My Pockets Have Been Hooverized

While not the most scientific indicator of consumer spending, the contents of my pockets in a seasonal coat can be very revealing about my economic health.

Anyone who lives in a state with four true seasons knows you need at least two sets of coats: the spring/fall jackets and the winter armour. And anyone who lives in these states knows that the pockets of these coats can be time capsules when you put them on for the first time when a new season starts.

For example, when I put on my winter coat for the first time this winter, I found $5 in it. Awesome, but not as awesome as when I was in my 20s. My disposable income was soaring, I wasn't saving, and I'd find $20 in these pockets at the start of the season. Anything less than $10 would be a disappointement.

So last night I went out with a couple friends to a local brew hall. It wasn't the gathering of friends at my house as I had suggested in an earlier post. But as I predicted, nothing was planned until 5 p.m. last night.

But I digress. The point being that spring has sprung early this year in Minnesota. So before I left, I had to unearth a light spring jacket. I put it on for the first time since early November.

I was a little giddy as I put the jacket on and my hands searched the pockets. It's like your own personal FOUND magazine. What would I find? Petty cash? A receipt from a restaurant? A zany note or cartoon? Did I mention petty cash?

Nothing exciting whatsoever. An unused poop bag for Pancho and a shopping list for the grocery store. A sign of the times. The days of disposable income are over.

However, hope springs eternal. I still have a fleece and one more jacket in my wardrobe that I have yet to break out in this premature spring. Just like we're disappointed when we don't win the lottery, I'm bound to be let down by the beer caps, candy wrappers, and gas station receipts I'll find in these soon-to-be-explored pockets.

But who knows? Maybe I'll find an unclaimed winning lottery ticket in one of these pockets.