Sometimes saving money and all this budgeting Is.So.Freakin.Boring
Today I was window shopping (terrible idea when one has no money to spend) and I seriously just wanted to buy about everything I laid eyes on.
Shoes, a dress for the wedding this weekend, new makeup to go with the new dress, new hair products to suit the new makeup style, travel book on Alaska (? huh…Id never even thought about Alaska), a knitted top with this cute lion on it (even though it hasn’t dipped below 25 degrees in QLD yet), every weekly celebrity magazine (its just more fun seeing Kim Kardasian’s ridiculously unflattering pregnancy outfits in print than online), a gourmet cupcake and a coffee….actually make that 3 coffees thanks.
And I’m not even a big “buying stuff’ kind of person.
But it was just One.Of.Those.Days. The funny thing is, I spend so little on ‘stuff’ at the moment that buying a new $5 notepad gives me the same thrill as buying an $80 pair of shoes used to……hey big spender, check you out with your funky little $5 notepad.
The long and the short of it is, days like this, I just need to suck it up and know that my amazing ability to refrain from a massive spending binge WILL ALL BE WORTH IT when I am FABULOUSLY DEBT FREE 🙂
Anyhoos – good news is peoples, that after all my inward bitching and moaning about the things I couldn’t buy (puts hand to forehead and sighs dramatically) the only thing I did buy was a delicious vanilla latte.
No surprises there 🙂
The Debt Breakup 
The crazy thing is, when you are out of debt, recreational buying loses its grip on you. Glad your only collateral damage was the latte!
ha, for most of the time I think Im more excited about paying off debt that buying stuff, but not yesterday! haha. Yes, a $4.20 latte after all that ‘I WANT, I WANT ‘ wasn’t too bad 🙂
Oh my goodness, that’s exactly how I feel this week. Fortunately I have cut off all access to credit cards, but last week it emerged in the form of spending on a bunch of little things that added up. (sigh) Gotta get back on track. Good for you for not caving!
Spending on a bunch of little things can be just as tempting as 1 big purchase right! I really wanted to buy these amazing cupcakes but at almost $5 a pop, a few of those add up! Don’t worry, just stay focused and get back on track 🙂
Ha! I feel ya! I know those days. Thank you for your refreshing honesty!
I’m glad to hear Im not the only one out there who has the occasional urge to binge purchase! Anyways, onwards and upwards to DEBT FREE!
After dumping all of our consumer debt, we did go on a few splurges, always feels good to do so with cash. We are currently buckling down again to dump our mortgage and it is hard not to remodel or just spend when the feeling strikes. Good luck!
Thanks, yes being able to buy things with cash rather than credit is so much better. And I think you do need to treat yourself when you reach goals, or you might go a bit nuts and overspend! I should be able to completely pay off outstanding balance on credit card #1 next week – YAY – so I plan a little purchasing treat for myself to celebrate 🙂 That’s an amazing goal of planning to wipe out your mortgage – you will be truly debt free!!!!! Best of luck 🙂
Congrats!!! Enemy #1 is coming to its knees. I carried around a list of our enemies and how much we owed for almost three years. It felt great to put a nice fat “X” through each one with a Sharpie.
We’ve all been there! There’s a dollar store near my work and when I’m especially feeling it, I go there and look at all the crap they have. I remember a time when I wouldn’t flinch buying a $2 whatever-the-hell, and now when I do I think “Jeeze, $2 — that’s too much!”
haha, I LOVE $2 stores – I find all that crap so, well, irresistibly crappy! And I guess if you are going to have any spending binge, a $2 shop is the best place to do it. You can ‘go wild’ with $20 haha. There is a stationery store in Australia – maybe the US too – called TYPO..and it has such cute things, and not too badly priced – I might treat myself to a purchase from there where I pay off my first credit card 🙂
Exactly! Better to spend $2 or $20 than $200! Go wild!
oh man those 2$ stores are the best! (and the worst!) Here in Israel there are 1 shek (el) stores – I swear they are so addictive – but better to spend a little there than a ton someplace else huh?
Good Luck – sounds like you are doing great! can’t wait to read more…(PS – thanks for the recent like on my blog 🙂
I totally agree – rather spend $15 in a $1 store and feel like I’ve just had a huuuge shopping spree ha! Maybe thats how $1 store originally came about – to cater for debt busters who still wanted to binge occasionally hahaha! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
I have those days when I want EVERYTHING in a store or window! Good job for restraining ur self:-) latte or not, good job!
How true this is. I loved the part where you said “buying a $5 notepad gives me the same thrill as buying an $80 pair of shoes.” Heck Yeah it does. I have to remind myself that I don’t need whatever it is that I am desperately convincing myself that I need. Congrats on your strong will!
That’s what it all come down to, recognizing what you REALLY don’t need in those moments of weakness! I feel very comforted to know I am not the only one that struggles with this epic purchase of ‘things’ impulse at times!!! thanks for your comment 🙂
I totally know the feeling. I still have those days – all the time. I am slowly learning to turn away from the temptation. Good luck on your journey. I’m looking forward to your post on your eighth month!
[…] numbers will continue to tick down. We all have shit days when paying off debt. The days we want to buy everything in sight, where we are angry, frustrated and generally just pissed off at the hold debt has on our lives. […]
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