Please! No More Shopping! December 24, 2010

I dragged myself into the house after all my last minute Christmas shopping on -- of course -- Christmas Eve. Feeling exhausted and completely overspent, I made a goofy statement on my Facebook page that is taking on a life of its own because people are starting to ask me about it. The reason for my declaration? My feet were killing me from walking all over God's green acres to buy the remaining gifts, food, and spirits that I needed to pull off the perfect holiday party. Usually I wouldn't care that much about everything being perfect, but I was hosting my two sons and their girlfriends, two good friends, and my ex-family. The ex-family included my husband and his girlfriend, my father-in-law and my sister-in-law. I needed to prove something -- what I don't know.

Perhaps that's why I felt the need to have items for mixing drinks. Usually I'm a beer and wine girl, but I suddenly thought I needed martini mixer stuff, and the ingredients to make our favorite Christmas drink -- Slippery Nipples (Bailey's and butterscotch schnapps). Getting these things was my third trip out, and I was seriously wondering about my sanity as the snow started falling fast, heavy and wet.

Yes, desperation, that wiggling feeling that I spent money I didn't have, and a need to be in my cozy home made me say it:

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS TO NOT STEP FOOT IN ANOTHER STORE FOR A MONTH. TO AVOID THE GROCERY STORE FOR A MONTH, I'M GOING TO EAT EVERY LAST THING IN MY FREEZER, PANTRY, AND REFRIGERATOR.

It was out there and I couldn't take it back. The more I thought about it, the more I thought "What the hell was I thinking?" Yet deep down I knew I could do it. So, I decided to give it a try, starting the next day. That was easy because it was Christmas Day and I was throwing the perfect party! Besides, no stores were open.

Today is December 29th, and I'm still determined not to go into a store. But that simple declaration comes with tons of twists and turns. For instance, the store itself can't be the issue -- it's the BUYING in the store that's the problem. Frankly I'm not a shopper, but I can go into a Target store with the intent of buying dog food (they really do have the cheapest prices), and I'll come out with candlesticks, $5.00 DVDs of my favorite movies, light bulbs, People Magazine (they discount the outrageous price that is charged everywhere else), make-up, toothbrushes, reading glasses (because I lost 6 pairs somewhere in the house and can't find them without my reading glasses), and exercise equipment that I intend to use but never do. Yep, dog food can easily cost me $120.00.

Okay, so the issue is spending money IN a store. But does it count if I buy something online? And then I started thinking about the items that I absolutely NEED to have -- like dog and cat food and the ever important toilet paper. What if I run out of these things before the month is up? Maybe I should say I won't buy anything that is a luxury. Even that gets a little dicey. For instance, is half-and-half a luxury or a necessity? My quick answer is absolutely it's a necessity! What's the point of coffee if you can't put cream in it? Really, though? If I run out of half-and-half, I could just skip coffee and drink...ah-hem....tea? (That's a frightening thought as I go back to work next week and start grad classes the week after that -- all within this month.)

Just when I was thinking that I could do without coffee altogether, I remembered the $30 in Starbucks gift certificates I got for Christmas. Maybe I could use those -- but only in the drive-up. Technically that's not going into the store, right? I'm in my car. How convenient!

The real point of my declaration was to stop spending money in stores for one month. That's the challenge. Can I do it?

I'm off to a good start. I've haven't spent money at a store since December 24th. That means 5 days have gone by without going into a store or my wallet. However, tonight after work I had to go into Target to RETURN a fondue pot I bought before Christmas (yes, on December 24th), and didn't use. After getting my money back I was tempted to venture into the land of electric gizmos, gadgets, and unneeded items. I even grabbed a cart and started to go down the main aisle, but I remembered my challenge. I put the cart away and walked out with only a credit for $45.00 in my purse.

Then I went down the strip mall to Kohls because a couple of gift certificates were burning a hole in my wallet. I bought two shirts with the gift certificates. Another dilemma. Does this count? I spent money but it wasn't MY money.

Luxury vs. Necessity. It's an interesting debate, especially when you think about what Americans consider necessities because other people in the world live without these things. Cars, for instance. Computers. Cell phones, dishwashers, washing machines, air conditioning, iPods, soda, coffee (didn't I contemplate this earlier? Oh, it was the half-and-half. Most of the world thinks coffee is a necessity!), TVs, Internet, Farmville, and Facebook. These are things we consider necessities, but really they are luxuries. True necessities are: food, shelter, and water. In my own case I'd say clothes, but I have enough clothes to last me for years.

Keeping the luxury vs necessity idea in mind, I have to decide on some rules with this challenge otherwise I'm going to find a way around everything.

Rules:

1. No spending money (cash or credit) in stores or restaurants on anything that is not a necessity.
2. Gift certificates are okay to spend since technically someone else paid for the card.
3. Necessities include items that are absolutely needed to survive. I'm not going to spend money on food unless it is necessary (half-and-half is OUT). Some items I consider a necessity: toilet paper, medication, cat/dog food (they didn't sign on to this).

I guess I'll just figure this out as I go because I can't possibly think of all the permutations of my declaration. For now I'm 5 days into my NO MORE SHOPPING (or spending money) CHALLENGE. It's not going to be easy. I have enough food in my refrigerator and pantry to eat for a month, even if it means I'll be eating peanut butter out of a jar. I'll report back here with my progress. If you're reading this, why not join my challenge? See if you can do it!

Determined to survive for 30 days,
Karrie