UNaddicted to shopping... its been a journey

Well friends, I have been missing for a while, and I wish I had some great reason why.... but I don't. I admit it has been a mere combination of having nothing going on while I've been at home and sheer laziness. (I can feel your shame shames and your tisk tisks)

This past weekend I spent in NWA to spend time with Amy and the girls. B turned the big 0-3 so I was able to enjoy the bday party at Gymboree (sooo fun!) but I will post a few pics later!

Sooo back to shopping! :)

My friend April came into town Wednesday night to spend the weekend with some good ol' HU friends, which I loved!



Yesterday Ashley, April and I spent the day at the mall here in LR. Of course I was excited! I mean, I would have to be two coughs away from DEATH to not be excited about going to mall! :)

*HOWEVER*

Since moving here, Tyler and I have really been trying to live cheaply. And I'm not talking about limiting our "eating-out to only 3 times a week" cheap, or "I get a weekly shopping budget" cheap. Friends... THERE. IS. NO. BUDGET. That's right. We may go out to eat once every two weeks, but that's a big maybe. And only if it's under $20. And I don't have to worry about going over my shopping budget, because I don't get one! Nothing. Zip. Zilch. (Thank you Dave Ramsey!)

If, by chance, there is something I need to purchase (like for a specific event), we discuss it before hand and I have a spending limit.

So when we got to the mall yesterday I knew it was a "Look, but Don't Touch" kind of shopping day. I actually kind of enjoy knowing that I will not make any purchases when I'm shopping. Sick, right? :)

But let me tell you, this was a TOUGH adjustment when we first started this spending freeze. In fact, I'm pretty sure I had physical pain. But after a while the stomach aches and throbbing pain behind my eye faded away. And now, I feel completely great!

After a few months of being Thrift McThrifterson, I feel a sense of freedom. (Way dramatic, I know) But when I was more careless with money, I felt like I wanted more and more and more AND MORE! It was a snowball effect. As soon as I made one purchase, I was on to the next "Oh, I have to have THAT!" purchase.

But now I feel more content in what I do have. I actually find myself realizing how much people spend on things they don't need, and it's kind of disturbing. Sure that $80 bag at that super-cute-trendy-store would be amazing, but is it really worth it when you have 15 more sitting in your closet??? Not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I like to look cute and trendy like any other girl, but I'm just learning to be ok with creative combinations and repetition (wearing an outfit more than once, for those of you that are foreign to this concept. ha!)

Dave Ramsey may have stripped away my shopping freedom, but he has also given me peace. (I guess that's why they call it Financial Peace? :)) I know that while Tyler and I are SavingSavingSaving now, we will be better prepared for our future.

We still have a LOOOONG journey ahead, but I am excited to see where this takes us. And I'm excited that I have learned an invaluable lesson (while I'm still fairly young) that keeping up with the Jones' is a Never-ending, torturing, unsettling journey. I will never be the Jones', so I just need to get over it.

Now if you don't mind, I have coupons to clip...