In November of last year, I was at my local indie The Snail on the Wall when the rep from Blackwing walked in and proceeded to showcase the pencil to the owners. I have always been fascinated by stationery, and have been on the hunt for the best pens and paper for as long as I can remember. I got nosy and listened to her presentation. In all my years of stationery hunting, I never considered how I could elevate my pencil game. Dee invited me to try the pencils, and moments later, I was in love.
They were beautiful. The wood was smooth to hold, the ferrule (that holds the eraser in place) a polished metal and the eraser was unique. It can be extended and then replaced so that you never run out of eraser before pencil lead. Blackwing pencils are made with four different kinds of lead: soft, balanced, firm, and extra firm. But one box of Blackwings, containing 12 pencils, retails for more than $30 (insert shocked face). Dee graciously gave me two pencils on the spot, a beautiful black with gold accents, perfectly matching my Tūl pens and I gleefully took them home.
Around that time, I was introduced to the work of Ramit Sethi. He’s a finance guy (think Dave Ramsey but way nicer) and his work influenced my journey with Blackwing pencils. He introduced me to the concept of Money Dials: ten categories of spending where most people put their extra money. These categories include Travel and Experiences, Convenience, Self-Improvement, Generosity, and Luxury.
I shall not tell a lie: I initially thought that my Money Dials were Self-Improvement and Convenience. All those nonfiction books I purchase definitely count as Self-Improvement, right? I used to love to cook but over the past four years, I have developed a particular loathing for cooking and grocery shopping. I now drive-up to pick up my groceries from Kroger and get takeout a lot. It’s so convenient.
But a Money Dial purchase is something that brings you an immense amount of joy. After consultation with my Hubby about what he thought my Money Dial was, he immediately said Luxury. I balked. I’m not extravagant! I am not excessive. But that is not what Luxury means here. Luxury is something that provides pleasure, satisfaction, or ease. It is about the experience and the emotion. And my Hubby is right; I adore all those things. My MacBook, iPhone, and Apple Watch are my favorite items in the world. I don’t currently drive a BMW but I have before and I loved the experience. The Coach bag that my Hubby bought for me is one of my favorites. All of these items bring me a tremendous amount of joy.
As I continued to listen to Ramit, I realized that luxury wasn’t mutually exclusive to large ticket items. I love beautiful and well-crafted things of all sizes. The feel of Tūl pens. A book with a deckled edge. A journal with just the right feel of paper. And these Blackwing pencils. Since I brought those two home, I used them exclusively, carrying them from room to room. Usually, I reached for a pen; now I was reaching for my two Blackwings. I even printed out the New York Times Crossword to do it with my Blackwings instead of on the app. Even though I tend towards “cheap,” I struggle to buy these items for myself. The aforementioned luxury items were gifted; I was determined to figure out how I could get those pencils.
I got them, although I did not purchase my first box. My mom and dad gave them to me for Christmas. I found good deals for Blackwing’s incredible pencil sharpener and pencil tip protector. I keep the pencils all around my home, in the bedroom where I annotate my books while reading in the evenings, in my kitchen where I write my grocery lists and the Buddy’s Man’s notes to include in his lunches, and of course my workspace. Additionally, I have become a Blackwing evangelist, telling everyone I know about the pencil and even handing out samples. That forced me to purchase an additional box with my own funds.
Ramit’s main guiding principle when it comes to money is this: “cut mercilessly on what does not matter, so that you can spend extravagantly on the things that do.” I’m determined to add more of this luxury into my life, which includes my Blackwings.
How about you? Do you have any finely crafted items that bring you an immense amount of joy that I should check out? Tell us all in the comments.
P.S. School supplies for grown-ups and our team’s Raving Fans series, including Shannan’s ode to her favorite pens.
About the author
Shannan Malone is the MMD Cohost and Contributor. Her go-to genre depends on her mood! You can find Shannan on Instagram @shannanenjoyslife.