You Broke It----just Let It Be!

[blazeingstar]

So,  I had a gorgeous, old Galileo Thermometer that I found at the thrift store.  It was only $5 but I particularly liked it as it had only colors I liked.

 

My landlord, came in to scrub the fridge as I'm moving out and had all the food out.  She asked my permission.  Lo and behold she knocked over one of the few  items I have left there besides my bed, that is my Galileo Thermomiter.

 

She's now insisting on giving me some tacky barometer with a tiny little Galileo thermometer on it in truly horrid colors.

 

I don't want it.  Quite frankly, it's a horrid little piece and not fit for my new home.

 

I have tried being nice, but it looks like on Friday, when I officially move out, it will be mine. 

 

I'll probably donate it to the thrift store where mine came from and try to find one that I like one day.

 

At the same time, I feel like I must be some kind of pompous idiot for not accepting it when I liked mine and even had a place for it.   Almost everything that me and hubby own is either pre-owned or things we made or were made for us.  None of our furniture is new, and half my clothes are from my mom.  All of his clothes are new but he wears simple things. 

 

Thing is I don't care that its used.  I have a good eye and select really nice, expensive things.  The "free" futon I had, now re-gifted to my sister in law was Lane Bryant, my rocking chair, purchased for $15 at the thrift store is made by a well-redound local furniture company.  I got my sewing machine...an amazing thing for free.  My kayak--that I got for $50 was over $600 new.  I made my coffee table and downstairs work bench as well as a beach dolly for the kayak among other things.  I would rather go without than have something ugly.  And quite frankly I've done that for years.  ok, ok, i did buy some of my tools at a discount chain called Harbor Freight...but I never paid more than $10 for anything

 

Hubby is the same way....he literally didn't have a kitchen table for all 5 post-college years because he couldn't find one that was good enough for him.  We literally ate dinner at his coffee table.

 

Hubby comes from a middle class background where if they wanted something they would save and then buy it.  I come from an extremely low class background where what we had was literally 3-5 "generations" down from its previous owner.  Like A down the street got a new sofa, so B took his old one so C took B's and then somewhere around L or M we got it.

 

But I often feel like I'm smarter than that.  I budget.  I go to the thrift stores near the rich people, I watch yard sales and don't go until the end of the day when they're near ready to pay me so they don't have to bring it back into the house.  If I want something I wait, I lord over freecycle and craigslist and I ask around....especally rich people.

 

However, now my mother in law likes to make comments about how "nice I have it" and how she never could of afforded such things when she was first married.   I humble myself and tell her that I've been blessed, but really, I feel like it's just because I've been smart.  With a bit of patience and cleverness and the wiliness to learn how to do things like reapolster or drive a screw gun or re-stain anyone could have nice things....even without much time.  I made my coffee table while working 60 hour weeks and I sewed my dog a bed while having my niece for a weekend.

 

So I don't really want just anyone's junk.    I feel I have a right to that, but I'm probably wrong.