Lincoln From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 3887 posts, RR: 8 Posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3649 times:
While there have been some things I've bought on impulse that aren't traditionally considered "impulse buys"--my house being the biggest in that category for me--none of the items to date have been particularly strange... nor, come to think of it, have I regretted any of them.
Last night, though, I bought (or rather ordered) a violin* basically thought-to-purchase in less then 3 minutes.
I don't know how to play any musical instrument [yet]], can't read music [yet], and aside from being a fan of the sound of music the violin family (violin, cello) produces and the astethics, I can't really explain the "why" behind the purchase. I've often thought that it would be cool to learn, maybe this is my subconcious droping a very strong hint.
So, what's the strangest/most unexplanable thing you've ever purchased on a whim/on impulse?
Lincoln
* - With bow, strings, and case. Based on the price I paid it will be very interesting to see what shows up. It will be even more interesting if I can figure out what to do with it
CO Is My Airline of Choice || Baggage Claim is an airline's last chance to disappoint a customer || Next flts in profile
MCOflyer From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 8553 posts, RR: 14 Reply 1, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3635 times:
I bought a Mr. Clean car wash kit for $20. It still sits in my dads tool shed and will always as it costs too much to replace the filters on that thing.
Canoecarrier From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 2657 posts, RR: 12 Reply 2, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3631 times:
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5671 posts, RR: 29 Reply 3, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3625 times:
I bought a microwave as an impulse buy a few years ago. My old one worked fine, but didn't match my kitchen very well. I was at Home Depot and they had a display of microwaves that were stainless steel and a great price. I bought one and didn't plan on it.
Maverick623 From United States of America, joined Nov 2006, 4744 posts, RR: 6 Reply 4, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3583 times:
A couple of years ago (before the movie Yes Man), I showed up at the airport with a plan to do a day trip to New York.
20 hours later I was in Scotland, for a week. Envoy both ways.
IMissPiedmont From United States of America, joined May 2001, 6203 posts, RR: 43 Reply 5, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 3577 times:
A new air conditioner for my shop. It's in the shop still in the box collecting dust. Maybe I'll put it in the winter.
What is it with all the "is there a possibilty airline X will.." threads? The answer it'll is possible.
Pawsleykat From United States of America, joined Jul 2005, 1978 posts, RR: 14 Reply 6, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 3565 times:
The weirdest thing I bought on impulse buy was a four poster bed.
When we moved house I got a bigger bedroom, and so decided I was having a double bed. I've always wanted a four poster one with the curtains and all, but had never found one that I liked, and I'd seen loads of them.
One day though, I was with a friend and we were surfing the net, when I saw an advert for a bedroom furniture company who specialised in four poster beds.
A few minutes later I had a confirmation e-mail in my inbox to say it would be with me in 3-4 weeks
JG
First Class passengers are my favourites. They can't get any further forward without an ATPL.
SmithAir747 From Canada, joined Jan 2004, 1599 posts, RR: 33 Reply 7, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3515 times:
The two most interesting things I've bought on impulse are...
1) My green violin: I bought this in London, England, in April 2005, whilst I was living and studying there. I saw this green violin in Hobgoblin Music Shop on Rathbone Place in London, and I bought it almost immediately. I began teaching myself violin, and have been doing well at it for 4 years and counting!
2) An alien embryo in a jar: I found this on eBay last week, and since I love anything that has to do with extraterrestrials (ie, especially the "grey" aliens), I jumped on it.
Wouldn't this look great in my craniofacial embryology lab at UCSF? After all, I do work with some of the strangest, alien-looking embryos...
SmithAir747
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made... (Psalm 139:14)
FLY2HMO From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 8, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3502 times:
Quoting SmithAir747 (Reply 7):
Wouldn't this look great in my craniofacial embryology lab at UCSF?
LOL students would get a kick out of that
Uhm, random impulse buys... too many to remember. Off the top of my head: electric screw drivers, spindles of 100 CD-Rs, car cleaning supplies, several car stereos, many PC games, video cards, speakers, mice, keyboards, oh and condoms
I've had several "desperation" buys. My worse one being pregnancy tests because this dumb former girl toy of mine thought she had gotten pregnant (we never did it unprotected and she was on the pill) she called me at 2am crying one night and needless to say she gave me the scare of my life. I ran over to wal-mart (it was usually an 8 min drive, I did it in 3 that night, and I still stopped at all the lights), bought 4 different kinds of tests, and fortunately for me they all came out negative. She was super embarrased. Her period apparently was late, but only for a day or two. Needless to say that was the last time I saw her.
Another desperation buy was immediately after my what would've been a $1700 speeding ticket, but I got it overturned. Bought a radar detector on ebay that same night. Never had a ticket ever since.
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5671 posts, RR: 29 Reply 9, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 14 hours ago) and read 3491 times:
Fbgdavidson From United Kingdom, joined Oct 2004, 3687 posts, RR: 31 Reply 11, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3469 times:
None myself, but the funniest was my mother went to her local Audi garage to buy a lightbulb and ended up purchasing a new S4 whilst she was there. Mothers...
"My first job was selling doors, door to door, that's a tough job innit" - Bill Bailey
Pyrex From Portugal, joined Aug 2005, 3537 posts, RR: 28 Reply 12, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3459 times:
I think the biggest thing I have ever bought out of impulse was a set of glasses when I was visiting South Korea (complete with prescription lenses), but I had a friend of mine who once bought a boat out of impulse. Him and a few friends of his were hiking for a few days and walked past a small town near a main river where there was a boat shop that sold, among other things, Zodiac semi-rigid inflatable boats. They just decided to buy one and row down the river instead of walking.
Read this very carefully, I shall write this only once!
