No no no no n- well, okay

Have you ever got "stuck" with something on Ebay because people were bidding against you and darn it - you just weren't going to let them have it cheap?
No? Maybe it's just me... 
Anyway, recently while scouring a flea market I came upon a Christmas tree figurine from Precious Moments that plays "Silent Night." Now I am not a fan of Precious Moments figures - I do not collect them, I don't even particularly like them. 
But I saw this tree, and the color palette was soft and "shabby," if you know what I mean. And I thought, maybe I could just collect one piece of Precious Moments - a piece that doesn't depict the big-headed, teardrop-eyed children that just don't appeal to me. 

(The photo above is courtesy of PJ's Precious Collectibles on Ebay - who by the way is a wonderful seller of Precious Moments figures if you are looking to buy them.)
But the asking price was $25, and this was a thrifting trip, and that was just too much money.
So I came home and looked it up on Ebay, and watched a few auctions. And while I was surfing Ebay, I came upon this little piece: a little car with a Christmas Tree tied to the top, and a worrisome little puppy anxiously looking out the car window. 

It wasn't $25, and it featured free shipping. And, seriously, I really thought it was adorable. So - against every fiber of my being, I bid on a Precious Moments figurine. 
And was immediately out-bid. Well!, I huffed. Not about to let someone snatch this out from under me so cheaply, I entered a maximum bid just to be sure that the other bidder wouldn't get such a grand bargain. Only this time, I became the high bidder at $15. And over the next few days, I stayed there, wondering if someone would come along to outbid me. To save me from myself. 
They never did. 

I did use my penance time wisely, by researching the piece I had bid on. I learned it is part of a Christmas Village series called Sugar Town, pieces for which were manufactured in the mid-80's through mid-90's. I decided that it didn't really make sense to own just a car from an entire Christmas Village, and that if I won the auction, I would need one more piece to put with it so at least I would have a little scene. 
The Sugar Town series is not short on pieces - I narrowed my options down to something under $10, which meant I would get a mailbox, railroad crossing sign, fire hydrant, split-rail fence, or other small item to suggest that the car was part of a larger universe. 
The day I won the auction for the car (at $15 with free shipping), I also did a "buy it now" for the split-rail fence ($9.75 with free shipping). 

So if you are doing the math, you have just realized that I spent $25 on Ebay on two pieces of something I do not collect, all because I did not want to spend $25 at the thrift store on something I do not collect. 
Fortunately, my pieces arrived safely (both on the same day!) and they really are adorable. 

I still do not collect Precious Moments, but now I have two pieces. 
Maybe I need the little lighted Sugar Town Chapel, so that Sam the Puppy has a reason to be driving his little car.