Hi, my name is Savannah and I have an impulse buying addiction.
Over the holidays, I was on Amazon almost daily. I kept telling myself, after Christmas, I would get my spending under control. But then January was my birthday. February was our anniversary. March was Easter shopping, since Easter was in early April. Each month, I would find an excuse to spend money on something I really didn't need.
First off, let me clarify, we have ONE credit card, and it is for emergency use only. So I was financing this addiction right out of my wallet. But because of that, no money was going into our savings. And some months, I would pull money out to help cover my costs. Each paycheck, I would be responsible and pay our bills. But then my next stop was Amazon.
I was stuck in a vicious cycle. I didn't like it, but I like new stuff, so I felt like it was justified.
Then a few weeks ago, I decided to add up my purchases on Amazon. I added up just the Christmas season by itself. Then I added from January until the most recent purchase. I'm not going to post the numbers, but over just the Christmas season, it was nearly a full paycheck. The 2nd amount was nearly as large. I'm not going to lie, I was pretty disgusted with myself.
Last semester, I was able to pay for my tuition, all out of pocket (with some help from a scholarship). I was so proud of myself. I really want to pay for school all on my own and not have to take out any student loans. But because of my spending habit, my savings is not where I need it to be to pay for any classes I plan to take this summer.
A few weeks ago, I told myself, no more Amazon. Its been harder than I thought it would be. I think of some little thing I want, and I want to hop on over and buy it for myself. Is it something I need? No, its just a passing want. (Although, I am finding it hard to buy a few essentials, like my favorite eye makeup remover and a some supplements we take. )
We've each only had one paycheck since I went on my Amazon fast, so its hard to say if I can see a difference in our bank account yet. I've promised myself I will go at least a month with no Amazon. By that point, I'll have nephews birthday's coming up, so I might have to set a limit and buy just that.
I've also decided to set a goal to help me. I want several new pieces of furniture. My goal is to save up enough to buy a new bedroom set. Once I get my tuition savings built back up, I hope to be able to do that.
I did get on Amazon last night. I recently bought an iPad (another impulse purchase) and decided to download the Kindle app to it so I could transfer my books over. But when I went to open the app on my iPad, I couldn't remember my Amazon password. I'm sure I just forgot which letter was supposed to be capitalized, but I couldn't remember. So I got on Amazon long enough to request a new password. But I didn't look at anything else. Once the password was reset, I logged out.
Amazon has made life easier because of my limited options of living in a small town. But it also fed my monster of instant gratification. (Amazon Prime, it'll be here in two days!) When grandpa passed away, I had plenty of dresses, but I wanted a new one. The problem was, I bought two.
Not only will I miss Amazon, but I will miss the sound of the UPS unit as they drop off my packages. I have joked many times that is is my favorite sound. I did get one last high this weekend. A few weeks ago, I ordered a package for Easter. But it got lost in shipping. It finally showed up the other day. But it was purchased before my official Amazon fast.
You can find more of this weeks #MicroblogMondays posts HERE.
Monday, April 13, 2015
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3 comments:
It's so hard because those online purchases almost don't feel like real money. Except they are real money.
I will say that the library replaced retail therapy. I will go and check out a ridiculous number of books and movies. And by the time they're due, I'm already bored with them, proving that the initial obtaining high doesn't last.
Good for you! Just be careful of buying all those books for your Kindle app. My husband will try and save money doing other things, but buys books without really thinking, because it is so easy. I've taken to getting library books on my iPad. It's wonderful - I can borrow a book from the comfort of my couch! I'm currently working my way through the Game of Thrones books.
I usually have Kindle gift cards for my purchases there. That is how I keep myself from going nuts on books. I'm also reading the Game of Thrones series, but very slowly. I'm almost finished with book 2.
My husband does get his books from the library, but he's a slow reader. I think he's had the same book for 3 months now. The problem is, we never remember to renew it, so we're always paying late fees. I told him when he finishes this book, I'm just going to start buying them. If it takes him that long to read a book, I think I can budget that into our spending every few months. ;)
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