No New Pens in 2022

[Karmachanic]

1 hour ago, jvr said:

that makes want the new shiny stuff in the first place.

 

Always ask; what will this new shiny do that my present pens do not?  Most of the time the answer is; nothing.  Same nib, different dress/suit/outfit?  Never mind.

[mke]

On 1/3/2022 at 6:32 PM, lionelc said:

might have to give up fpn too - lots of enablers around here.

and aliexpress and ebay and instagram and facebook and email newsletters and pen friends - and the internet too - temptation is lurking everywhere 😁🤣

 

Actually, I want to scale back by 90% over 2022-2023. See: https://www.instagram.com/mkepens/

 

[Inkysloth]

I'm adding myself to this list, with exceptions: 

- I collect the Lamy Safari SEs, so will be adding this (or these) to my pen shelf. 
- Vintage pens at a low enough price, only if I see them in person, no browsing Ebay. 

Nothing else new. No new pens, no new nibs, no new inks. I have plenty. 

Over the last couple of years I set myself a "wait 24 hours before buying online" rule which helped break that instant gratification from wanting and buying immediately, and started to enjoy the sensation of making myself wait until that itself became the enjoyable thing. 

[Aysedasi]

15 hours ago, ParramattaPaul said:

Ah, but when did you order it?  2021?

Ah, good point - 31st December!   

[como]

Maybe no new pens is too harsh. It's like getting on a diet of "no food allowed". 😬 Maybe "one in one out", or "if I manage to not buy pens, my reward will be to be allowed to buy some pens"?

[Karmachanic]

2 hours ago, Inkysloth said:

a "wait 24 hours before buying online" rule

 

I have found "wait 14 days before buying online" more helpful.

[TSherbs]

2 hours ago, como said:

... or "if I manage to not buy pens, my reward will be to be allowed to buy some pens"?

 

haha 😆

[Inkysloth]

3 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

I have found "wait 14 days before buying online" more helpful.

 

Maybe that's the rule I'll start adopting more generally

I tend to find if I resist that initial whim, that pretty much does the job, but a concrete 14 days would be interesting to try. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Said that a few years.................sometimes even lasting 3-4 months with out being stupid again and getting another pen.

 

I can well remember thinking 10-12 pens would be more than enough same with 10 inks. 90 pens and inks later....course that took a bit over a decade to go from 10 to 90 pens.

[como]

9 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

Said that a few years.................sometimes even lasting 3-4 months with out being stupid again and getting another pen...

@Bo Bo Olson Hahaha, the 14-day thing doesn’t work for me either. I am best at taming the urge of buying AFTER I already bought the pen.

[ParramattaPaul]

5 hours ago, Aysedasi said:

Ah, good point - 31st December!   

Well then, no problem.

 

[sandy101]

6 hours ago, como said:

Maybe no new pens is too harsh. It's like getting on a diet of "no food allowed". 😬 Maybe "one in one out", or "if I manage to not buy pens, my reward will be to be allowed to buy some pens"?

 

 

If you buy no new pens in 2022, you will be able to reward yourself with a more expensive pen in 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[brokenclay]

Sold a pen!

[como]

1 hour ago, sandy101 said:

 

 

If you buy no new pens in 2022, you will be able to reward yourself with a more expensive pen in 2023.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

@sandy101 Does vintage count as new too? Hehehe

[como]

33 minutes ago, brokenclay said:

Sold a pen!

@brokenclay Hooray!

[sandy101]

10 minutes ago, como said:

@sandy101 Does vintage count as new too? Hehehe

 

That would be an ecumenical question. 

[inkstainedruth]

10 hours ago, Karmachanic said:

 

I have found "wait 14 days before buying online" more helpful.

And I've found that every now and then I'll get a notification from eBay that a pen I've been watching (for months on end in some cases) has a (possibly desperate) seller making a discounted offer.  Sometimes I even take the sellers up on those.  Of course in other cases, I'll be clearing out old listings that have sold from the watch list and be going "Why the heck am I watching THIS listing?  That's from seller [vendor's name bleeped out due to site rules against naming and shaming] and I wouldn't cross the street to spit on them if they were on fire!"

OTOH, last year when I got a notification that a pen had been relisted, I logged in to eBay and said "Hmmm, wonder if there are any new listings..." and that's how I lucked into the used French Blue Safari where the seller said "X price or make an offer" so I made an offer and the seller made a counter offer (which was basically the MSRP of a new Safari, or the US retail price of an al-Star) and I said "Close enough for government work!" and hit the buy button.  And even at the seller's original price, it was WAY less expensive than the NOS ones I was seeing....  So I've got a rare (and highly desirable) color that I'd been lusting after and didn't have to spend an arm and a leg and another arm for a NOS one. And the seller unloaded a pen he didn't want.  Win win all around. 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[chromantic]

Well, I didn't make it very far. However, I did make exception for an eye-catching Optima LE. I think this qualifies.

 

 

[whichwatch]

I declare success!

 

As I previously posted in this thread, I had told myself I would slow down pen buying this year. And as previously admitted,  I got off to a bad start by buying 2 pens at 9:30 and another on Jan 2.     

 

But it took me until Jan 6 before I bought my fourth.  So, as you can see, I have in fact slowed down.

 

Victory is mine!  I will now return to my normal affliction practice.

[Aysedasi]

19 hours ago, ParramattaPaul said:

Well then, no problem.

 

 

Indeed not.    Bottom line is that if the right pen comes up, I will buy it if I can afford it.  My NY resolution is to lose some weight, not to avoid buying pens....