Yowzer! It's been a busy week and a half - not busy 'cuz I've been out spending money though... well not a lot of money any way.
Over the last week and a half, it's been brought to my attention that most of my blog entries start with "I was headed to the mall to return something I bought" - that's never good. So as much as I thought that my problem was shopping, it appears out that my problem is also returning things. In my mind, it makes perfect sense - if I haven't used item abc in "x" number of days, I return it to the store. BUT wouldn't it be more prudent if I just didn't buy the stuff in the first place?! Cue the lightbulb over the head of my cartoon character.
So, once again, this little experiment has taught me an excellent lesson - STOP BUYING CRAP ON IMPULSE. I'm not exactly sure how I'm gonna accomplish that one... but I'll tackle that one next month. For now, let's look at the week 3 totals:
Week Three (8/14-8/20):
Items on the Do Not Buy List: $24 spent
vs.
Last Month Week Three (7/14-7/20):
Items on this month's Do Not Buy List: $174 spent
In case you're wondering: I've opted to keep the Apple purchase... but not include it in my list of purchases for the month. Let's call it a gift to myself - and gifts are exempt.
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Sunday, August 14, 2011: Day Fourteen
Let the record show that I am officially a sucker for a sale!
You already know how the week started with the Aldo shoe and Victoria's Secret fiasco last Sunday. Yesterday, I set out on a similar mission - return stuff and also get a small price adjustment on an item I found cheaper online. The primary difference between yesterday and last Sunday was that I took precautions to avoid a similar outcome. The plan was to meet my bestie at a mall (which I have fondly nicknamed the "Be-careful-or-someone-might-shoot-you-in-the-face mall") miles and miles (AND MILES) away from my house. The thought being that if I went to a different Aldo store, sweet lil babyface Desi would not be able to talk me into keep stuff I wanted to return OR exchanging it for something else I didn't need. And the initial part of the plan worked flawlessly. The Aldo store at the face-shooting mall was like a mini nightclub with super loud house music blaring in this super tiny space, so I was more anxious to leave than I have ever been in a shoe store. The return and price adjustment went without a glitch and we went on about our business.
Sounds good, right? It would have been had it not been for my bestie. I have been trying to convince her for the LONGEST time to get an iPad2. And what does she do? She waits until I've sworn off shopping to take me into the Apple Store. Just as I love shoes and Kevin Hart - I love technology AND I've had my eye on a certain item in there for the longest time. Needless to say, I was tempted by technology (and the fact that I found it on sale for $90 less at another store) and I completely fell off the wagon... in fact, I think the wagon rolled over me several times yesterday.
Of course, this isn't completely my bestie's fault. I could step up and accept responsibility for my own actions/purchases... but I'm not gonna. After all, this is America. No one in America accepts responsibility for their overspending, right? And I'm not gonna start now. Nope - instead I'm gonna blame my better half for hitting me with comments like "what's the point of working hard if you don't splurge every now and then" and "you've been talking about this for a while, just stop by the store on your way home and get it and be done with it." You gotta love my support system!
I do like to be a woman of my word and the guilt set in almost as soon as I pulled out of the parking lot. As such, the aforementioned item is still sitting on my floor, sealed in the box. I'm thinking yet another return in my very near future. With that said, I will not be including this Apple purchase in with my Week Two totals (slightly convenient, right?):
Week Two (8/7-8/13):
Items on the Do Not Buy List: $51 spent
(including my Aldo return & price adjustment; NOT including my Apple purchase)
vs.
Last Month Week Two (7/7-7/13):
Items on this month's Do Not Buy List: $213 spent
HOLY COW! It's amazing how $20 here and $30 there adds up to be a LOT of money. This has totally been an eye-opening lesson!
On to week three...
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Tuesday, August 9, 2011: Day Nine
I would like to tell you that this gets easier with each passing day... but that would be a big fat LIE! Every single day I'm bombarded by emails about saving this and saving that and I have to admit that I've succumb to my desire to have new and shiny things already (i.e. "forgive me Father, for I have sinned"). I blame consumerism (and Desi and register lines).
