Overcoming my own consumerism

I remember, albeit vaguely the first time I bought a Claire fontaine writing pad. It might have been in France, perhaps Paris, sometime in the 60s when I was romping around in a mini-skirt and keeping a diary.

Or perhaps it was later when I was translating psycho-dynamic babel in Amsterdam in the early 70s and getting a degree.

But whenever that first was today I have only one left in my huge stash of paper. It's a #6155, purplish-blue, 8-1/4 x 11-3/4, ruled and I paid $6.55 for it somewhere in the Northeast of the US--a huge continental divide.

These same pads are now selling for $10.50! And these days, I am in rural America, far from any cosmopolitan city, and therefore have to order on-line. With shipping costs a $6.55 will cost $15.00.

But I have been obsessing on and off the last two days about buying another #6155 as this one is nearly finished and also considering a Rhodia Webnotebook, 6-1/2 x 8, 80 g/m or a Quo Vadis Habana, 6-1/4 x 9-1/4, 80 g/m, or all three.

I already have the smaller Quo Vadis Habana in red (4 x 6-3/8), and a Rhodia top wired pad (4x6).

I must overcome my consumerism as my chequebook shrinks and my pile of paper grows.

So I took out my one Black n Red, the one I bought in Milford weeks ago and compared the paper to the Clairefontaine, and I do believe the paper is very similar.

The Black n Reds are described as 24lb rather than g/m. Generally 24lb has been nice to write on and doesn't feather or bleed with any of my user fountain pens.

And an important fact: the Black n Reds can be purchased for about the price I paid for the Clairefontaine ages ago and they are available within driving distance.

I am going to do an inventory!