Ever since I discovered that new Target store, I have been living life a little dangerously. I can’t seem to stay away. Today I stopped in just to see if I could find a pair of cheap little shoes to go with Zach’s Easter outfit. That is all I needed to get. Well, I didn’t find any shoes I liked for him, but I did find some other stuff. You know that neat little $1 area at the front of the store? They just happened to have a whole bunch of sports themed stuff that would work just perfectly in Zach’s bedroom. They had the light switch and electrical outlet covers, a little set of hooks to put on his wall, picture frames, a football shaped sign for his door, and even knobs that will go on his dresser drawers. After grabbing a drink and paying for a couple of $1 items my mom picked up, I got out of there for about $25.
Now, you might think that a $25 purchase is not so bad considering all that I bought. The problem is that I really didn’t have the extra $25 to spend. It might not have been so bad if I hadn’t bought Zach’s new adorable little Red Sox hat off of e-bay this morning. You see, I have a bit of a shopping problem. I LOVE to shop. I especially LOVE to shop when I think that I’m getting a great bargain. This is why Wal-Mart, Target, and Old Navy are my favorite stores. I almost always shop off of the clearance racks and end up with a really good deal or two. The problem is that my good deals tend to add up eventually and before I know it I’ve spent way more money than I planned on spending.
Today I spent $25 plus $13 and some change. But, I still have to get Zach some shoes for Easter because he has outgrown the ones he has and we passed them down to his (6 months older) cousin. Plus, I was really hoping to get myself some new sandals and a couple of bras that actually fit (I didn’t realize just how much room that milk was taking up until I stopped the breastfeeding). This does not work so well into my trying to scrimp and save money plan. Somehow I have got to get my spending under control, get some debts paid off and start saving again.
In the near future, some of our baby expenses will go down. Zach is eating mostly table foods now so I don’t have to buy as much baby food. Hopefully soon I won’t have to buy any. We have cut down one bottle of formula a day and replaced it with whole milk which seems to be going well. Over the next couple of months I plan to phase out the formula completely. Plus, when he turns a year old, his day care costs will go down by $10 a week, which doesn’t seem like much, but will make a difference. And, he is pretty well set for summer clothes now (in three different sizes) so unless he hits a major growth spurt I shouldn’t have to buy any more clothes until fall.
Now the only problem is disciplining myself. I’m not so good at that. I do fine as long as I don’t have to go to any stores, but the second I step in Target or Wal-mart to pick up a package of diapers, I lose control. Is this normal or am I just sick in the head?
I am also Horrible for shopping. If I think something is a steal of a deal, I cannot leave it in the store- even if I don’t need it right now. I also buy my kids so much clothes it’s rediculous. It’s a compulsion, if I see something cute (and on sale of course) it’s mine. This is why I am constantly complaining about the mounds of laundry- my fault for buying it all in the first place!
I believe it is normal because I’ve watched a show about couples in debt trouble and they are told to only go shopping once or twice a month. purely to curb additional spending.