My class let out early yesterday. I decided I was going to go to the movies and see Bride Wars. However, on the way there...I realized I was sleepy and didn't want to sit through a two hour movie. I then decided to run by Ross and pick up a photo album to put some newly developed photos in...they are sitting in piles in the floor of my bedroom. They are sorted and ready to be put away...but I don't have the albums. Ross always have really nice ones for cheap.
Everyone knows my favorite store is Lane Bryant. Guess what store is right next door to Ross...yes, Lane Bryant. A huge sign glimmered in the window like a beacon with the words "End of Season Sale 70% Off". HOLY CRAP!! I had to take a peek. They had this beautiful black and white hounds tooth trench that I have had my eye on for a while marked down. Then they had a nice brown jacket and a cord black jacket....oh lovely day...so I got a trench and two jackets for $150.00...YAY! Great deal...especially since the trench was over 200 originally by itself. So, I did really good.
But, now it was time to go to Ross. I walked in and decided to browse around a bit. BAD IDEA! I ended up walking out of there with a dress, a shirt, six dinner plates, six salad plates, two wall decor mirror things made out of grass, four purses, and FOUR PHOTO ALBUMS. I will not tell you what the end of the night price tag was...but I will definitely be putting down a huge chunk of money on my credit card bill this month.
I texted my friend Drew and told him that he needed to take Chris' place on being my money conscience. He totally did not understand how someone could spend that much money in a night (btw this is like the second time I have done this in little over a month). I told him that you don't pay attention to the grand total...you look at the cheap prices you are getting on the individual items and then just have a heart attack at the cash register. He advised me to take half of the stuff back. Then we got into a discussion on what to take back. What we did not get into a discussion about was why did I buy all the stuff in the first place and why I won't take it back...
Why do I keep going on a spending binge? Well, I know the answer to that question and there are several answers.....
- I haven't spent money in so long, I've gone crazy...feel deprived I guess. It's like being on a diet...you stop eating chocolate and then one night someone walks in with you sitting in the kitchen floor with chocolate all over your face and bowls of ice cream and cookies and candy wrappers in an explosion around you.
- I'm not happy. Shopping makes me happy. I enjoy it. I like wearing new things. I love having new purses.
- I want to change my style...so I need to update my wardrobe for that style.
- I'm bored. There's nothing else to do...so let's shop.
There's probably more reasons...but I don't want to think into it too much more. I want to stop this...so what to do. I have a lot of plans for "my apartment", my summer, my weekends off...and I'm going to need money for that. Therefore, I need to stop spending it uselessly. I need to go back on a budget. I did so well when I lived in the other apartment and had to keep a budget. So, I need to take care of the whole budget issue.
While my students were taking the state writing test this morning, I did some google searches on shop therapy and ways to stop shopping. Below are some things that I found:
10 Stop-Shopping Tips
Some people hate shopping, some love it–and the ones who love it seem to really love it. In a my-credit-card-is-through-the-roof and I-have-way-too-much-stuff kind of way. Too much stuff usually means clutter and clutter, for many, is the bane of the day.
Why not kick that clutter to the curb by taming your shopping with these 10 tips to kick the habit?
1. Go shopping only when you need something. Go with a list of what you need and stick to it.
2. To minimize impulse buying, leave your credit card at home. If you’re willing to pay cash for an item, it’s generally something that you really love or need.
3. If you see something you really want, walk away from it. Go to a different store, get a drink, or use the restroom. If you really want or need that item, it will be worth the walk back.
4. Before you buy any organizing product, ask yourself if you could just eliminate or minimize the things you were planning to organize.
5. Don’t buy something just because it is on sale. Buy it because you either need it or love it.
6. Buy clothes in coordinating shades. You’ll need fewer shoes and accessories to go with your outfits if you stick to the basics. You can plan your wardrobe around two or three basic colors for each season. Not only does it make daily dressing easier, but packing for a trip is simpler because you aren’t tempted to pack things that don’t mix or match.
7. Purchase only items to replace things that are worn out.
8. Think twice about buying souvenirs. Take photographs or keep a journal instead.
9. Don’t buy something if you already have something that can do the same job.
10. Remember that the very best things in life are free. Instead of spending money on stuff you won’t use or need a year from now, spend time with a friend or family member or with a good book.
How to Stop Shopping for Credit-Card Debt
Find the Shopaholic cure
Chronic overspending for one in 20 American adults is a serious mental health condition, according to a Stanford University School of Medicine report. Many of us are prone to occasional shopping splurges, but chronic overspenders shop for more than bargains; compulsive spenders seek emotional and psychological satisfaction. If you suffer addictive spending, take action with the following therapeutic strategies.
Steps
1 Step One
Cancel unnecessary credit cards and shred the physical manifestation of your debt-liest sins. Compulsive buyers are more than four times as likely as their money-savvy counterparts to make only the minimum payment on credit-card balances, according to the Stanford study. But you can change that. Pay off bills with the highest interest rates first.
2 Step Two
Find free online calculators like those offered at Bankrate.com to determine how long it will take you to pay off your credit card, then learn how much more money you need to pay each month to erase the debt sooner.
3 Step Three
Arm yourself with the right tools. For much less than you'd spend on a pair of designer shoes, you can easily improve financial-fitness with a budget-planning software package like Quicken. Or, if you use Microsoft Office, check your document templates easy-to-use budget worksheets to better survey spending missteps.
4 Step Four
Practice money mindfulness. Focus on how your mind and body react to spending money any given moment. Does spending make you feel stronger or sexier? Trace those feelings so you can recognize what it is that drives you to overspend.
5 Step Five
Start your own overspending-anonymous blog (and earn AdSense dollars to pay off debt) on Blogger, Movable Type or TypePad as you clickclack away at the keyboard, waxing poetic your financial insecurities. Upload a few motivating pictures that reflects your true aspirations and not something that will set you off on an online-buying binge.
6 Step Six
Break the spending cycle. Not unlike the way in which we sometimes gravitate toward unhealthy foods to feed emotional hunger, the chronic overspender shops to compensate for whatever she feels she is lacking in her personal life. Fill that void instead with low- or zero-cost activities: Start a knitting circle, join a book club, "shop" for a volunteer opportunity or kick off a new workout routine.
If all else fails, seek professional help from reputable debt-counseling organizations such as those listed in Resources. Several, such as Debtor's Anonymous offer overspenders a chance to discuss perhaps for the first time their addiction in an intimate group setting. Meanwhile, Debt Consolidation Care's community website provides visitors private debt-consultation and forums for virtual support-group sessions.
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