Temptation, Thy Name is Ebay

Among other things (which, if you are me, usually includes at least one diaper and a ziploc snack bag of Cheerios), a purse is meant to hold money.

But when the act of buying the purse convincingly taps entirely all the money which was to be held by said purse, what exactly does the purpose of the purse become?

I have never actually purchased a purse for myself. Ever. The containers I somehow end up using as my purse are not designed for use as purses. But they work for me: A large wallet. An oversized vinyl "gift with purchase" bag from the Clinique counter (it is a classy one, mind you ~ be nice). A freebie hand-me-down from my Mom or Mother-in-law, neither of whom share my strange aversion to purse buying.

Since I am now 32 (which is so very different from being 31), I have decided it is time to grow up and actually BUY a purse. That, coupled with the reality that my current diaper-bag-cum-purse is apparently finally throwing in the towel ~ as duct tape is generally not a good look ~ has thrown me headlong into Ebay territory.

Because I am committed to do this purse thing 'right' and I am a much bigger fan of internet shopping than anything which requires me to schlep my children and I through stores in search of something I am buying under a bit of protest anyway, I turn again to Ebay. Ebay endlessly amuses me because, like Forrest's chocolates, you never do know what you're going to find on that site.

Do you know that there are some purses that cost more than MY CAR? Go surf a spell, you'll see. I began Purse Search 2005 last night by typing "Chanel purse" (because I like my Chanel sunglasses, OK?). Never did I think that this buying endeavor might involve the necessity of a second mortgage. Goodness. I then typed in "Brown leather purse". Clearly, only a limited improvement. Apparently, there are levels of inferior when it comes to purses, and my current state of purse is so low on the food chain that it doesn't even rate.

While there is a certain satisfaction in that, I think I am going about this wrong. When I finish this blog entry, I am headed back to Ebay with new search criteria keywords ~ "Cheap Purse", only because "Free Purse" would fail to elevate me from my rut. At some point, I feel that it may be the EFFORT that mattered more in this journey, not necessarily the end result ~ which might just be another gift with purchase from the cosmetics counter.