I gave myself a plasectomy today.

The raw emotion of concern, happiness, sadness, and confusion is beyond me. I shouldn’t have been emotionally attached to this card, but I was. So much so I memorized the number, expiration date and the three digit code from the back. I can even remember the first day of applying for the card, being approved, and subsequently its arrival in our mailbox. My wife and I were so excited and we swore we would never rack up the insane amount of credit card debt again.

It was 2003 or 2004 and we were accustomed to getting the Sunday paper to peruse the ads for great “deals.” Wouldn’t you know it, there in that Sunday paper, was a 20% off coupon. 20% off almost anything in store plus new, never before been swiped plastic, equaled pure bliss. With that fresh piece of plastic in hand we strolled down to the local Bed Bath & Beyond or was it Linens n Things? I think it was the former, but I can’t be sure. We were on a mission. We had and still have a dog who sheds his fur as if it is his primary function in life and to not be man’s best friend. He is a long haired black retriever who lived on a white carpet. If you had stopped by at any point during the week you would think that by viewing our carpet we enjoyed the zebra pattern. Our vacuum could not keep up with the hair, it was a cheap $50 model that filled bags and went through belts once a month. I think we spent the same amount on replacements as we did on the cost of the vacuum the first year. Surely this wouldn’t do and Dyson had just come out with their new “Animal” version which I think cost $600 at the time.

The price of the vacuum combined with the 20% off coupon gave us a steal of a deal. We saved over $100 and swiped that card as any new happy go lucky credit card owner could. It has been about 5 years now and I think in a round about way are still paying for this vacuum that now needs to serviced. The attachment hose that runs up the back of vacuum is shredding at the top and although it still sucks up from the bottom, attachments are useless now. I believe it can be replaced with a new $30 replacement hose. It has served us well and managed give us our white carpet back.