This week was interesting as I began to feel better and get out and about. I had a couple of ‘aha’ moments as I was more intentional and aware of what I was purchasing, or wanting to purchase. I also noticed a couple of trends as I went shopping-
1) I tended to put extra items in my cart that would make things ‘easier’ for me. For instance, I purchased two over-the-door clothes hampers because I decided I was tired of my husband’s work uniforms on the floor and the dirty towels that end up on the floor in the laundry room. I also walked past the tissue and decided to buy a box for the van, since I had just spent several minutes looking for a napkin for my runny nose.
2) I noticed that I have no qualms about throwing extra foods in the cart that are on sale, or are healthier in some way, even if they weren’t on my list. I bought low-sodium crackers and fresh mozzarella for a mid-afternoon snack I started craving while grocery shopping, as well as Canadian bacon that was “buy one get one free”, even though I had no menu plans to use it.
Read on to find out what happened this week as I worked towards being more mindful with my purchases.
January 4th -January 10th
Wanted: Stainless steel tumbler cup and metal straw. I have a phobia of my teeth becoming stained from coffee and tea, so I have been looking for an alternative to using whitening toothpaste, whitening mouthwash and whitening strips. I have considered purchasing a tumbler with a straw so I can bypass my teeth when drinking my favorite beverages.
Outcome: Did not purchase it. I have thought about buying it many times, but am just not ready to commit yet, since I already have various coffee cups and mugs in the cupboard that I don’t want to replace yet with this.
Wanted: Pomegranate Pistachio Mix. For some reason, salad toppings call out to me, no matter if I am hungry or not when I shop. However, I already have several different toppings to choose from.
Outcome: I didn’t end up purchasing the topping, but, as soon as I’m done with my current stash I am going to try it!
Wanted: Tortilla Press. This was an interesting part of my shopping experience. I needed corn tortillas, but couldn’t find them in the store, however, I did find the cornmeal. I told myself that it would be healthier if I just started making my own corn tortillas, so, I put a bag of the cornmeal in my cart and went off to find a tortilla press.
Outcome: Along the way of trying to find a tortilla press, I had some time to think more about the purchase, and I realized that I really had no desire to start making my own corn tortillas, that I liked the idea of being able to say I make them myself, but, most likely what would happen is that I would do it once, then go back to purchasing store bought ones. So, I put the cornmeal back and found the pre-made corn tortillas.
AMAZON PURCHASES
Wanted: Snoozer dog bed and flat padded dog bed.
Outcome: I purchased both of them.
Justification: Well, this was a ‘told you so’ moment to myself considering I blew the Pet Budget on clothes last week. Due to my back problem, my husband and I decided that we could no longer have the dogs sleeping in our bed with us. The problem was that Jilly is a ‘burrower’. We had tried to move them off of our bed before, but gave up because Jilly insisted on burrowing under the blankets. So, we decided to buckle down and purchase the Snoozer bed for her and a regular bed for Jack. It worked, they are off our bed, but our budget is overspent.
This week I learned some valuable things about myself, like being more aware of my justifications of ‘convenience’ and ‘health’ item purchases. I wouldn’t say my laundry hampers and tissue are much to worry about, but being intentional and planning ahead of time could help me save on other larger purchases that I may purchase on a ‘convenience whim’. I also saw very quickly what can happen when you spend extra money on superfluous items, instead of saving it for when you really need it.
I’d love to hear any feedback you may have or if any of this seems familiar to you. Please tell me I’m not alone! Stay tuned for week 3!
