Last weekend we took a trip to Aiken South Carolina and Augusta Georgia to do a little exploring. We had a wonderful time visiting Phinizy Swamp in Augusta and the Dupont Planetarium in Aiken. Traveling usually brings with it some extra expenses, since we tend to eat at restaurants for our meals instead of packing food, and for quick weekend getaways we stay in hotels. The family time was worth it as well as everything that we learned about the stars and the opportunity to see Jupiter and it’s moons through the Meade telescope. Phinizy Swamp was gorgeous, something I would have never expected with my only swamp experience being what I saw on The Neverending Story in the Swamps of Sadness, poor Artax…
Most of the purchases the last couple of weeks and/or wants occurred while on our trip, you’ll find the recap for Weeks 10 and 11 of Consumer Chronicles below-
March 2nd-March 15th
Wanted: Two fishing poles.
Outcome: We stopped at Cabela’s in Augusta where we purchased a couple of fishing poles, one for me and one for our youngest son, we are both the fisher’s in the family. Our alternate personalities did look at the individual kayaks, which look like a lot of fun, but we decided that we’d be better off renting them instead of purchasing, after all, it’s not like we go kayaking frequently. (We’ve never been kayaking.)
Wanted: Summer clothes for the kids.
Outcome: We stopped at the Augusta Mall and purchased a few summer items for the kids. They outgrow clothing so quickly! I am very happy with these purchases, as we took the time to go through their current clothing and make a list of items they actually needed, so it was relatively few things and a pretty painless shopping trip. Except for the boys who think it’s absolute torture to have to try clothes on in stores.
Wanted: A new Sak purse.
Outcome: I haven’t bought one. I already have and use a Sak purse that I love, and I’m not one to switch things back and forth between purses, so I know that having two purses that I love will just complicate my life unnecessarily. I also purchased the first one very intentionally so it matches all of my clothing choices and is made of sturdy leather so it will last a long time. There is no reason to purchase a duplicate item.
Wanted: New walking shoes.
Outcome: I’ve been walking since last December instead of running after hurting my back and I’ve been wanting to purchase some of the Skechers GoWalk shoes. I used the GoRun shoes for a long time and really enjoyed them. I went ahead and made the purchase and have been happily enjoying their support as I take my almost daily 40 minute walks with Jack and Jilly.
I am finding that my purchases this year have been becoming more intentional but fewer in number. As I pay closer attention to what I put in the cart or my shopping bag, I find that I don’t want nearly as many things after all. Considering the money that I will spend on the item, the type of upkeep it will require and how often I will actually use to make it worth the time and expense, the majority of the time I find myself putting it back on the store shelf.
What have you learned from cultivating more intentional shopping habits?
