how i get thru a 'shopping craving'....

**sabrelvssammy** · 03-15-2009, 05:24 PM

ok..i admit it...i'm human...(well...i think i may be....my parents were)....and yes in spite of my 'extreme frugality practices' ... i too..sometimes....want to have a 'shopping fix'.....

i know....gasp..the horror....

it doesn't mean i want to head off to the nearest neiman marcus..(where-ever that is anyway)....but sometimes...i begin to wonder...just wonder....what might be in the stores....

and i think to myself...maybe...i will just 'go peek'..... but i know good and well...a 'PEEK' can very easily end up becoming a 'BUY'.... and i NEED not another cotten-picken thing in this household...(at least i don't think i need anything...until i see that something that i didn't know i needed) and you know...the rest is history....

oh it will be a bargain all right...one of those 'can't pass up deals'...can come from the sale bin, clearance rack or even the dumpster out back....i can get it a grocery store, variety store, thrift store, yard sale...or picked up off the curb on the way home.....

so my secret weapon.... STAY HOME.... ahhhh...you all are saying about now...big deal....that's nothing astounding and new....who cares.....

BUT WAIT....THERE'S MORE >>>>

so now...i have stayed home...but i still have my 'craving'....so what's a 'frugalite' gonna do ??? i could...take a bath..(too much water)...i could dust the house....(ugh...i do that all the time...)
eat something...(well we all know where that leads....

)

so i go in search of something in the house to make new again....because that is what i am trying to 'ful-fill' by bringing home something different....

-it can be something as simple as dragging out my dirty tennis shoes and spending 10 minuits with an sos pad scrubbing them til they are shiny new....
-or going out into the garage and wiping down the whole interior of my car and washing the windows til they squeak....
-or getting out my baked-on /crusted-on baking pan and making it look as new as the day it came home.....
-cleaning your couch with a cleaner until you are afraid to sit on it....
-painting a piece of ratty-old furniture....

the point is...if you are craving something new...make something new out of something you already 'own'.....

it's a win/win for you....(not much for the person trying to sell their wares...but hey...this is all about us anyway...right...???)......

**MoonMommy** · 03-15-2009, 05:33 PM

Great idea.
I found that when I stopped working and became a SAHM, it was very hard for me to deal with the day to day sameness and often got bored. So....I would head to a store to "pick up something" and end up spending WAY too much money. It took awhile to get in the habit of only shopping when I really NEEDED something.

I have also found that since I have stopped shopping to pass the time, I have put more attention and focus on my hobbies that I like to do...gardening, sewing, reading, and baking. Doesn't mean I don't spend some money on my hobbies, but I find that I spend a lot less than when I used to just wander around a store.

Now you have me wanting to run around the house looking for something to recreate.

**frugal.lass** · 03-15-2009, 05:33 PM

Thanks for the excellent piece of advice!! I haven't done it recently but often, just by going through my closet and playing "dress up" I can find a new way to wear something that would not have occurred to me at 6am while I stumble about trying to get ready for my day. I guess that's the same idea as what you just posted, without any repair/cleaning effort.

I know what you mean about the shopping craving...I've been dealing with that a lot lately. I don't NEED anything (and don't really want to acquire more stuff) but I know that if I wandered into a store I would leave with a much lighter wallet. I've been trying to keep myself busy at home to counteract the "boredom" I assume is responsible.

**LynnLC** · 03-15-2009, 11:04 PM

I go to SArmy to kill a bad shopping craving. I just picked up a vintage 1950 Saks5thAve dress for $5- on ebay- $400. woo hoo.

I search the store for goodie designer stuff. It takes the edge off.

**Wendy99** · 03-15-2009, 11:27 PM

I go to the thrift stores too when I get that urge to shop lol .. but the last few weeks I'm so busy trying to get rid of things that I dont want to bring too much more back in the house .. getting that spring cleaning bug

**Laurie in Bradenton** · 03-16-2009, 07:29 AM

SOOO glad to hear that I'm not the only one who gets that "gotta have something" feeling. Thought maybe it was me!
I turn to working on either my sewing or another Unfinished Project. Surprising how many of those I've got. More surprising is how fast that feeling can pass and how many projects I'm getting done. lol

Laurie in Bradenton