There is nothing in this post about basketball, I just wanted another B word to make it catchy. Sorry to disappoint ;)
It has been 3 months – THREE MONTHS – since I have purchased any item of clothing. Or shoes. I’m on a self-imposed shopping ban that started in December, when I finally took a good hard look at my 2009 spending and saw just how much I’d thrown out the window on clothes – many of which rarely get worn. Ugh!! It’s an ungodly number that I don’t want to admit publicly, but let’s just say… it’s big.
I cut myself off, cold turkey, til June. Yep, June. 6 full months. Now that I’m halfway through, I’m considering stretching it out even longer (women of the world are now questioning my sanity).
Why am I telling you this? A few reasons. 1. I have been telling anyone who will listen, so that all of those people can hold me accountable. (“Is that new?” “Yep.” *SLAP*) 2. It seems like more often than not, when I tell people about my little mission (women in particular), the response I get is “Oh I don’t even want to know what I’ve spent” on clothes, shoes, anything else.
Guess what? You NEED to know! I don’t know about you, but my life goals don’t involve having the most amazing wardrobe you’ve ever seen (although I am quite proud of my 4 pairs of Frye boots – my one brand addiction). In the next two years I want to have all of my debts paid off and travel more, among other things.
I’ve shrunk my budget in almost every other area of my life to achieve my goals faster. If you ask me to go to a movie, I’ll probably invite you over to watch something on NetFlix or Hulu (no cable here!) instead of going out. Margarita at a restaurant? $9. Margarita at home? Well I haven’t done the math, but it’s much less.
“Yes Kacy, this all sounds fine and dandy, but why do I care?” I’m glad you asked! You care because you have goals (I hope?), and spending $300 a month at restaurants, $200 a month at Starbucks, and $50 every Friday night at the movie theater isn’t getting you there. And yes, you are spending $50 at the movie theater if you go with someone like me who wants the nachos, the huge cherry Coke, the Sour Patch Kids, etc etc… I definitely still spend money – but it’s on experiences, travel, things I’ll remember and be happy about years from now.
If you’re stuck in the no-budget, aimless-spending lifestyle, here’s what you’re going to do: Sign up for mint.com (an amazing free budgeting site), and start keeping track of your money. I love this site, it’s super easy to use – and unfortunately I don’t get paid to endorse it, or I’d probably be a teeny bit closer to my goals ;)
If you’re in my boat, planning to get in my boat, or want to tip my boat over, I’d love to hear about it!
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