Tuesday, September 1, 2026

The Day I Bought Something I Did Not Need

 

By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu

I went out that day to buy one thing. I already knew what I wanted and how much it would cost, so I also knew how much money I would have left after buying it. I was not planning to buy anything else because I did not have much money to spend. I only wanted to get what I needed and go home. I had no idea that I would return with something I never planned to buy.

When I got to the shop, I went straight to the seller and told her what I wanted. She brought it out and I checked it before paying. I was about to bring out my money when I noticed something on one of the shelves. I looked at it and then looked away. I knew I did not need it, so I tried to ignore it and pay for what I had come to buy. But after a few seconds, I looked at it again.

I asked the seller how much it was. She told me the price, and I started thinking about whether I should buy it. It was not very expensive, but it was not part of my plan either. I had enough money for what I came to buy, but if I bought this other thing, I would have less money left. I knew that, but I still kept looking at it. I started telling myself that I could buy it because I liked it and the price was not too high.

I picked it up and looked at it properly. I asked the seller a few questions, and she answered me. I checked it again and kept thinking about it. The funny thing was that I had entered the shop knowing exactly what I wanted, but now I was spending more time looking at something I had never planned to buy. After standing there for some time, I finally decided to buy it.

I paid for both things, collected my bag and left the shop. As I walked away, I was happy with what I had bought. I kept looking at the new thing and telling myself that I would use it. At that moment, I did not feel that I had made a bad decision. I was simply happy that I had seen something I liked and bought it.

After walking for a while, I remembered the money I had left. I brought out my wallet and counted it. I started thinking about what I had spent and what I still needed to pay for later. I still had enough to get home, but I had spent money I had not planned to spend. I looked at the things in my bag and laughed because I knew what had happened. I had gone to the shop for one thing, seen another thing I liked and allowed myself to buy it.

When I got home, I took the things out of the bag and looked at them again. I still liked the thing I had bought, but I also remembered that I had not needed it. I thought about how easy it was for me to change my plan. Before entering the shop, I had already decided what I was going to buy. I had even decided how much money I was going to spend. But seeing something I liked was enough to make me change my mind.

The next day, I passed the same shop again. I looked at the shelf and saw that the same item was still there. I remembered how I had stood in the shop the day before, looking at it and trying to decide whether to buy it. This time, I did not stop. I did not even go into the shop. I just looked at it and continued walking.

Since then, I have tried to be more careful when I go out to buy things. If I see something I like, I first ask myself if I really need it. If it was not part of my plan and I do not have extra money, I try to leave it. I do not always succeed, but I now think about it before spending the money.

I went to that shop that day knowing exactly what I wanted. I came back with what I needed and something I did not need. The funny part is that I was the one who made the decision to buy it, and I was also the one who later wondered why I had bought it in the first place.

 

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The Day I Bought Something I Did Not Need

  By Nightengale Ben-Onyeukwu I went out that day to buy one thing. I already knew what I wanted and how much it would cost, so I also k...