The New Suitcase

I have to admit, living in a black and white world is much easier, but a world of gray is much more interesting.

This week's gray purchase was a new suitcase. Now I know many of you might be wondering why I didn't purchase a used suitcase. It seems like such a simple thing to find on Craigslist.

And it is. A search on Craigslist for a suitcase turned up 78 results. But hang on a second. Look at these prices! $65, $60, $100! And none of them were really exactly what I wanted. Some were too big, some were too small, some were located miles and miles away. Some of them claimed to be "vintage" by which they meant "without wheels."

Okay look. Generally speaking, I am perfectly happy to pay more for quality. But suitcases are an exception to the rule. Why on Earth would I pay $100 for something that is going to be battered around by airline crews? I once owned a nice suitcase, and a few years later it resembled a squashed fruit. If squashed fruit looked like suitcases with broken zippers. Never again!

Instead, my mom, who has been my life-saver in town for the weekend, went to Santee Alley in Downtown LA. Santee Alley is home to cheap clothes, knock off purses, and ridiculously cheap luggage. She bought mine for $30.

So there you have it. One new suitcase. Is it Samsonite? Heck no! Will it do just as good a job of storing my stuff until an airline crew rips it to shreds? I think so.

If I had needed a suitcase in the last year, I would have sucked it up and bought an expensive used one. Or maybe I would have gone to Goodwill and bought a cheap used one that looked like it was already battered to shreds. But now living in the gray? I just couldn't justify the extra expense, not to mention the inconvenience of driving all the way out to someone's home in Santa Monica to pick up a suitcase.

Am I justifying my new suitcase? Maybe a little. This gray thing isn't easy. But overall I think it was the right decision.

Now I just have to pack.