Remember my less-is-more budget project that I launched back in November? In case you missed it, in an attempt to reform my shopaholic ways I gave myself a strict budget of $100 per month for clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty buys. Originally, I planned to stick it out for four months; but I’ve been so encouraged by my progress I’m stretching it to a year!
Giving myself a little accountability in my spending has reframed my perception of wants vs. needs. It’s also helped me patch the holes in the other areas I tend to overindulge in, like pricey drugstore hauls — am I the only one that can’t make it out of Walgreens without three different kinds of lipgloss? I knew I was doing something right when the extra cushion in my checking account came in handy for some unexpected year-end expenses, and it was just the little boost I needed to stay on track.
I almost made it through December without buying a thing {what?! who am I?!} but alas, I caved at Marshall’s last Saturday after delivering a wedding order nearby. It didn’t take long for those old familiar feelings to kick in, and before I knew it 45 minutes passed and my arms were filled with cute spring tops and clearance temptations. I took a beat. Pulled out my phone and started tallying up the damage on the calculator. All of my finds added up to around 90 bucks…
I thought about it. Reasoned with my newly responsible self. Even if I bought all the things I pulled, I’d still be under my budget. But did I need it? Where would my hard-earned money be better served elsewhere? A special date night with my mister? Applied toward a credit card balance? In that weird subaccount that’s attached to my checking that I think they call savings? ;-)
I took another lap around the store and carefully returned everything to the racks; but I held on to two pieces: a Violet & Claire blouse in the most gorgeous shade of orangey red, and a Steve Madden foldover clutch on clearance (an item that’s been on my wish list for a while now). I made it to the checkout, paid in cash, and for the first time in a looooong time I drove home without the tiniest bit of buyer’s remorse.
What do you think?