I’ve never really thought of myself as someone who liked to shop for clothing. I was always a fan of shopping in the grocery store or shopping for other people. This is part of why Christmas is my favorite holiday. I get to shop for other people and surprise them and see the looks on their faces. It’s magical. Especially after I got sick, it became more and more difficult for me to walk around stores comfortably. So, I avoided going out more especially to stores. Online was my best friend.
I have soon realized that this is one of the best ways to shop when you’re on a budget. It allows me to put things in my cart then see the total before I’m at the register cursing in my head trying to figure out how 5 things cost $233 and not trying to look broke asking if that 25% came off that one $3 item. As I’ve learned to budget, I realized spending money is really emotional especially when your relationship with it hasn’t been exactly POSITIVE. I recently had a moment when I almost cried over my grocery order. I had to ask myself where all this emotion was coming from. I wanted to spend my ideal amount but knew it wasn’t possible and I felt a little like a failure. I persisted and as usual a way was made. I ended up getting some items for FREE that I no longer had to purchase and on top of that the store where I shop send me $30 free groceries coupon (2 #15 coupons) for errors they made. So, I only ended up $5 over my ideal budget and $20 under my actual budget. When I spend the coupons, I’ll be able to get some other food that I thought I’d blow my budget with.
I’ve also realized that there is nothing wrong with shopping. I’ve found that some stores just had great experiences for me. Old Navy has become a favorite because as I lose weight, I can get trendy clothes for my size and usually on sale. Because I am losing weight and want to save money on shipping, I like going in store. Their dressing rooms also have seats which is crucial to someone who is ill and needs to rest as they try on clothes. They also have shopping carts so I don’t wear myself down. Since I’ve enjoyed this experience, I’m now being sure to budget in money to do clothes shopping in a sinking fund (I’ll explain these soon). It’s a little retail therapy if you will but I STICK TO MY BUDGET!