Reconciling My Wants with My Wallet

http://shoppingonline230.wordpress.com/2012/11/08/online-shopping-memes/

It’s your traditional tale of head versus heart – two foes often at battle with each other, generally over matters of romance, friendship, pursuing life’s passions and risks. The rational, logical side of you engages in a tango with the emotional, passionate side, only to leave you with a list of pros and cons and perhaps an incurable headache. For me, these days, these two formidable opponents have been tangled up in what seems to be a never-ending struggle for me: saving money.

Every time I go to check my bank account, I trepidatiously view the numbers and then have either one of two reactions: 1.) a mixture of surprise and relief at how little I spent in between paychecks or, more often than not, 2.) disappointment and guilt. How did I get to that number? Where did my money go? As I mentally comb through each purchase or payment, I wonder if some of them were really necessary.

Endless hours browsing through fashion blogs, Pinterest and my favorite shopping cites leave me foaming at the mouth, hands trembling above the “place order” button as I justify purchasing yet another pair of shoes. My email inbox is filled with my favorite stores notifying me of their scorching sales or of how my favorite items are selling fast – tempting, teasing, taunting. Once the few bills I have are paid, I am left to decide whether to save my money or spend it. Though the logical side of me (and my bank statement) may push me to save, the emotional and fashion-hungry side of me pushes me to spend.

I suppose this is the challenge that comes with having a big-girl salary for the first time in my life. After all, this isn’t the first time I’ve blogged about the budget blues and I suspect that this won’t be the last. I still struggle with reconciling all of these wants with my wallet and lately, I find that it has been more difficult than usual as I have too much time to browse and window-shop. For the most part, I tend to veer towards being more responsible with my money, but every now and then, I get caught up in satisfying that want. With social media’s over-exposure to the “latest,” “newest” and “trendiest” of things in conjunction with a personal affection for fashion and style blogs, I have to remind myself of all of the things I currently have and all of the financial goals I have for later, such as: paying off my car loan and moving into an apartment. These things will probably be more satisfying in the long run than the immediate satisfaction of a new pair of shoes or splurging on a fancy dinner, but it can be difficult to see that when taking a walk through Nordstrom or viewing a killer sale on Shopbop.

So how do I tame my “wants” in an effort to protect my wallet? I’m hoping that some new changes to my life and its schedule (more on that later) will fill my daily activity with more productivity and less idle-time for browsing, which generally causes me to fall prey to making a trip to the mall or to being ensnared by online shopping. Maybe I can even get rid of some of those emails from shopping sites I frequent so that my inbox isn't littered with justifications on another purchase (why be tempted?) I’ve also tried to keep a running “shopping list:” things that I want to add to my closet and/or need (such as specific toiletries) so that when I go to the mall or to a place like CVS, I can stick to buying only things that I’ve rendered essential beforehand to cut down on impulse purchases (because I really don’t need five crop tops, do I?) So I guess that leaves us all wondering: will it work? Who knows-- check back in a few months to see if my wallet is overflowing as opposed to my closet.  Stranger things have happened, right?