Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Saving Money: Update

www.thesmartretiree.com

It's day 7 of my cold-turkey shopping rehab. I think I've done really well so far. I haven't been to the mall, although on a recent trip to Target with my Mom, I caved and bought a pair of Paul Frank pajama pants that I'd been waiting to go on sale.

Paul Frank pajama pants
www.target.com

Don't worry folks - they were 70% off so I got them for under $5 (isn't this what every shopaholic does - tries to justify every purchase?) I still think this is really good progress - I mean, I can't really quit shopping cold-turkey, so I'm taking baby steps to get there. I've followed Rule #2: Ignorance is bliss, even when I was faced with some very tempting emails from J. Crew boasting an additional 40% off sale items. At first I thought, "Maybe I can just take a little peek at the Town Center and promise myself I won't buy anything. Just browse." But we all know browsing is just a gateway drug to full-on shopping and subsequent rehab relapse. So I didn't look. Instead, I turned to Rule #1: Shop from my own closet, as a means to satisfy my desire to go shopping. It seemed to tide me over and I do feel better after seeing that I could throw together some new outfits from old pieces. Now, I know you may think I'm being a bit dramatic, but "my name is Stephanie and I'm a shopaholic." It's difficult to give up something you love so much (especially when that something is what you do to unwind and relax after a stressful day.) As a result, I think I might add some new rules such as watch TV, blog, or clean the house to take my mind off shopping (these tasks will be like the "patch" I slap on my arm to help ease my withdrawal symptoms.) As for Rule #3: Make my gift cards last - I haven't used any of my gift cards - I don't want to deplete my emergency "funds" quite yet.  I think overall, it's been a pretty positive week in shopping rehab. I haven't exactly pulled a "Lindsay Lohan" yet, but only time will tell. Wish me luck!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Before you save your gift cards for a long time, read the fine print. I had a gift card that starts accruing a fee after 6 months of none use. The fee is deducted from the value of the card each month it's unused, until it's value is completely depleted.

iloveorlakiely said...

Don't worry - I've read the fine print. The gift cards I have are good pretty much forever - no expirations dates or fees to worry about :)