Spring vacuum buying fever

[human]

For most of the year, I manage my vacuum addiction pretty effectively but I've noticed an odd little pattern in my acquisitions over the past few years. It seems like I get the proverbial bug and tend to buy a vacuum or two, along with assorted pieces, parts and accessories, mostly in February and March. By April, I'm pretty much over it unless I just happen to run across something totally irresistible. But that six weeks or so just before the spring equinox is crazy. That's when I find myself overcome by the urge to actively go out in search of something to want in the way of a vintage vacuum. I don't need anything; it's just a desire to acquire.

This year, that tendency took an interesting twist. I acquired an Electrolux Silverado in pretty rough shape last fall and for the better part of four months, I was quite content to let it lie fallow in my barn as a reminder to be a little more careful about what I spent my money on. But like clockwork in the latter part of February, I got the itch, pulled it out, worked on it off and on over about four weeks and finally got it running again last weekend. Along the way, I found myself compelled to get a PN4A power nozzle and electrified wand to go with it. All in all, that's a whole lot better than some years when I buy two or three vacuums during that period and end up feeling like a drunk with a hellacious hangover following an extended bender. I always vow never to do it again, but I know I'm just one vacuum buy away from being right back in my addiction.

 

[huskyvacs]

Lucky I can't get an addiction because I rarely find vacuums in my area.

This was the last vacuum I found in the Goodwill: https://www.vacuumland.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?38182_4

My Craigslist has 0 vacuum listings as well.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Buying for me seems to not have much rhyme or reason. When I was between jobs in 2011, I got interested in vacuums by seeing some older ones at Habitat. Prior to that, I hadn't really paid any attention to vacuums at thrift stores. That year, and in 2012 following, I acquired a couple of vacuums both new and used. After that my interest dwindled a bit, but I obtained maybe one more in 2014. That was it for a while. Last year though, I had acquired a few more, mainly models I had always wanted that happened to turn up.

I've been able so far to say no to the majority I see. And like I said, now it's mostly just ones I've wanted since I was a kid or had getting back into collecting.

In the mean time other collections have grown. I'm always on a fan collecting kick, if one I want turns up, plus I go to meets. So each year usually yields at last a few of them, even if only from the fan meets.

In 2017 I got on a mixer kick for some reason, and acquired a couple of Sunbeams. Somehow it seems, when my interest in collecting one thing dwindles, I discover something else interesting that I hadn't paid much attention to before. Usually this by one of these forums or seeing it on eBay or in a thrift store or garage sale.

2018 and onward most of my interest has been in lighting. Who knows what will be the next thing. Although I know I'm running out of space, so that puts a damper on things too.

 

[madman]

Humans are weird creatures. We don't - and will probably never - fully understand how they work. There's a possibility humans used to hibernate in the winter... it would probably stop in about Feb or March, and that'd be the time to seek food, etc.

That's just a guess, of course, but there are all sorts of parallels to 'animal' behaviors that humans *have* but have simply shifted over to other things. For example, animals would compete for food and survival, we compete in sporting events and for a bigger paycheck, etc.

 

[fan-of-fans]

I know my thrifting and flea marketing, garage sale etc trips tend to peak in the winter time. Because I live in Florida and it's snowbird season. So the flea market is much busier, more garage sales going on etc. In the summer the flea market is fairly empty and there aren't as many sales. I'd also expect the thrift stores to have fewer donations too, with fewer people around and many people are spending time outdoors. Where in winter they might work on cleaning out their house.

 

[human]

@huskyvacs: I hear you about the local thrift shops. The cupboards around here have been pretty bare of late, not exactly sure why. If there is a vacuum on the floor, it's usually some sort of beat down bagless plastivac of zero interest to me--or much of anyone else, apparently. If it stays in the store more than about a week, pieces and parts tend come off and get scattered around the store. It kind of reminds of those time lapse videos of a dead animal carcass decomposing. The one exception is the rare occasion when a Kirby comes in with its tools. They'll keep that all together by mummifying it with shrink wrap or packing tape. One store I used to frequent, which is now closed, used to just sell the tools separately.