Never buy things on impulse...

I am sure most of us have heard of this sound advice. More often, it is the men who utter these words to their spouses than the other way round. But a few days ago, the tables were turned on yours truly. After all these years, I would have thought that I am now smart enough in deciding on things that I need to buy. Apparently, I do still make dumb decisions sometimes.

So what was the object of my unwise purchase? The humble ironing board.

A few weeks ago, the missus asked me to buy an ironing board. To the uninitiated, the seemingly simple ironing board actually comes in a few variants carrying differing price tags. I first surveyed the item at Jusco and was surprised that they sell the top-range ones at prices above RM80. My next stop was at Giant. The ones sold there are probably the mid-range ones selling at around RM50. I deferred from buying, thinking that I should look some more at some other stores.

Then one day, I was shopping for groceries at the new My Mydin Mart and spotted a board with a dirt cheap price tag of only RM19.90. The board was the last one left and was wrapped in clear plastic so I didn't check it's quality. Anyway, how much different can one ironing board be from another... or so I thought. I simply grabbed it and paid for it along with my groceries.

When I reach home, the thing was put to one side and left in its wrapping for a few more days until the wife wanted to use it. I tore open the plastic wrap to set the board up. Immediately I realised that it is of very poor quality. The clip for the adjustable legs on the underside of the board is flimsy and the legs are uneven. I had to insert a folded cardboard under one of the legs to reduce the wobbling. Even the metal side rack where we place the iron is made from thin wire frame.

I was already grumbling loudly to myself but the missus was smiling happily because she knew she can't be blamed for this one.

She proceeded to do some ironing but had to be extra careful because of the shaky setup. On completing the task, as if on cue, the board collapsed.... causing the hot iron to fall on the floor with a loud clang. Luckily the missus was not hurt. Lucky for us too that the iron was not damaged. I checked the board for the cause of the collapse. It seems that the part of the leg that attaches to the clip somehow slipped out. I continued to grumble... and wife added fuel to the fire by quoting that well-known Malay proverb, alah membeli, menang memakai.

I decided there and then that I will buy a new and better ironing board. So what's going to happen to the one that I have now? I have already re-wrapped the thing in cling plastic and plan to put it the garbage house downstairs. Hopefully one of the cleaner ladies will salvage it and put it to good use... and not hurt herself in the process.

So remember guys... do not buy things on impulse.