So, again, its Monday. Sorry to all of you for not blogging on Thursday & Friday. Thursday was littered with storms in the afternoon, so much so that we kept getting power surges & so, my computers had to be unplugged. Friday was the day my hubby came home & I was obviously glad to see him, so I didn't even think about blogging (sorry ladies!!)
So, here we are on Monday...no madness this week. Except for the bedroom & needing to unpack my hubby's stuff for him. The kitchen is clean & I got TWO, count 'em TWO loads of dishes in the dishwasher on Friday to catch up with the mess. I also may have stayed up too late on Wednesday cleaning: until 3am! I completely got on a roll & lost track of the time. How crazy! Just goes to show you how if I didn't have a hubby I would completely forget about sleep until I was exhausted & just how much I am a night owl!
I hope you all are getting help from these blogs. On the topic of financial security & stopping the over shopping tendencies, I have gotten a book called: "To Buy or Not To Buy, Why We Over-shop & How to Stop" by April Lane Benson. I also purchased Some David Ramsey books: "Total Money Makeover" and its workbook and "Financial Peace Revisited," "Financial Peace Planner" and "How to Have More Than Enough." I also bought an digital copy of Quicken Deluxe 2010 to help keep track of money & how I shop. It came at a small price, but with the way I have been spending like I shouldn't, I think its an investment for the future to stop this while its small & not littered with maxed out credit cards.
Good news, I paid off the credit cards I did use to purchase with the money we had. Then, I cut them up--all of them. Even the Victoria's Secret Card--I love that store, but I need to stop buying on credit & ASK before I buy, buy, buy. Granted, I have some nice things, but I NEED to go through my closet!! That is the goal of today: make room for the stuff I have & really do a check on what I want vs. what I need. Oh, the book by April Benson is helping. Its making me find out why I overshop with a journal and then is giving me tips on how to stop that emotional reaction that is unhealthy & learning to deal with it positively instead of by spending & hurting me and my whole family. My hubby was supportive & knows I'm learning something important. In fact, he's glad I recognize I need to fix it instead of others in my family who think its just a hobby. Unless you are filthy rich & get millions in dollars from savings interest a week or month, then shopping should NOT be your hobby!! In fact, even then, shopping as a hobby is a great way to drain those millions (look at Britney Spears & the late Michael Jackson for example--their overspending has hurt them bad; even brought on depression & other issues).
My hubby & I have agreed to also get rid of my debit card to our joint account and open another joint account here and put money in it for food, gas, and some extra spending money for me. (Like twenty bucks a week if I'm not frugal with the food money budgeted). I think this is a good start for me. That leaves the other account set up for bills, rent, insurance, loans and savings. I think with my habits, that sounds fair. It will curb my need to shop & let me have the ability to shop for food & a little something extra for myself each week--that $20 includes if I want a Starbucks, something clothing/accessory wise, hobby stuff, going out to lunch, etc. So, I can save up if I want to or spend it. Its making me learn about money management that I should have learned as a child. And believe me, we will be making sure our kids know all about money management! I'm finding out a massive majority of parents have forgotten this little nugget of a life lesson and expect their kids to learn it in college. HA!! I'm still trying to force myself to learn it now and it hurts! I would have much rather learned it early & have good financial sense now!
So, my Monday madness is closet cleaning I guess!! You should try it too, once in a while. Get rid of what doesn't fit. Don't say, "Oh! I will diet and get back into it! You know you will just put it away and forget about it, so get rid of it & save up to buy a few new things when you DO LOSE THE WEIGHT!!" See it as taking up valuable space that could be for something better down the road. Those items are just a blaring reminder that you aren't what you want to be. The first step to getting to a better weight is not being depressed because being all melancholy eats up the energy you would have to exercise. Get rid of it!
Besides, unless you are pregnant, you should not be hanging onto clothes that haven't been worn in a year. You haven't worn it, which means you probably aren't comfortable wearing it everyday. The only other exception is winter coats and formal gowns (unless you have like a closet-full of gowns, then get rid of some). If you go visit somewhere cold or you have had a warm spell the past year, keep them! It can get cold in some places! It was in the sixties in FL when we were there this winter!! Its usually mid to high 70's and above! With dresses, especially formal ones, you never know when you will need them & as long as they fit (ahem! You know what to do if they don't--give them away!!) they are good to keep around. Have a few formal, casual, cocktail, maybe a full-length or two. Just remember, don't let those dresses take up a huge amount of closet space. Put them in another room--along with out of season coats.
So what kind of things get you hopping this Mad Monday?? Post them below! Have a great day!
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