I just came back from a week of vacation. My boys and I (hubby and my two young sons) spent a week in what seemed like paradise. Martha's Vineyard is a quaint island off the coast of Massachusetts situated near Nantucket and Cape Cod. I am in love with the island....its where i want to spend most of my summers just to relax, bike ride and breathe the fresh air away from the chaos and pollution of city life. While i was there i was also working on my own emotional and spiritual transformation---I am on what we call a positivity diet but its not really working out that well. I will explain it later.
Anyway, while i was there i meditated a lot about how i can improve my life and also had a honest look to what what the root cause of my subdued ummm...unhappiness. I am usually a happy person and i am in no way pre-disposed to depression. I have a sunny disposition. What makes me a little unhappy is my procrastination, mismanagement of my projects and also my shopping addiction. Shopping should be fun and yes, I get a high when i shop. Shopping is like crack to me, very bad, but very good when you do it. Not that I have done crack nor have i seen it. I know that's a bad metaphor ...ok ..to save you a cringe let me say I was like a kid in a candy store. The worst thing a store can do is to place a SALE sign in front--VILE. Stores know how to toy with my emotions...the image of a sale sign immediately excavates my brains and renders me senseless for that moment. If i know i can get something for very cheap that was originaly priced very high, I immediately grab it for the sake of buying and saving on item. Most of the time i don't need it. I don't need those three rain coats that I have accumulated over a period of a year, i don't need anymore scarfs although coming to think of it, I need that red one at Banana Republic that will match perfectly with my black and white striped sweater. I don't need any more wedges in different colors...but the idea of getting a wedge on sale gets me so excited. This is wrong in so many levels and yes, I recognize that. My husband always says "Just because its on sale does not mean you have to buy it." Yep, he is right, I usually try to justify all my purchases. "But honey, I needed this in beige and it was only $20 marked down from $200. Aren't you glad i saved some money?" My question is how is it that i remained married to this patient man for 10 years? I am amazed that he has not walked away from this hot mess. So yes, my shopping is beyond ridiculous and even i know it.. i usually get this bad after taste --like a bad hangover after a few good drinks. I realize that my shopping problem is a beast that keeps lurking in the background and i have a fear of attacking it head on. The reason why i realize i need is the amount of money i feel i can save if i stop shopping for a year. If i can save money for years and train myself to just not shop for the fun of it, imagine how rich i would be. Here is a my new saying...please quote me on this one.." Frugal people are rich." If you are frugal, you save a lot of money that means your bank account is a little fat. A fat bank account is what i desire. I am prepared to work on this problem and see if i can go a year without shopping. I have decided to strategize and plan this. So what does a year look like for me?
Here is a list of things to do to SAVE money--not WASTE money
1. No new clothes not even purchase of used clothes unless its a gift.
2. No new shoes for the entire year (ladies, you know how painful this is)
3. No new clothes for the kids unless urgently needed...ie snow shoes, gloves etc. But I must try to get some donated if possible.
4. Pack lunch to work
5. Buy produce that must be cooked for the week and buy little so things don't go bad.
6. Take back the car and get a small car that is economically good on gas but still save and fairly new.
7. No new toys for kids unless its birthday or x-mas.
8. Instead of eating out with friends, invite friends over for meals and company.
9. Do not buy one single book...borrow if you have to. Use the library for books instead.
10. Work on paying down the debt with the savings
So if i follow this strict diet, i will save a whopping $1,000. Now that will really help with the debt clearance. Per year, that's over $12,000 in savings. If this is how much I spend then its scary how much money i have wasted over the years. Its time to be sensible and frugal.
So i will blog my year of frugal savings and i hope you follow me as i attempt this demonic mammoth task. I also hope for your support and encouragement throughout this emotionally brutal but financially good period. Eyes on the prize...right. Follow my blog!
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