Steeler83 From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 8809 posts, RR: 19 Reply 13, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 12 hours ago) and read 3439 times:
Strangest thing...
One time when I was in Chinatown, New York with my fiancee and my future in-laws, I saw a package of chopsticks for like 2 bucks, so I had to buy it. We already had a slew of chopsticks that were washable/re-usable. That was back in 2005 or 2006, and I think I still have that package...
Do not bring stranger girt into your room. The stranger girt is dangerous, it will hurt your life.
FlyDeltaJets From United States of America, joined Feb 2006, 1623 posts, RR: 3 Reply 15, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 3349 times:
I bought a $200 WWF Championship belt. Today it lies on the floor laughing at me.
NorthstarBoy From United States of America, joined Jun 2005, 1713 posts, RR: 1 Reply 16, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 6 hours ago) and read 3335 times:
11,000 Magic Cards. I bought them on Ebay, friends i had at the time were into them, so i decided i had to have them too, I didn't really set out to buy 11,000 all in one go, but i found a deal i couldn't resist. I've spent the last several years half heartedly organizing the things, 3/4 of them are still sitting in two crates under my desk waiting to be organized, i keep thinking someday, if i ever do get them organized, i might try to sell them on Ebay.
I could have elite status if I wanted it, but flying the same airline all the time is boring.
YOWza From Canada, joined Jul 2005, 4781 posts, RR: 17 Reply 19, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 3 days 2 hours ago) and read 3261 times:
I impulse bought a Mac Air last year but took it back a couple days later as it did not at all meet my needs. More recently I bought an xbox 360 game (Bad Company) which turned out to be quite good.
Falstaff From United States of America, joined Jun 2006, 5671 posts, RR: 29 Reply 20, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 3145 times:
Quoting Superfly (Reply 10): Mr. T album and video.
Be Somebody Or Be Somebody's Fool
After seeing the picture I am asking myself why I don't own that. I would have bought that too.
If you didn't own a fondu pot I would think you had something wrong with you. Any man who loves the 70s must own one.
Quoting Fbgdavidson (Reply 11): None myself, but the funniest was my mother went to her local Audi garage to buy a lightbulb and ended up purchasing a new S4 whilst she was there. Mothers...
Back in 1972 my mom's Austin had a dead battery so she traded it in on a new MG. My mom buys cars at the drop of a hat. I can't complain because I am the same way!
YVRLTN From Canada, joined Oct 2006, 2087 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 2 days 10 hours ago) and read 3096 times:
Quoting Falstaff (Reply 20): Quoting Fbgdavidson (Reply 11):
None myself, but the funniest was my mother went to her local Audi garage to buy a lightbulb and ended up purchasing a new S4 whilst she was there. Mothers...
Back in 1972 my mom's Austin had a dead battery so she traded it in on a new MG. My mom buys cars at the drop of a hat. I can't complain because I am the same way!
I bought a brand new F150..... my 98 Explorer was showing signs of living up to its nickname Exploder plus the suspension was shot, so I just went to look at new Explorers and Expeditions and get a feel for prices - and drove away in an F150................the guy gave me $5k trade in after a 60 second run round the block and it seemed way too good to be true as it would have been at a scrapheap within a few months... I still think I got a good deal, YVR gas gas hitting 1.55 / litre, currently at 1.09 not withstanding and a need for 4 new tires after 3 years.....
A333TS From Canada, joined May 2008, 160 posts, RR: 0 Reply 23, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 3032 times:
I went to a bike shop for a small tune up on my mountain bike, left a shop without a tune up but I got a unicycle. I thought it was a good trade off. Still learning how to ride it though, a lot harder then I thought.
Goldenshield From United States of America, joined Jan 2001, 5440 posts, RR: 12 Reply 24, posted (3 years 8 months 1 week 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 3024 times:
Quoting Lincoln (Thread starter): Last night, though, I bought (or rather ordered) a violin* basically thought-to-purchase in less then 3 minutes.
Congrats. Welcome to the family of string musicians. I HIGHLY recommend you seek out a teacher.
Two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun.
25 Force13: A 2008 white Chevrolet Silverado. As soon as I saw it I had to have it. Sometimes impulse buying works out
26 7324ever: A few things... My car, dirt bike and jet skis Also lots of small things like appliances and useless crap
27 Lincoln: Wow. That is a beautiful instrument. ...and that's just a little wierd. THere have been some good ones, but this one has my personal vote! Absolutely
28 Goldenshield: Here's the obligatory picture of me playing, so: Well, the first thing I would say is, DON'T TOUCH IT and take it to a luthier, or other competant str
29 DiamondFlyer: I bought a ton of various airplane models, of varying scales. Mostly larger (1:70-1:25), but then I decided I had to stop. A couple of months later, I
30 Bartonsayswhat: In the middle of august i was attempting to non-rev YYJ - YVR - YYZ - LGA / EWR but the red eye and the head starts(and everything until bout 1800) ou
31 Wolverine: Oh, since I'm living in Switzerland, I bought some items, that were too expensive, and I regretted buying them, as soon as I had placed the order, but
32 Planesarecool: I did similar last year. Took a friend to the airport for her holiday to Tenerife, and as we passed the ticket desk i noticed a sign offering flights
33 StasisLAX: I did something very similar. I went to the local Pontiac dealer to get a replacement battery for the keyless entry key fob for my '97 Pontiac - and
34 QXatFAT: Well I guess my top three impulse buys would have to be... 1. Chia Pet (might not be too weird but HAD to have it as I saw it stairing at me at the ch
35 PHLBOS: 2 comments: 1. I just had a college-flashback moment; I'm actually familiar with the title track song (haven't heard it in over 20 years) but wasn't