A post from No Impact Man yesterday fits well into the theme of this blog:
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog/2008/08/business-people.html
Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Feeling the change
From March to June, I struggled a lot with the consumerism stuff. I went to Wal Mart for cereal and came home with markers, candles, a new t-shirt.
I knew I didn't NEED these things. I asked myself honestly if I even WANTED these things. Or was I compensating for other unmanageable areas in my life by shopping? And not even for good stuff, but for mediocre every day clutter. Just come on over. You'll see exactly what I mean.
Even with all of our decluttering before Mother's Day, my house barely looks any better. And even though I have been seriously conscious of what I'm buying, I was still rationalizing a lot of purchases. Of stuff. I was stressed out at work and suddenly, a few candles- on sale- were exactly what I needed. I hadn't slept well and jewelry making beads that I don't have time to use right now were the perfect color to match my church dress or R's new shirt. . . small purchases became justifiable.
And in July, I finally had the paradigm shift. I have never gone to a store just to browse, so that certainly helped my initial spending patterns. But, once at the store, I rarely had a list or stuck to the reason for the visit. I would find myself wandering aimlessly through the aisles, in some cases because I knew there was one more thing I needed and in other cases because I wasn't focused and would pass things I had come in for. And I really really love clearance aisles. Which is a problem in itself.
But in July, it finally occurred to me (I'm a slow learner) that the only way I was going to overcome this was to keep my shopping trips very very short. 20 minutes short. And it's working. I don't wait to go to Walmart until I have 20 items that will take me 2 hours to find. I go every week or so. But , I only get what's on my list. And I get multiples of things that we replace often. Shampoo, soap, dental floss, toothbrushes, cereal, etc. Anything that stores can be bought in bulk. I do it all of the time with food, but for whatever reason, I was out of the habit with personal hygiene items. Now, I spend my 20 minutes in 2 aisles and I'm stocked up for a month and done, out of there with no impulse buys and no wasted time. Well, except for the time wasted in line to check out. That painful part is unavoidable.
Now, it's the end of August and I haven't been to WalMart since. . . hmm. I can't remember my last trip. It might have been just before scout camp because E claimed he only owns 3 pair of underwear. If so, that was 3 weeks ago. Not counting the trip for L to get an ipod cover that she couldn't live without. . . I didn't buy anything. A trip to WalMart with no purchases. Another victory in and of itself!
Today, I'm going through my mental list of things we are low on or need and I can't come up with anything. Nothing at all. Not even cereal. Please let this victory last!
I knew I didn't NEED these things. I asked myself honestly if I even WANTED these things. Or was I compensating for other unmanageable areas in my life by shopping? And not even for good stuff, but for mediocre every day clutter. Just come on over. You'll see exactly what I mean.
Even with all of our decluttering before Mother's Day, my house barely looks any better. And even though I have been seriously conscious of what I'm buying, I was still rationalizing a lot of purchases. Of stuff. I was stressed out at work and suddenly, a few candles- on sale- were exactly what I needed. I hadn't slept well and jewelry making beads that I don't have time to use right now were the perfect color to match my church dress or R's new shirt. . . small purchases became justifiable.
And in July, I finally had the paradigm shift. I have never gone to a store just to browse, so that certainly helped my initial spending patterns. But, once at the store, I rarely had a list or stuck to the reason for the visit. I would find myself wandering aimlessly through the aisles, in some cases because I knew there was one more thing I needed and in other cases because I wasn't focused and would pass things I had come in for. And I really really love clearance aisles. Which is a problem in itself.
But in July, it finally occurred to me (I'm a slow learner) that the only way I was going to overcome this was to keep my shopping trips very very short. 20 minutes short. And it's working. I don't wait to go to Walmart until I have 20 items that will take me 2 hours to find. I go every week or so. But , I only get what's on my list. And I get multiples of things that we replace often. Shampoo, soap, dental floss, toothbrushes, cereal, etc. Anything that stores can be bought in bulk. I do it all of the time with food, but for whatever reason, I was out of the habit with personal hygiene items. Now, I spend my 20 minutes in 2 aisles and I'm stocked up for a month and done, out of there with no impulse buys and no wasted time. Well, except for the time wasted in line to check out. That painful part is unavoidable.
Now, it's the end of August and I haven't been to WalMart since. . . hmm. I can't remember my last trip. It might have been just before scout camp because E claimed he only owns 3 pair of underwear. If so, that was 3 weeks ago. Not counting the trip for L to get an ipod cover that she couldn't live without. . . I didn't buy anything. A trip to WalMart with no purchases. Another victory in and of itself!
Today, I'm going through my mental list of things we are low on or need and I can't come up with anything. Nothing at all. Not even cereal. Please let this victory last!
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