October is a wild month for us, full of visitors and travel. Not much time to really get down and dirty with decluttering projects, and full of "special events" just waiting to derail our best-laid budget plans. But we're still trying to stick with our cut-down-on-spending goals! Over the next few weeks, I'll try to highlight some of the major points.
The first one is heartbreaking to me, but totally necessary. Target just may be my favorite store, ever. Unfortunately, history suggests that I am not capable of escaping that haven of "bargains" for under $100, even if I went in for a gallon of milk. I wish this were an exaggeration, but it's completely accurate. I am too easily enticed by the smart clothing (and it's only a $20 dress! What a great buy!), the baby section (what a cute sippy cup! it's only $5, we should try that out!), the dressed-up-as-healthy groceries (trail mix! what a great snack idea! never mind that it's 1/2 M&M's and costs $12 for the tub!), and the cosmetics section (something about the bright lights and clean layout suggest to me that if I buy their chapstick, my life will get better), all wrapped up in the promise of 5% off with my Target card. Blog posts like this one, as well as Ben's recent Target receipts, suggest I'm not alone.
Please note that I'm not trying to bash Target, which I'm sure is a perfectly lovely company. My problem is that I love it too much, and can't be trusted to stick to my list when I'm inside. In pretty much every department, the magic of the red target logo somehow entices me into believing that every item in the store is a great deal, and that buying and owning stuff from Target will make me a better, happier person. Time and again, I've shown that my best frugal intentions can't stand up against their wizardry.
I know that if I go into Target, I will buy things that we don't need. And that is completely antithetical to the simpler-cleaner-cheaper mindset. To make my life cheaper and simpler (and, by extension, also cleaner!), I'm going to avoid Target for the next 30 days.
(Hopefully longer). (At least until I have mastered the art of sticking religiously to a list). (FORESHADOWING to a future post!).
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