Saturday, September 18, 2010

Day 35 - September 18th -

Well, it's been 35 days, just over a month. It seems a LOT longer. However, I'm still happy with the decision I made to cut back on spending. The "instant gratification" part goes away a little bit. When shopping in a store you really start to ask yourself for most purchases, "do I really need that?" And if the answer is yes or you need some "retail therapy" to get you through, then go for it.
And if not... then hang in there for Christmas or your birthday. People will want to know what to get you.

Another thing is, maybe I know what the finish line is. In this particular case, my finish line this particular time is the "grandfathered in" trip to Utah.  On Thursday, myself and 4 other crazy scrapbook women, scrapbook enthusiasts will attempt to shop at 12 different stores in Utah. With store list, GPS, coupons and a credit card, we will be ready to hit the road.  I have a wish list I've been putting together for the times when I can shop, like this one. Or for Christmas presents or birthday presents. 
And didn't we do this as kids? I know I did. Wanting that one particular toy and hoping that on Christmas morning it would finally be there.  Or going through the Sears catalog in November. Their toy section was to die for - and didn't everyone shop at Sears then. ("Then" is back in the 60s. - for all you young people who only shop on line, and for you older people who let the Wells Fargo wagon deliver your goods.)  And I'd get loaded with gifts in December with my birthday and Christmas being 2 weeks apart. ( I secretly wished I had been born in June, that way you get presents every 6 months - it's spaced out better.)

The anticipation is nice. In this world of instant: Instant messaging, cell phones at your finger tips, instant credit, instant images of anything you would possibly want to buy on the Internet, instant food in the microwave.  And trust me, if you could invent instant weight loss - you'd be a gazillionaire.
  It's kind of nice, to sit back, think about, anticipate, and slow a process down. 

2 comments:

  1. I thought your "decision" was to stop buying, not cut back on spending? hummm...interesting.

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  2. That's true. When I say "cut back on spending" I did mean stop buying. If I had only cut back on spending, I would be doing what Sheena has suggested which was reduce the spending to a maximum dollar amount; say $20/month. But me - "cold turkey" was best. Or so I thought.

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