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Manifesto
April 14th, 2010
Ugh. Enough with the pregnancy talk already! Am I right? The problem with being on bed rest is that I don’t really have anything else to talk about. Let’s just sum it up with this: last trimester = WAH! The End.
I was hesitant to post about my Manifesto because, well, honestly because it would make me even more accountable. But, the above mentioned lack of anything else to talk about has prompted me to share. So here it is:
I’m quitting shopping for a year.
Seriously.
I read an article written by a woman who’s done it. She was spurred on by the fact that she read that most women spend a full three years of their lives shopping. THREE YEARS. And what do we have to show for it? A bunch of junk that sits around for a few years until we give it or throw it away. She wrote about when she had time to kill between meetings or appointments that she’d stop in a drug store and invariably leave having spend $15-$20 on something for her hair, a magazine or other sundry things that she didn’t need or even necessarily really want. I recognized this behavior instantly in myself. I view shopping as a hobby. Target is grown-up playground and I wanna go down the slide just one more time.
You may remember that I lost my job when I was put on bed rest. While we’re not below the poverty line by any stretch of the imagination, we’re poorer than we’d like to be. poorer than we’re good at being. poorer than I’m good at being. It stands to reason that this is the perfect time for me to quit the extracurricular shopping cold-turkey. (I actually quit a week ago.) The only things I’m shopping for are essentials. Groceries (with no extras at the store!), seasonal replacement clothing and shoes for the children, and medications. No more trips to Target and Old Navy “just to see what they’ve got.” No more throwing things into the grocery cart because it doesn’t really feel like spending money if you do it when grocery shopping. No more shopping for clothes for myself because I wear a smaller size and it’s FUN to buy clothes now!
And just to brag, I went to Central Market today on my way home from my OB appointment with the sole purpose of buying some pregnancy tea. (I looked for it at my regular grocery store, but they don’t carry it.) Anyhow, Central Market is my favorite grocery store in all the land, and I live 45 minutes away from the closest one. When I go, I typically spend at least $50 on things I can only get there but don’t actually need. Today, I walked in, browsed a little, found the tea, grabbed three boxes and walked to the registers. I considered buying other things, but I didn’t. There was nothing I needed, just a lot of things I wanted. Of course, as soon as I got to the car, I immediately called Gerald to exclaim my feat and remind him that I am, indeed, made of awesome.
I know it’s not going to be easy to change decades of behavior, but I’m starting off on the right foot. And that feels great.
test Filed under confessional, money woes | Comments (11)11 Responses to “Manifesto”
I never used to shop for recreation until I had Ava. I am TOTALLY guilty of using it as entertainment for the both of us now, especially in bad weather or TX summer. UGG.
This is awesome. I’m not really a recreational shopper but we haven’t shopped since January 1 when we decided that Torsten would quit his job. It hasn’t been horrible but it hasn’t been pleasant either. Though I am planning to drop some money at the Old Navy stuff and save sale this weekend because I literally do not have any more t-shirts that fit. Post-WLS isn’t the best time to quit shopping, as it turns out.
Good luck! I know you’ll do great.
You ARE made of awesome!
Good for you! We’ve done a version of this the past few years, by making “rules” about our shopping. No plastic, for example. Or only quality clothing/shoes/etc (more expensive, yes, but also less impulse that way, which equals less spending).
I think our shopping/spending has become MILES more mindful. There seems to be more integrity to it now, which I love. And I save my impulse buys for garage sales/thrift stores.
Good luck, and be sure to tell us how it’s going… I love reading about stuff like this.
Oh my yes, Tessie. Target is my favorite place to take Maddie when we’ve got to get out of the house and it’s eleventy billion degrees outside. Plus, it’s SO! EASY! to buy fun/cute things for a kid, isn’t it?
Go you!
Jennifer Smith McClendon likes this.
That’s awesome. I gave up clothing, make-up and shoe purchases for April but you are going all out.
I have a “deal” problem. If it’s a deal, I have to have it. But, after being lost in my closet of clothing, I realised that even deal shopping is bad when you have stuff you don’t recognize in your closet.
Good for you! You are awesome. My husband and I aren’t big consumers, and i hate to shop, but put in a book store or yarn store and watch out. Now I live across the street from the library and get all my books there and I have enough yarn to last a life time (it seems). We just spent two months getting rid of stuff to close our storage unit and it was a really good feeling. Pass it on, recycle it, sell it!
You are made of awesome (altho I already knew that!)
Wow! This is a big commitment Erica. But I know you can do it. We’ve been working on paying off debt, via Dave Ramsey, for several years now. So most recreational spending has been cut for a long time. And I’m very frugal with our grocery/household/clothing budget…very frugal. It can be tough sometimes, but it’s definitely worth it. Keep it up.