Shit my husband buys
A couple of months ago it was baby A.’s second birthday. I was pretty sure I was going to be in charge of getting his presents as my husband is always very busy, but I asked him anyway if he was thinking of buying something for him. “Yes”, he replied, “this”. And he sent me a link to one of those baby projectors with lights and music. I was quite surprised. “You want to buy him a baby projector?? He’s turning 2, he’s not a baby anymore!! Besides, he already has THREE similar projectors!!”. (Which were gifts people gave us when he was born).
Luckily I was able to stop him in his tracks this time, but this is not the first time that my husband has strange ideas about things to buy. Our (not very big) apartment is full of shit that he, at some point, thought a good purchase (it almost always isn’t). Do you think I’m exaggerating? Well, well, well. Let me present you the irrefutable proof that I am right by showing you some of the things my husband has bought:
Proof 1: The knee massager
One day my husband started saying that his knees hurt. Then he bought online something called a knee massager which, in my opinion, looked like total quackery. He used it a couple of times. Imagine him there, sitting on the armchair, with that thing on his knees. Then he packed it in a plastic bag, put it in the cupboard and never used it again (this is what usually happens with his purchases).
The knee massager is something like this.
Proof 2: The golf practise set
Another time, he received a strange package. When I asked him what it was, he replied “Something to practise golf”. The package wasn’t too big so I didn’t think too much of it then. Until I saw “the thing” after he assembled it. It was like a huge tent covering half of our upstairs storage room. But he was adamant that he wanted to practise golf. Guess what happened later: That thing has been taking up a lot of space for over half a year and he’s used it maybe 5 times.
It’s the huge thing in the back. Seriously, who practises golf alone at home…?
Proof 3: The decorative firetruck
Some people like living in a house full of decorative objects. I am not one of those people. I think purely decorative objects are a waste of space (especially in a small apartment with not so much storage space like ours) and also tend to accumulate a lot of dust. So imagine my face when my husband bought this firetruck model. He got it as a present for his friend’s son, but at that time the child was like 2 years old and I told him this was not a toy. So it ended up on our bookshelf, wasting space. Until a few weeks ago, when I told my husband that I was going to give it away for free in a second hand WeChat group. Then he put it up on Xianyu, the Taobao for second hand things and, to my surprise, he actually sold it very fast and for a good price.
C. is actually addicted to that Xianyu app. He already sold lots of things we didn’t want and earned around 30,000 RMB! Well, most of it was spare “pimping” parts from his old car as it seems there’s really a market for that. But we still have so much shit we don’t use! One day I’ll get a Kondo attack and start giving everything away for free!
Do you tend to buy things that never get used later?
Oh my husband does the same thing… thanks for sharing.. can totally relate
Oh, we can commiserate together, then. I hope your husband sells some things too xD
Well … I end up selling it or donating things.. Ofc he doesn’t notice the missing things…😂
Super funny… so, it’s not only women who are constantly shopping. :)
In our household, the one constantly shopping is definitely not the woman, hahaha.
I nearly snorted my coffee out my nose when I read the title of this post. It sums up a lot of husbands and a lot of marital issues. LMAO about that golf set. hope he gets a good price for it soon.
I was actually considering if I should tone the title down. I think we use many more (and stronger) swearing words in Spanish…
English is very versatile, with new and inventive words constantly being added to the lexicon.
It’s hard to keep up.
I do the same thing as your husband. I need to stop with the impulse buying haha!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Yes! What works for me is leaving the thing for a while in the shopping cart (online shopping, obviously). If after a few days I still want to buy it, then I do.
there are groups called “Buy nothing” in the US everywhere now, it is a neighborhood centered exchange organization that gives away, exchanges, requests unwanted stuff. We have given away tons of stuff over the years, including a lot Chinese furnitures we don’t want anymore. People are really bored now due to the pandemic, and shopping has become a “hobby”
I would totally join those groups haha. I am in several WeChat groups for second hand, giving away and reusing. I buy very few things, only what I really need.
