It's the time of year when we pack a bag and fly back to Canada. There are so many more shopping opportunities in Arizona, especially when you hover around the edge of Phoenix. Also, especially when you live in a very rural part of Canada. The nearest store is a small general store five miles away. I do most of my shopping online. So these are not really relative.

There are some things I want to have. This week, they were:

• The Sashbag
• The Elfin Notebook

These are not affiliate links, just an example of things I think I need.

Meanwhile, I did listen to this interesting podcast from Steve Chase. He is talking about Camtasia for doing videos. I have a couple of courses on Udemy and 7 more half prepared but I am stuck because I suffer doing videos.

Camtasia is great. It costs $200. Steve says, put aside a dollar a day for a few months if you have to but do it and get Camtasia. Or not buy some things and set that money aside.

Okay. I have set aside $79 for the sashbag and $19.99 for the notebook. There was some shipping on the sashbag but I don't know how much. I can round this up to $100 I didn't spend today. Another day like this and I get the cash for Camtasia.

It Not Just the Money

It's really about whether I will use whatever I buy. As I mentioned, we're packing up to go home and I bagged up 17 tops that I never wore. What was I thinking? I have drawers full of stuff I just knew would improve my life. I have 3 good microphones.

Which I got for the videos I never do.

This is another lie I have told myself for years. If I had the tools, I'd get so much done.

So far this is just a realization that I do have the tools. And that I think I am such a minimalist. I am ashamed of myself. My life is cluttered with the stuff of broken dreams and broken plans. Give me a week or so and I will tell you 1) if I got Camtasia or 2)if I made a video with the tools I already have (PowerPoint and Movavi) that I paid for and NEVER use.

I like the Elfin notebook but I have CamScanner on my phone and can capture any notes I scribble and instantly upload them to my dropbox.

I just did this note with an old pen in my $1.00 scribbler from Albertson's. CamScanner is free. If I upgrade for $4.99 a month, it would turn this into a document. But I don't need that. Not yet anyway. Oh, there's another $4.99 for my Camtasia budget.

Side Note About CamScanner

Yes you can just take a photo of documents and do the same thing but CamScanner grabs your document and lets you crop it and straighten it out with a click or two. A neighbor dropped over with a biscuit recipe for a mixture you can keep in the fridge. Homemade Bisquik. She had her recipe card. CamScanner to the rescue.

The Lesson I Learned Today: I must use what I have already bought before I buy anything else and stop pissing money away on things I don't need because they just become junk and clutter.