Money poster by Howard Sokol via allposters.comToday is my first day of classes for spring quarter, so I will make this update brief.
My spring break was full of relaxation and catching up with people and fun, so there was (surprisingly) little temptation to shop. I had been worried that boredom would lead to shopping, but it turns out that I can usually find something else to do, even if it's just picking up a good book or magazine. This week, instead of shopping, I...
- Visited Grandma
- Cleaned and organized (am I the only person who actually likes this?) so now my place looks fab
- Laid around with my old copies of Glamour and Real Simple (my two fave magazines of the moment)
- Celebrated my friend Hilary's birthday (woo!)
- Went to the zoo with Nathan (pictures to come, of course)
I have also started thinking about the end of the spending hiatus. I only have two weeks left (!!!), and I'm not sure how I am going to make sure I don't go back to my old mindless spending ways. The hiatus has made me more aware of how things that seem essential aren't generally that important, and I know that will help me a lot with future shopping. I am also more aware of my habit of emotional spending (under stress or loneliness) and the fact that it really only makes me feel guilty later. I want to make sure that my new awareness lasts, though, so now I am asking you all for your sage advice...
Dear Readers: How do you think I should "phase out" of the spending hiatus? How do you manage your (unessential) spending?
And, of course, you can read all of the spending hiatus posts here.
Hmmm. That's a really good question.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I would definitely award myself if I were you! The last few months have been hard and you deserve to buy yourself something that you really want!
Then, I wouldn't exactly consider the hiatus "over". You know how people who diet gain all the weight back when they stop "dieting"? That's how you should view this, not just as a temporary hiatus but as a LIFESTYLE change. Maybe you should only allow yourself ONE purchase a week or every two weeks from now on. Or maybe manage your money by using spreadsheets or something (I don't do this but I know people who do).
Anyways, that was a long comment but my biggest piece of advice would be to not consider the hiatus completely OVER and that way you won't go back to your old ways :-)
Hi Amber- I love long comments!
ReplyDeleteI definitely don't consider this just a three-month thing. I started it as a way to make a lifestyle change. And by "over" I mean that the all-out ban on shopping will be over- but that doesn't mean I'm going to go free-for-all after this. :)
I like the idea of the "once a week" thing. Though I might try and do more of an "X amount of money a week" thing, with unspent money rolling over. Otherwise I'll be tempted to buy one LARGE purchase every week, heh :-P Thanks for the great ideas!
~Amanda