A Spending Spree

2 Comments

Posted on June 4, 2018

Sometimes I go for ages without buying anything apart from the essentials but then I seem to have a bit of a spree.

In the last week I have bought a clock and a dress. The clock was to replace the one in the kitchen which had given up the ghost. I spent a couple of hours trawling online and eventually found one that I liked. It arrived in the mail today and I was very excited to hang it up.

The dress was an impulse buy (sort of). I was at the DFO with GMan and my mother on Saturday afternoon and I wandered into Jacqui E and this dress caught my eye. It was originally priced at $170 but marked down to $50 and the final price I paid was $37.46!!

It is an almost perfect fit – I need to shorten it a little and while the bodice fit is good, I could make it better by lifting the shoulders a little and taking a small amount of width out of the upper back. It is heavy cotton, lined and looks like cutwork. I have studied the construction and the alteration to the shoulders should be easy. I will have to give the back a bit more thought.

I have a pretty cobalt blue cardigan to wear with it and now I just need a pair of navy shoes. Coincidentally, I have already been searching for the shoes.

A Frugal Mindset – 3

2 Comments

Posted on June 30, 2016

Well, I actually had 2 rest days but here I am, back again with number 3.

3. Frugal people know small expenses add up to big ones. I think we’ve all thrown something extra into the shopping cart because it was only a buck, or grabbed up the clearance item because it was just such a great deal despite having no idea how we’d use it. While getting a great deal for items you need is worth it, frugal people also realize something else — those small expenses add up to real money, so they can distinguish between impulse purchases and those that are necessary. There’s a reason frugal people are known as penny pinchers, they grasp the concept of a little bit adds up to a lot.

Question to ask yourself: Do I want to buy this because it’s a great deal, or because it’s just a small amount of money, or because I really need it and have a plan for how I’ll use it?

2016-06-30 01

I feel that I have a pretty good grasp on this one. I can honestly say that I very rarely buy anything that is not on my list or a planned spend.

I do not chase sale items for groceries or other household goods. I shop intentionally and generally pay full-price for items but I believe it is still wiser than buying random stuff simply because it is on sale. This works for me. I never have food that I do not know what to do with it because I only buy what we eat and what I need for the meals I have planned. There are no clothes in my cupboard that have never been worn or piles of unused household goods.

What about you?