It’s happened…I’ve encountered the first thing that I really want to buy during my No Buy Year
TLDR: I didn’t get it. I think part of what drives my inner consumer/dopamine monster is FOMO. Also…I still really want the thing.
Here’s the nitty gritty: I am a Disney Adult. Shocking, I know. There are so few of us. * coughs in sarcasm *
The date was August 15th. It was the day after I said I was officially starting my NBY and recorded a video. (Note: because of editing issues this will likely go up before that video will, but that’s ok!). I was on Instagram when I came across a product I had already seen before and wanted. I had forgotten about it for about a day and then it showed up again.
The product: the Park View Crossbody Backpack from https://designerparkco.com/products/park-view-crossbody-backpack-pitch-black .
On Instagram the thing that made me want it was a video of a woman at a Disney park demonstrating how the bag easily converts from a backpack to a cross body. (I think the woman is the owner).
Here are the reasons why I want it!
It’s cute.
I’d get to display my pins, which I can’t do with any of the bags I have now.
It has a built in ear/headband holder already.
Backpacks are inconvenient when I need to quickly grab something, and I typically use a crossbody style in my daily life. This gives the best of both.
It has a hydration system you can buy.
I don’t see any reviews of it on YouTube, any “pack my bag” videos, so it could be good for content.
Given that it can be a backpack or crossbody means I’d use it in my everyday life.
It’s customizable (to an extent).
Here are the reasons why I didn’t buy it.
It’s NOT limited edition. When I am ready to buy it, it will be there waiting for me
I have a backpack to use for Halloween at Disney World already. I also have a backpack that I want to use for my November Disneyland trip that is Christmas-themed. I’ll be flying to Disneyland and won’t have room for two bags/backpacks like this.
There are lots of things, accoutrements, that I could buy so maybe it would just set me off on a buying spree.
In the moment, I wanted it desperately. Looking at it again, thinking about it again, I do still want it, but the desperation, anxiety, and fear have subsided.
It occurred to me today, Sunday August 18th, that the main reason I felt this sense of urgency to get the bag was FOMO, or the Fear Of Missing Out. The puzzling aspect though was this product is not limited edition. It is not a seasonal release, a special limited colorway, none of that.
So why did I feel FOMO?
I think partly because of my NBY. Some part of my brain has been conditioned to think that everything is FOMO. Everything is limited, special. Fast Fashion with its constantly rotating clothing trends helps to cement this. I don’t buy a lot of clothing and don’t really keep up with fashion trends so that’s not where mine comes from. If I can’t have this then it triggers that feeling of missing out on it, even if that feeling isn’t based in reality.
I think mine is from the Beauty Community, specifically makeup.
I began watching YouTube in 2011 or 2012. I started to get interested again in makeup. I remember walking into the JCPenny at my nearby mall and they had a Sephora inside of it. There I encountered the legendary Naked Palette. I bought it that day.
Funny thing is, the Naked Palette was discontinued in 2018…but it is back.
Look! They even dared to call it “Limited Edition”.
Whether or not it will be truly LE is yet to be seen.
Another interesting observation: I did not buy the rereleased Naked Palette because of FOMO.
What’s the difference then between the bag and the palette? The only thing I can think of is “new” and a feeling of deprivation.
I had the Naked Palette once. I even had Naked 2 and 3. Oh, and those little mini Naked Palettes too, but I digress. The bag, however, I have never owned. So even if I hadn’t bought the Palette again, I wouldn’t have felt deprived. I’ve had it before. I’ve used and loved and experienced it before. The bag is new. I have never owned it. I have no opinions on it that is based on prior use. I haven’t had the chance to love nor hate it.