Recap: January 2012

This was the first official month of my shopping fast, and I must say that it got off to a pretty rocky start. There were so many tempations with the after Christmas sales and new stores opening for the new year. But I am happy to report that I maintained my ground and sucessfully completed this month of my shopping fast! YAY!! Not only that, but I have also paid off one of my major debts off of my credit report. One down and eleven more to go. February involves all sorts of challenges with me taking a trip to New York for Fashion Week (super excited)!! So stay tuned, its only going to get better from here.

Hello. My name is Brittany and I am a shopaholic...

Written October 18^th, 2011

   

I believe that the first step in making a change is to admit you have a problem. It took me a long time to admit to myself that I am a shopaholic. I feel like shopping everyday is normal. I could buy shoes online during the day while I was at work, and then leave work and run straight to the mall and not even think twice about it. Then on the weekends, I would "run errands" (as I would call it) and eventually my errands would end up in a shoe store or some upscale boutique. The worst part is that my closest is filled with clothes and shoes that I haven't worn yet, but I still find nothing to wear and go back out to find something else. It’s a vicious cycle.  And it's not just clothes and shoes. I also love to eat out. I believe that my job gives to a lunch break so that is an excuse to go out to eat everyday and honestly, that’s what I do. The sound of the debit card beep gives me a fix just like any other addict would. And this addiction has carried me through the most of my 20's. But now it's time to change.

I am a newlywed and I am now in my late 20's. I'm beginning to look more into my future and preparing to get a house with my husband and start our family. After looking at my finances and drowning in my credit card debt and mounds of student loans, I've decided to make a stand against my shopping addiction. And so, I have decided to go on a shopping fast. My idea of this fast is that I will only buy the essentials (ie. gas, food, household bills, etc.) and cut out the non-essentials (ie. shoes, clothes, fast food/going out to eat, etc.) And with the extra money that I will save, I will make a full force effort in cutting down my debt and get myself back on track. Sounds crazy, right? That's what I say to myself everyday, but I know it's what I need to do to have a better future for me and my family.

My plan is to start November 1st. I'm going to use the remaining months in this year to slowly prepare myself. For the next two months, I will  slowly downsize my spending and only spend on what I really need. But what about Christmas? I still plan to enjoy Christmas and give gifts to my family, but I will not get anything for myself. That way, Christmas spending will still keep my thirst of shopping quenched so I can slowly get off shopping before I go cold turkey on January 1st.  :(

So I invite you to come with me on this journey. I know that it will get crazy, but I'm up for the challenge to ensure the financial conformability of my future family. These are the confessions of a newly reformed shopaholic...