Stumble It!
Financial Achilles heel
This weekend I was rummaging through some old receipts of shopping trips to New Seasons, a local grocery store. $55, $49, $68 - note these are price tags for one meal for J & I. Now, I have been tightening my belt, becoming more conscious of how I spend my money, but the minute that I enter this store my inner accountant kicks back with several martinis so by the time I get to the checkout it is a little silly and more than happy to spend $16 on some Flagship cheese (Oh so yummy and you must try it with their crackers).
However, I can't help but look deeper at why I spend more here. First,the easiest answer is that I love food. I love it, especially when it has the appeal of being local or organic or from some remote area in Ireland where it's grown in a cave that maintains the same temperature all year round. It tastes better - fresher, creamier, smoother.
Prying deeper (into my inner couch cushions), I also find that I also tend to spend more at NS when I want to "prove" that I can afford it. Did it matter that in the past I would use my credit card to pay for our expensive dinners? Nope. Gosh darn it, I may look grubby but damn it I can spend $200 at this store just like the rest of you hip Portlanders and not blink an eye. How many times have I overspent just to prove to someone else that I am "some one", when in the end, I only made it harder for myself financially.
A lot of people have a financial Achilles heel that no matter how much will power they have, will trip them up and cause them to spend. This results in guilt. "Oh, I'm so terrible. I failed. Waaaa!" I'm not going to stop shopping at this store, but I am going to shop smarter. 1) I will set NS up as a budget item so I can enjoy shopping there from time to time and 2)I will shop with cash only.
Put your loves into your budget, be it travel or gadgets (the new iphone is calling me), so that you can enjoy them without the guilt.
2 cents:
Hi Kelly,
My financial achilles heel is the clearance isle. I have a hard time saying no when it just "such a good deal". I have had to learn to ask myself "do I really need this now?" If the answer is no I have to pass up the item even if it hurts. Budgeting is not an easy job but it so worth it in the end. Of course I haven't reached the end but I can see it.
My boyfriend is already saving for the iPhone, too.
I agree: it's important to know yourself and accomodate your behavior in your budget. I also love gourmet shopping (and New Seasons in particular when I lived in Portland). Here in New York, I add a little extra padding to my grocery budget so that my boyfriend and I can buy the fancy chocolate/cheese/produce every now and again.
Can I ask where you went to school? From your college-frugality post, it sounds like maybe you were at school in Portland (you mentioned Buffalo Exchange, though I know it's a chain and that there are locations elsewhere). So was I. It's a small blogosphere.
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