Sunday afternoon started as a good plan - in theory. I had two pair of shoes and a purse that I wanted to return to the mall... and two time-sensitive coupons that I just HAD to use. I made it in and out of Nordstrom for the purse return with no problem. I ventured into The Body Shop to use my 45% off any single item coupon (ruled a bath/body necessity prior to the trip, therefore not subject to the embargo) and was successfully able to pick up ONE item, pay for it and then high-tail it out. So far, so good right?
My next stop was Aldo shoes... for the record, Aldo shoes is my nemesis. I desperately want to hate them - for sending me a pair of WORN shoes a month or two ago - but I'm finding it increasingly difficult. I love shoes. Anyway, so I went in thinking that I would just return the shoes and sprint for the door. But NOOOO. Standing behind the counter is Desi, this really cute kid who always talks me into buying a pair of shoes that I will never wear (hence the two pair I was returning at the time). Long story short - my return suddenly became an exchange resulting ME owing THEM 20 more dollars. Strike One for this month...
My final stop was Victoria's Secret. I just wanted to use my coupon for a free pair of panties (you gotta use those coupons so you'll keep getting them, right??). So I scoop them off the table and head to the register... BUT there's a line. And as I'm standing in line, I notice this body shimmer powder and I just couldn't help myself - heck, I wanna sparkle like the young girls!! So 11 dollars later, I take my guilt-ridden self back to my car! Not really THAT bad of a trip to the mall, but still not in accordance with my shopping embargo. At least I waited until Sunday to fall off the wagon, so I don't have to report it in my week one follow-up! Speaking of which:
Week One (8/1-8/6) Results:
Items on the Do Not Buy List: $0 spent
vs.
Last Month Week One (7/1-7/6):
Items on this month's Do Not Buy List: $184 spent
Can you say "WINNING?!" (for week one, anyway...)
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August 1, 2011: Day One Continued (11:55 pm)
This "No Buy Zone" is a slippery slope; there appear to be several areas that are shades of gray... Maybe it's just me?
For instance, this afternoon a dress that I ordered DAYS ago showed up at my door. Sparing you some of the crazier details, let's just say the dress was slightly snug, so it gets mailed back. The question then becomes: if I exchange lil miss snug-a-lot for a different dress, is that considered to be a new purchase? I mean, I'm not technically spending NEW money -- oh contrare mon freur -- I'm actually making/saving money on the deal as the new dress is cheaper.
Wait, let me check with the judges...
The judges say: Making Money GOOD, Spending Money BAD!
(excuse me while I decide exactly which dress I'll be exchanging the old one for)
Monday, August 1, 2011: Day One
Well, it's day one of my self-imposed shopping embargo... and wouldn't you know it - by 11:55 am Central Time this morning I had already cracked. Geesh - it's going to be a LONG month.
I guess you could say that I started off strong this morning... after breaking down last night at 11:50 pm and buying those sunglasses that I had been eyeing for the last month... I got through the morning email with all if its various sales stuff (and per my previous posting, you know I love a good sale). This morning's emails tried to tempt me with things like:
- Get $10 for every $20 you spend in store at Old Navy (that's like getting Half Off... sort-of, but not really!)
- $29 & Up Summer Show Sale at Coach (S/N: Coach is one of my all time FAVORITE brands)
- Free Shipping on orders of $100 or more at Victoria's Secret (S/N 2: I HATE paying shipping charges)
- 20% off daily specials at Forever 21, etc., etc.
HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE! I've gone back and checked the official transcripts/records and I see that "Entertainment" was NOT included as one of the items I would not purchase in August, so technically I'm still on track... RIGHT??
In case you were wondering, this whole thing started with this: http://insided-booth.blogspot.com/2011/07/my-name-is-d-booth-and-im-addict.html
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