The Year of Buying Into NoMi Ends (But Isn't Really Over)

Post and stock photo by the Hawthorne Hawkman.

A little over a year ago, I tried an undertaking where I would attempt to find a local, north Minneapolis connection to everything I purchased (at least with discretionary income).  I ate at a few new restaurants, and even found a connection where I could buy comic books.  But the attempt to categorize just about everything you could buy in NoMi sort of fizzled.  Why?

Several reasons.  First, I am reminded of one of my favorite authors, Dave Barry.  Barry wrote a book called "Dave Barry Does Japan," in which his publisher Random House paid for him to visit, try zany things, and apply his brand of humor to them.  He repeatedly brought up this fact.  "I cannot overemphasize," Barry wrote, "how much more you can enjoy Japan when Random House is paying for everything."

As a volunteer blogger, I had no publisher willing to pay for such a venture.  So the first thing that I did in searching for places to spend my money in NoMi was I stopped spending as much money.  And then a funny thing happened:  I had more money in my account every month.  And that, my friends, lead to...

...saving more towards buying a home.  I've commented here and on other NoMi blogs that I wasn't in a position to become a homeowner yet.  I won't write a long missive like "Foreclosure Can Happen to Anyone, Even Me."  Instead, I'll summarize my past in a haiku (3 lines, 5-7-5 syllable structure, mention a season):

Divorce and bad debt
Ex kept house, then foreclosure
Spring makes all things new

So once I started saving money, I saw that my timetable to become a homeowner was speeding up.  Oh, I still made very conscious attempts to keep my money in NoMi.  They just weren't interesting to write about.

Collection agents
Never call me anymore
Winter's loneliness

"Spent another $40 at Good Sports/Donny Dirk's."

So the formal year of buying in NoMi has come to a close, but a bigger and more substantial purchase is on the horizon.