That sounds like my husband… maybe it’s a guy thing? 😂 I’ve gotten to the point in life that if I buy something it’s because I’ve needed it for a while. I absolutely hate it when things accumulate and just take up space!
Same here, I cannot stand the clutter anymore. Sometimes I get “cleaning frenzies” in which I start checking all the contents of a shelf/drawer/cupboard and throw away everything we don’t use…
Indulging in e-commerce shopping is indeed a problem, because e-commerce in China is too developed, too many products, too cheap prices, and too fast shipping.
I moved from the house where I lived for 7 years to another in September this year, and I realized how much “garbage” I had bought in the past few years. Many of them are actually useful, but I never use them until they are forgotten.
Ugh, I don’t even want to think about the amount of shit I’d have to pack if we moved!
You’re right, that firetruck definitely was too fancy for a two-year old. A lot of people get carried away buying things online but at least your husband’s purchases are interesting and quirky.
Lately I’m in an “anti-shopping” moood. I just don’t want to buy anything unless I really, really need it.
That’s good. Too much shopping, especially online shopping, by people often results in waste and regret.
How did women get the reputation for being big shoppers? My husband was always a bigger shop than I was. And it’s so hard to get rid of things. A small apartment has its problems, but so does a big house since it’s so easy to accumulate way too many things. Eventually you have to get rid of all that stuff.
Yes, how did we get the reputation?? Maybe women buy more shoes, clothes and cosmetics. But men buy things that are bigger and take up more space, haha.
My parents’ house is full of crap too. Last year when I went I was cleaning up a couple of wardrobes that contained my old toys and other things. I threw away about 30 kg of old magazines and miscellaneous papers, including invitations to birthday parties from the beginning of the 90s hahaha!
I think we all have made regrettable purchases. I certainly have my fair share, but nothing big, usually it’s like a door stop that doesn’t end up working. Hahahaha or something similar. But for sure, I think for women they end up buying clothes they don’t wear.
Women do have the reputation for buying too many clothes, haha. I’m trying my best not to buy anything I don’t need! I’m at a point that I don’t think buying things is pleasant, it’s more like a chore…
Except food, right? :D
The golf thingy will make a great den for Baby A. Drap sheets across, make a tent!
If C’s knees still hurt it’s probably the quads or back maybe causing them. If he see’s a physio about them they’ll work magic!
I don’t know if the golf thingie will be still around by the time Baby A. is interested on tents. I have my sights on it!!
Hide it and save it!
Ha – I love this blog. It’s like a complaining session with friends. Really captures the feeling of your spouse buying (and keeping) some dumb shit. We live a very Spartan existence in home because we’ve moved around a lot in the last few years. As the man, I’m the one who has to move everything so dumb shit goes immediately in the trash. I do feel bad because my house doesn’t have that warm, family feel that the collection of small trinkets and personal whatnots give a home. But I hate worthless things in my way so…
A little man advice. Buy or clean out a closet and then pack up and throw your husband’s shit in there. You didn’t throw it away so he can’t complain too much. Plus no man will really fight with his wife too much about how she wants to keep the home. Got to save the fights for important things. If he wants to use it, he can fish it out and put it back when he’s done. Like that golf thing – wtf is that?! They have stores you can go do that in for cheap.
Haha, thanks for your mantips! Yes, he often goes to those indoor rooms to play golf with friends. I have no idea why he bought that shit. I’m sure if I packed it up he wouldn’t even notice in months…
Hahaha Oh my god the title of this post is fantastic. That knee massager looks ridiculous!!! And the golf thing!!!
I also hate decorative items because my parents are hoarders and I grew up with junk everywhere. I want that Xianyu app so I can sell all my parents’ junk, lol.
If your husband buys any other weird stuff you should do a part 2 of this post! Love it.
Hahaha! There might be a similar app in the States for sure! My parents don’t have many decorative items either but my grandma was a big hoarder and when she died her children had a big flat full of things to dispose of. TBH there must have been very interesting things there, but just too many…