I usually write a column in such a way that it can be read at any time with no specific start or end date. In that way, I can avoid the confusion that sometimes occurs when a column goes to print two or more weeks after submission. But last night was February 29th and although it usually is not a particularly auspicious day - unless it happens to be your birth date and you are one quarter the age of all your peers - I decided to make it memorable. Therefore, I do require that my next few columns follow a time-line.
I will be the first to admit that I am a notorious impulse shopper. If there are five things on my grocery list, I will come home with fourteen. Of those extra nine, two will be practical items. Dish soap on sale, for example, or extra bananas for smoothies - but the other seven will be pure indulgent buys; turkey sticks, red pepper Boursin, olives, oysters, mint hot chocolate, decadent cookies, and the ever-elusive, rarely seen, and therefore absolutely necessary, Tiramisu gelato! It’s not always food either. My head can be turned by brightly colored plastic bowls (I have nine of them now), creamy body wash, notebooks (which you can NEVER have enough of - at least in my world), and kitchen gadgets for my imaginary baking life. If I see something that seems even remotely “cool,” it is paid for and bagged before my brain has time to put forward an objection.
So back to February 29th. As I was looking through Staples on-line to see if a software package I was after was available, I came across the cutest little hedgehog statuette. I thought, “How adorable! Hedgehogs are good luck!” and promptly popped it into my basket. I continued on, adding a few pens and other stationery items to my on-line bag and then, interrupted by a phone call, I closed the laptop lid and, of course, completely forgot about what I had been doing. (It seems to be happening a lot these days … out of sight, out of mind!)
Later, after supper, I opened my laptop to search for something else, and there, staring at me was the hedgehog. I completed my order, and as I reached for the “send” button, my hand stopped in midair. Having just come from the front room where I had added some clothes to the pile of “giveaway” items that were accumulating behind Dave’s chair and on remembering what else was in those boxes, I said out loud, “Really? You have to have that? Why?” And for the first time, “because I can” wasn’t a good enough answer.
You may have heard of 30-day challenges. They are primarily about making small adjustments to the way you eat, your physical activity level or even your approach to finances. You determine what you are going to do differently for one month and afterwards, choose whether or not you wish to make the change a permanent one. I decided to try a “buying break” challenge as there was definitely no better time to take it on than right now. Grocery purchases would be allowed without question, but other than that, I could not buy anything unless it was absolutely necessary for survival. 31 days; the whole of March. This was going to be a piece of cake!
Day 1 - Stopped in at Staples to pick up a Turbo Tax, necessary for my tax filing preparations. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a “perfect for my purse” notebook! Ooooh! Soft leather! As I reached for it, I remembered that buying non-essentials was a no-no. Sigh. I put it back.
Day 2 - Drove Dave in for a pre-treatment consultation at Pasqua Hospital. I checked out the used books. I picked up a $2 paperback and bought it without thinking twice. Ooops. Too late.
Day 3 - While Dave was in treatment, I wandered the hospital gift store. Oh, look! Gold hoop earrings. Just what I like! On my way to the counter, I stopped in my tracks. Rats! Back to the rack, they went.
Ok. So I was wrong. This is not going to be a simple challenge, because so far, the experience has been a real eye-opener. Up until now, I had no idea how often in a day I was ready to buy stuff for no particular reason other than I wanted to have it even in knowing that I didn’t need it. This is going to be an interesting month, indeed.
Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.
