Breaking the Habit
No, I'm not talking about the nicotine habit. Thankfully, we kicked that habit right out the door about 3 1/2 years ago or so (October 31st, whatever year it was that Hubby flew to Kentucky to the hand specialist for reconstructive surgery). It's no longer such a big deal (either thing) that I don't remember just how many years it's been.
What I AM talking about is the Spending Habit. And the need to constantly be aware of the Habit.
I consider myself to be a fairly frugal gal for the most part. Seriously.
Yes, I have certain things that I feel are necessary that others would certainly feel are frivolous ... I say the same about others, but really, each family, each budget, is totally UNIQUE in that regard.
Recently, I rediscovered how EASY it is to fall off the wagon and hop right back in bed with that SPENDING HABIT.
Vegas. Indiana. Woe Me.
First there was that sense of 'entitlement' I felt. I'm going to VEGAS baby! It's my BIRTHDAY! IN VEGAS!
So I went and bought some new jeans. 2 pairs. LUCKY brand no less. BUT I did get them for $80 for both pairs by matching a sale and the opening of a new American Express (which by the way has a zero balance BECAUSE as soon as she finished the transaction, I paid the bill ... savvy huh?)
Then came the shoes. Um. Yes, SHOES. $110 for one pair and $64 for another pair. NEITHER were practical. I took the $110 pair back with 3 days. Thankfully my conscious spoke up loudly. The other pair. Well, I held on to them ... consulted with my two in-house fashion consultants (Princess and Sonny Boy). Both liked the shoes but questioned my being able to pull them off (walk gracefully). So continued to try them on and take them off, putting them back in the box each time, admiring how nice they looked on my feet, how tall I looked in them, how they made my calves look slimmer, etc. etc. etc. Finally, LAST week, I returned them. Because seriously, I would be good for MAYBE one hour in them. I of course, still have a 3rd pair that I bought for $59 in the closet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them, but again, not so sure I can pull it off (walk) gracefully. So they continue to hang out in their box too, coming out every few days to be put on my feet and admired. Odds are they will be going back too (sob).
Then recently, while Hubby was still in Indiana, I went to Bed Bath & Beyond. Hey, I had these awesome coupons for $5 off $15. Boy, did I rack that up! Total was $110.00. Yes, I got some real cool stuff. I THINK. The only thing off the top of my head I can think of is the Dust Buster thingy. Which was used non-stop for the first week and now it's sitting in the corner, UNPLUGGED. WTH?
I've noticed that I was walking out of stores (grocery, department, drug), I had a lot more stuff than I planned to buy.
I've gotten 3 pedicures and manicures since late April. Really. Wow. I usually get that many a YEAR. Of course, now I'm hooked on this gel nail polish stuff which is $25 a pop ... I did light light pink last time to see how it covers with regular color (I highly recommend this route) and it's beautiful. So I want to see how long it last ... 10 days so far.
I need to get my hair cut and highlighted. Um, yes I do. And the grey is really starting to streak through again, it's been 3 months already...but at $150+ a pop (not to mention, I really like that it's getting longer again) I'm debating on just coloring it myself, even though I can never ever get it as nice ... but I do have some girlfriends who can 'probably' help me do highlights ... for about $10 and a few drinks?
Anyway. The reason this is all coming to light is it's time to start putting in the auto bill payments. And um, wow, I don't have much cash to play with at the moment (yeah, I do have a check in my purse to deposit, will have another check Friday, and another big check in one week but THAT's not the point) ... IF I was to look at my bank statement I think I would be appalled at all the frivilious things I've spent money on lately. I find it amazing that it's so very easy to slide right back in to bad habits. And how HARD it is to break those habits yet again.
But alas, it's time to go into rehab and kick that habit yet again. Which was the results of my suggestion to do a Reduced Spending month. So far? Not as well as I'd like it to be. Went to Publix twice, Aldi's once, Walmart once, we went out to Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza last night with Sonny Boy (graduation!) and well....I need to go to Publix AGAIN for milk. Good lord!
How about you, have you falled way off the wagon and find your self chasing after to get caught up again? Is it really as difficult as it seems once you realize it??
What I AM talking about is the Spending Habit. And the need to constantly be aware of the Habit.
I consider myself to be a fairly frugal gal for the most part. Seriously.
Yes, I have certain things that I feel are necessary that others would certainly feel are frivolous ... I say the same about others, but really, each family, each budget, is totally UNIQUE in that regard.
