Do I really need it or do I only want it? I think I have more angst over that question than most people. I tend to think of most things as wants rather than needs. How we define needs depends on ones culture, income and personal experience. Do we really need electricity? Of course we do, and yet, millions of people in other parts of the world manage without it.

Yesterday as I was about to get dressed and not finding anything in my overly full closet that I wanted to wear, I decided that I really need more light breezy summer dresses. The day before I had worn this dress, just about the most comfortable dress ever, and wanted something else like it. But do I really need more dresses? No, not really.

Last summer I hardly wore dresses at all but lately it’s been so hot I feel like I cannot wear anything else. I have some things in my closet that I like that are not practical for right now – like dresses with sleeves. Isn’t it funny how much of a difference even short sleeves make when it’s hot? And there are the skirts. I don’t look good in skirts anymore and, anyway, I’d rather not wear anything with a waistband when it’s this hot so I don’t wear skirts very often but I have several that I still like a lot and keep hanging on to.

I have a number of garments that I’ve been meaning to re-work to make them more wearable. For some of them I need fabric and notions and I want to go to the “local” fabric store – in Tulsa which is not really all that local for me – because I need to match colors. Fabric.com offers swatches of some fabrics but not the solid color Kona cottons that I need and I don’t quite trust the website to show the colors exactly right. Besides, I would really like to go to the fabric store with my daughter-in-law. I’ve been procrastinating because I would rather go pick her up than to arrange to meet and possibly have to wait a long time but I’m terrified of the highway between me and her. But I’m going to do it – soon. Really.

When it comes to completely new stuff though, I always spend a lot of time thinking about it and questioning whether I really need it and, deciding I don’t really need it, questioning whether I should or shouldn’t buy it anyway. I need to spend more time sewing and getting stuff done then maybe I’d feel a little less guilty about buying more stuff. My latest excuse is that it’s too hot. I’ve been trying to avoid using heat producing appliances in the afternoon and that includes the halogen floor lamp that I use for sewing, and the iron which is often needed in sewing. And I have the hardest time changing my routine and doing stuff like that in the morning instead of wasting time on the Internet like I’m doing right now.

Another want vs. need that I’m beating my head against right now is shoes. Have you ever heard of a woman who even thinks about whether or not she needs shoes? I have around 10 pairs of shoes, I think, and I look at them and it seems like a lot to me and yet, lately none of them seem quite right. My feet get tired of all of them rather quickly. I wear the flip flops a lot but after a while I get tired of the strap between my toes and my other sandals are too heavy and they make my feet tired. The cheap little white Dr. Scholl’s shoes are surprisingly comfortable but they’re not very breathable and my feet get hot and sweaty after a short time. And the insoles are starting to come loose and bunch up. Strangely though, the cure for wanting new shoes is actually looking at shoes. None of them seem quite right. I manage to find something wrong with all of them.

I’ve been thinking about trying to sell some of my old stuff on eBay – like some patterns that I bought back in the 80′s and never got around to using and a few that are used but still in good condition. I’m a little wary of eBay (something else that you’ll probably find strange) but if I could make a little money off my old junk maybe I’d feel better about treating myself to something new.