wakeup call

what i did today:

1. absolutely nothing.... most people i know are back at work, but me i don't have to go back until next tuesday. yes, it is something to brag about i'm sure but a week of nothing to do means a week trying to avoid shopping temptation. why?

2. well yesterday while reading super kawaii mama's blog on 'the trials of a conspicuous consumer' it really made me think about spending habits and the amount of items i have and disposed of at a monthly basis. http://superkawaiimama.blogspot.com/ .

furthermore i had also stumbled upon http://thevintageyear.blogspot.com/ , which was another inspirational read.

now i am not denying the fact that i am a shopaholic and i am not going to stop shopping all together, but seriously i need to re asses and prioritise, so i have made a couple of rules to live by. well will try to anyway....

RULE 1: SHOP MONTHLY= BETTER QUALITY
first of all i have to start thinking quality not quantity. to be honest most of the items i would really like to acquire are of good quality and because of this they are way over my budget. so instead of quality i go to places like supre and ice to snatch up a bargain at $20 to $40 a garment instead of $100 to $150 a garment. however, upon doing my sums i realise that i spend up to $300 a month on poor and out of date items, when instead i could be saving up my monthly earnings and at the end of each month, those once out of reach items will become more attainable.

RULE 2: NEED + LONGEVITY = GOOD BUY
secondly, if i do find myself at a lower end store i need to be more particular and ask myself "am i buying this because it suits me or am i buying it because its cheap and i want something new to wear?" i have to also think, "doe's it work well with what i already have, will it stay fashionable?

RULE 3: LIMIT CASH FLOW
if ever i find the need to just shop it is probably best to set a limit on how much to spend. to do this i will have to take money out of the account beforehand and leave all other credit cards etc. at home and out of reach.

RULE 4: SET GOALS
setting goals and starting a wish list will help hinder the impulse shopping.

so, do you think i can do it? well tomorrow will be a big test for me. i have a hair appointment at the mall and hopefully i will be able to avoid temptation. i have my doubts with all the pre christmas sales on but i promise to try my hardest.