, I may need them, and the price really is too good. You must get them, after all they may not be there next time.

At this point, I'm at the checkout, paying for my extravagence and my phone rings. Number one child wants to be picked up, after an all nighter at a mates house. That's OK that gives me a reason to go home now.

Pick up son. Deviate to Garden City, but don't quite make it there. Would have but my brilliant son gave his shoes to another lad so he could walk to Garden City (this bright lad had left his shoes at home). So home we go.

Pull up into drive way. Brain starts thinking, I really should be out checking on a few more shops. You never know, there may be something there that you don't really need, but can't pass up the chance to buy.

I then inform the "maid" that I'm going to Garden City. At this stage "she" decides that she really must come along as well. You're going to a place where there are dress shops, jewelry shops and the like. Little alarm bells are ringing now. Stop, must not go, will loose capital to non-me purchases.

The alarm didn't work! I took the "maid" now upgraded to "minor diety". One cannot argue with a "minor diety", so I go along feeling an impending sense of doom on the horizon.

Lots and lots of shops. Not much I can do, must come along as "minor diety" has left her wealth at "god's home". Sigh. It really wasn't that bad. I had to buy a few more "trinkets" to adorn the "minor diety", and the "minor diety in waiting" profited as well. Me I almost bought a "we'll never use it but it looks cool" sword from Game Trader (a computer shop that seems to sell a lot of other things these days). Anime style swords, nice I thought. Then thought, I already have a couple at home now, what are they doing? Gathering dust! So I avoided the pitfall and ghosted on over into the book shops. Bad idea as I found some more titles that I really must have, the price is too good.

Eventually the "minor diety and minor diety in waiting" wanted to be fed and watered. So it's off to the food court. At this time we realised that the Ice Cream vendor will be in our street in less than 1/2 hour. Do we race home and buy our fortnight's worth of sugar or elect to enforce LENT and faste?

What do you think we did? We raced for home. Made it with 15m to spare. Sugar fix met, "minor diety" appeased. Wealth now reduced even more.

Moral to this story. Is there a moral to this story? What was it? Oh yes, stick to the plan....