Challenge A¢¢epted: April Fa$t

Shopping is a way that some people dread while some do it out of necessity and then there are others where life=shopping. No seriously though, for real. I have gone three and one half months without getting paid, yet I still found a way to spend money. How, you ask- oh it's so simple when a shopaholic or you get a "high" from spending.

all in a day's trip

I wonder what happened to the days of childhood when I would have $100+ in cash from my allowance and would be so stingy as to not touch it or let my parents borrow the cash from me when they didn't have cash on them. I always had cash and LOTS of it as a child, but my ways of saving became a trend to spend. I have a spending problem (step 1) but I think nothing of it until I see my bank account go from 4 digits *oh yeah baby!* to three digits *still looking good; oooooo this is too cute* to two digits *ummm I should stop but I can't* to nearly two digits *well how did I get myself into this mess* and sometimes single digits *DELETE DELETE! THERE'S NO WAY THAT I SPENT THAT MUCH*

For the month of April I am challenging myself to this spending fast to 1) show myself that I can save money without spending it, 2) I do not need to buy something just because it is on sale, 3) I do not need all of these things from Urban Decay, Target, Ann Taylor or Banana Republic (even if I have a shopping cart waiting for my UD purchase in May if I can hold out *I think I can, I know I can*), 4) I have certification exams to be taking (#goodbye$500) and finally 5) I am at a time when saving my money should be a critical aspect of my life- no bills to pay, other than insurance, and no children to have to feed. I am living the dream ya'll. There are other things I can think of about why I shouldn't be spending money but these are my main five.

Now I that I have decided to go on a spending fast for the month of April- yes when all of the Easter candy goes on sale I will not give in to getting my one bag of Starburst jelly beans- I am hoping to come out with a new perspective and naturally a smarter way to approach my money spending habits. Talk about all the sugar and extra calories I am saving, let alone the money. No unnecessary spending for the month of April for me *fingers crossed*!

My I$$ue$

While there have been some moments of "what were you thinking?!?!" there have been equal- almost equal?- rates at which things were justified, just not to the extent I would like to see. On to the next issue. So I have a problem when stepping into Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J. Crew and of course Target. Tell me why sales people get excited when they see me- arm full of clothes to try on with a need to expand my wardrobe. Now this past month and a half the spending was necessary in order to add more variety and pieces into my wardrobe for teaching. Now, at this point, blacks, navys and grays are no longer needed in my closet yet I can still somehow justify their purchase. Let's not get started on Target: THREE separate visits to THREE DIFFERENT Targets over the course of two days, with purchases of at least $30. Yep, that's the life I live. Let's not talk about the Kate Spade bag or Michael Kors shoes I had my mother buy and am in the hole with her. We can talk about the cute Lands' End  bag I got to carry all of my teacher necessities, and yes it was on sale so :p

My deeper issues are my love of food. I come home to a pantry and fridge full stocked with wholesome food but I cannot resist the urge to go and make a visit to Chick-fil-A (#cantresist) or the Thai place down the street (#supportlocalbusinesses?) but there is just something about spending on food that is one of the most difficult. I try to justify by telling myself that I am hungry and in need of food but in reality I sat at home for half an hour and stared at the walls instead of cooking or even worse reheating food.

$olution

I am making a promise to myself to not spend money on unnecessary things. I am pledging to eat food from the pantry, not give in to the sales associate that always gets me with the "oh you're only $585372829 away from getting this $5 reward!" Out with the old, in with the savings. The month of April has many new beginnings for me and I am ever so excited. Will you join me on my journey of a fast? It is going to be difficult but I know it will be most beneficial for me to reflect on my habitual, unnecessary spending and evaluate what in the world I am doing with my money.

I am unsubscribing from emails from the stores I shop- that means you BR, AT, JC and UD. Flash sites such as Guilt and Hautelook are also being removed from my email accounts, yes ACCOUNTS, and the apps are being deleted from my phone. eBay app has to go because I haven't had extra space for nail polish a long time ago. If I do not have the money for it, I cannot ask mom or dad to spot me until I get paid....this excuse has been used wayyyyyy too mucho in the past few weeks alone. To build my savings account back up, I would like to put at least half of my next two paychecks into my savings account. The remainder of my checks will be used to pay for my teacher certification exams. One last important change will be my vocabulary: I have no needs, I only have wants and I can stop needlessly spending on my wants in order to save up for future needs.

I cannot believe two days from today I will be going on one of the most difficult things a shopaholic could face *gasp* but I will survive! I'll check in once a week with my progress, issues and how I'm feeling. If you have any ideas just let me know! What are some ways (extreme, traditional, etc.) that you save/don't spend money?