Is it over yet? We’re in the home stretch, right?
It’s only been 11 days, you say? Oh.
The good news is that I haven’t screwed up yet. [cue fanfare]
Here are some things that are helping me resist the urge to spend.
1. I’ve unsubscribed from virtually every retailer email/newsletter list. This helps tremendously.
2. Holiday gift cards are ready to deploy in case of an emergency. Barnes & Noble, Gap, and Sephora are sitting pretty in my wallet.
3. Surprisingly, the most helpful has been clicking the “Pin it” button opposed to the “Purchase” button. I’ve come to the realization that my online spending habits stem from the instant gratification I receive from the act of clicking “purchase.” Seriously, the time it takes from when I first see a desirable object to when I actually purchase it is about 2.4 seconds. As you can imagine, not a lot of mindfulness is occurring during those 2.4 seconds. So! Instead of purchasing, I’ve been pinning items to a Pinterest board I created, aptly named, No Shopping For 90 Days. I can’t tell you how much this has helped me this past week. I can easily catalog every little thing my heart desires without the commitment of purchasing. Come April, it will be super interesting to see which of the pinned items are still “must-haves.”
Full disclosure: my resolution is to not spend any money on clothes, shoes or accessories for myself. I can still spend money on items for the family. Which brings me to my next order of business. You all, I just spent the ENTIRE weekend researching and comparing the Vitamix blender and the Blendtec blender. Our old blender is on the fray (probably from all the fruit/vegetable/nut smoothie abuse), and I knew it was time to just buck up and buy a commercial grade blender. Let’s just say I got a leeeetle sucked into the rabbit hole vortex of online reviews and YouTube videos and consumer reports and OH MY LORD ALL WEEKEND LONG VITAMIXBLENDTECMANIA. It came down to the last-minute, but I bought the Vitamix. It should be arriving today, and I’ve never been so excited about a damn kitchen appliance in my life. Now, if anyone out there is looking into buying a commercial grade blender (they ain’t cheap, folks!), and interested in how I came to this decision, I’d be happy to post my pros and cons for you. Just let me know!
Heidi C
January 12, 2012 at 10:27 amWould definitely love a Vitamix/Blendtec analysis.
I have done some pinning instead of buying, and after a while, I find that I no longer NEED some of the items I thought I did. Pretty helpful! Good luck with sticking to 90 days. :)
Iowamom
January 12, 2012 at 11:45 amI’m doing the no shopping thing too and then my white, down winter coat (we live in freezing northern Iowa) got a HUGE coffee stain and it’s ruined! So I had to buy a new one but I got it for a steal on Overstock. I love that site. So, now I’m back to square one but that was a totally necessity. I realized I hadn’t bought a coat in 5 years so I’m good, right? :)
I love all things jewelry right now. Have you seen Jennifer Present’s stuff? Wait, don’t look until the 90 days are up.
Megan
January 12, 2012 at 1:54 pmI find that the Wishlist feature on Amazon helps me for the same reason. It gives me the satisfaction of clicking on something and also keep the things I want as a reminder for when I’m ready to buy. But I’ve noticed that I rarely actually go back to buy any of the items I added impulsively.
Megan
January 12, 2012 at 1:58 pmI find that the Wishlist feature on Amazon helps me for the same reason. It gives me the satisfaction of clicking on something and also keep the things I want as a reminder for when I’m ready to buy. But I’ve noticed that I rarely actually go back to buy any of the items I added impulsively.
I’m conflicted about high-end blenders. I see them, know what they can do and really want one, and then I think, how did we get to the point where we’re spending $400 on a blender? I know it’s high quality, etc. But really, it’s a blender. I mean, I get it, I fall for the marketing every time, but can’t pull the trigger.
Shanti
January 12, 2012 at 7:46 pmMy dad has be going ON and ON about his Vitamix for years now. I have some crappy belnder that I gout for probably $10 at Walmart and it is nearly useless. I want to make my own raw smoothies and almond milk so I KNOW I need an upgrade soon… I would love to hear your pro-con list re: V & B :D Thank you!!
Shanti
January 12, 2012 at 7:47 pmuhh I should probably take the time to read my comments before I click reply. Eeek typos! GOUT!
Lisa
January 13, 2012 at 5:23 amThe vitamix is amazing! I got mine a month ago and love it. One of the best features is how easy it is clean-that itself makes me realize I should have bought it sooner. And 7 year warranty!! Can’t wait to read your post.
Allison Hasel
January 13, 2012 at 3:06 pmI am attempting a similar goal in 2012! I went a little wild toward the end of the year in 2011. No time period just making an effort to be more conscious of my purchases and do less impulse buying. So far so good! And I agree, I find pinning something really helps. HA! It is almost like filing it away as something you love…