Recently, I rediscovered how EASY it is to fall off the wagon and hop right back in bed with that SPENDING HABIT.
Vegas. Indiana. Woe Me.
First there was that sense of 'entitlement' I felt. I'm going to VEGAS baby! It's my BIRTHDAY! IN VEGAS!
So I went and bought some new jeans. 2 pairs. LUCKY brand no less. BUT I did get them for $80 for both pairs by matching a sale and the opening of a new American Express (which by the way has a zero balance BECAUSE as soon as she finished the transaction, I paid the bill ... savvy huh?)
Then came the shoes. Um. Yes, SHOES. $110 for one pair and $64 for another pair. NEITHER were practical. I took the $110 pair back with 3 days. Thankfully my conscious spoke up loudly. The other pair. Well, I held on to them ... consulted with my two in-house fashion consultants (Princess and Sonny Boy). Both liked the shoes but questioned my being able to pull them off (walk gracefully). So continued to try them on and take them off, putting them back in the box each time, admiring how nice they looked on my feet, how tall I looked in them, how they made my calves look slimmer, etc. etc. etc. Finally, LAST week, I returned them. Because seriously, I would be good for MAYBE one hour in them. I of course, still have a 3rd pair that I bought for $59 in the closet. I LOVE LOVE LOVE them, but again, not so sure I can pull it off (walk) gracefully. So they continue to hang out in their box too, coming out every few days to be put on my feet and admired. Odds are they will be going back too (sob).
Then recently, while Hubby was still in Indiana, I went to Bed Bath & Beyond. Hey, I had these awesome coupons for $5 off $15. Boy, did I rack that up! Total was $110.00. Yes, I got some real cool stuff. I THINK. The only thing off the top of my head I can think of is the Dust Buster thingy. Which was used non-stop for the first week and now it's sitting in the corner, UNPLUGGED. WTH?
I've noticed that I was walking out of stores (grocery, department, drug), I had a lot more stuff than I planned to buy.
I've gotten 3 pedicures and manicures since late April. Really. Wow. I usually get that many a YEAR. Of course, now I'm hooked on this gel nail polish stuff which is $25 a pop ... I did light light pink last time to see how it covers with regular color (I highly recommend this route) and it's beautiful. So I want to see how long it last ... 10 days so far.
I need to get my hair cut and highlighted. Um, yes I do. And the grey is really starting to streak through again, it's been 3 months already...but at $150+ a pop (not to mention, I really like that it's getting longer again) I'm debating on just coloring it myself, even though I can never ever get it as nice ... but I do have some girlfriends who can 'probably' help me do highlights ... for about $10 and a few drinks?
Anyway. The reason this is all coming to light is it's time to start putting in the auto bill payments. And um, wow, I don't have much cash to play with at the moment (yeah, I do have a check in my purse to deposit, will have another check Friday, and another big check in one week but THAT's not the point) ... IF I was to look at my bank statement I think I would be appalled at all the frivilious things I've spent money on lately. I find it amazing that it's so very easy to slide right back in to bad habits. And how HARD it is to break those habits yet again.
But alas, it's time to go into rehab and kick that habit yet again. Which was the results of my suggestion to do a Reduced Spending month. So far? Not as well as I'd like it to be. Went to Publix twice, Aldi's once, Walmart once, we went out to Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza last night with Sonny Boy (graduation!) and well....I need to go to Publix AGAIN for milk. Good lord!
How about you, have you falled way off the wagon and find your self chasing after to get caught up again? Is it really as difficult as it seems once you realize it??
Yes, spending gets out of control really quick. My husband and I both work right now. We have 5 children so there's a lot of just basic living expenses. I have started cutting way back though. No house phone, no cable, That is saving us $75 right off the top. Our oldest has started watching our youngest since schools out that is $300 a month saved, getting ready to drop our full coverage insurance on our older paid for vehicles. This should help. I am getting ready to not be working so hopefully I will at least be able to draw some unemployment until something else comes up. I do make fairly well where I am for our area. So, it will be hard to replace my income. My hope is that we can figure it out and I can start staying at home with our chilren again.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your long journey. I think we are all on one currently. I remember the days where I would buy and buy and buy (we had a shoe fetish too). We would use my husband's income (no kids back then) to pay the bills and mine was to go and spend. That was nice, but thinking back I wish we would have saved all of that!
Oh, well. It is what it is.