6 posts tagged “shopping embargo”

I found a loophole in the rules of my Shopping Embargo. I am allowed to purchase embargoed goods as presents for others, provided they are legitimate presents, right? But at no point did I say that I was not allowed to purchase any presents for myself on someone's behalf. This is a loophole that will be closed immediately starting right this moment, because I already went back to Target and purchased a sleek new red Nintendo DS Lite for myself, on behalf of my husband, as an early 2nd anniversary present.

Oh, and I bought one for him, too.

And a carrying case with all the necessary travel gear.

And two games.

So that's it! I am done! No more shopping for myself! This means no gifts, no treats, no nothing!!!

And really, for this transgression, I really ought to push my end date forward a bit to the end of August. But I'll see how I feel at the end of this month. If I promise to be really really really good, I think I might let myself off easy.

But only this once.

I felt it was necessary to post an update about the Embargo, considering my last post about it indicated that I was faced with a whole lot of temptation. And, yes, I truly was. In fact, I still am. But a promise is a promise, no matter how bad of an idea it seems right now.

(And, yes, I'm fully aware of the fact that when I look at my receipts in August, at the end of this Embargo, I will be quite pleased with myself and the small increase to my savings account because of my efforts. But right now, it really sucks. It's kind of like being on a diet of rice cakes and water for a week, knowing full well that at the end of the week you would have lost an obscene amount of weight. You want to get to that next size down, but you don't want to put in the effort. And right now, I really don't want to put in the effort.)

My purchases this weekend were as follows:

• From the Carter's Outlet: 8 1-piece pajamas for the baby, 2 of which are in the next size up. Total cost: $85, including tax. Because of this purchase, I also received a coupon for $20 off a $50 purchase if I return this month to buy more clothes for him. Considering that I need to buy more pants for him, this is probably a good thing.
• From the Old Navy Outlet: 3 pairs of socks for the baby. Total cost: $1.60 How can you possibly beat that?
• From Target: A bubble mailer (so I can mail something out to one of my neighbors), some white onesies for the baby in his correct size (I had to pack up all but 4 of his current onesies because I can barely get them over his head), some shampoo (with a coupon!), 2 jars of baby food, 2 refills for the Diaper Genie ($2 off the regular price - the lowest price I've ever seen), light bulbs, and wipes. Total cost: $46, including tax. And you have no idea how difficult it was for me to rein myself in, especially since the Nintendo DS Lite was on sale - and they had a red one in stock, staring at me!
• And from the grocery store, $35 of food.

All in all, it wasn't terrible. I am most proud, though, of the fact that absolutely none of this was on plastic. Everything was paid for in cash. (Well, I broke out the debit card at Carter's, so I didn't exactly plan that one too well...)

And, of course, what greets me in the Sunday paper but scads of ads tempting me to go out and buy things that I want but don't really need. So, in that respect, this Embargo is a good thing. After all, as much as I want a Nintendo DS (because, mind you, everyone else has one), I have much better things to do than sit around playing it.

Like laundry. Or even better, sleep!

I am pleased to report that I still have not purchased anything on my banned list. This is not to say that I have not bought anything. Rather, it means I have only purchased things that are necessities.

Among my recent purchases:

• Hannah Montana t-shirts for my nieces. They love Hannah Montana (High School Musical is so 2007, you know), and as they both have birthdays coming up, I thought it was appropriate. Total cost for the two shirts: $13 plus tax.
• Diapers for the baby. I think it goes without saying that these were a necessity. But I got them all on sale, and now I have enough diapers until he moves up to Size 4.
• Food.
• Toddler spoons for the baby. I have two that I inherited from my sister, but Baby C hasn't taken to them. I'm hoping he'll do a better job with these new spoons.

Today, I have to go on a field trip to the Lake Buena Vista Outlets, where my company has an outlet location. Is it completely necessary that I go? Well, no, not really. But I have stuff to return, and I need to go to the Carter's outlet, anyway (Baby C desperately needs new pajamas, which I'm really hoping they will have), and I'd really like to leave work a little early and get a jump start on my weekend.

This does mean, of course, that I will be sorely tempted at every turn. So it's a good thing I've printed out my Shopping Embargo rules to make sure I stay within the letter (in case the spirit fails) of the law.

But temptation does not stop there. Oh, no. You see, there's a new Target coming to my area, and it opens on Sunday. And they sent me a coupon for $5 a purchase of $25 or more. So, of course there will be plenty of things that I will see and say, "Oh, I want that!" And then I need to rein myself in, and remind myself, "Eileen, this is a Target. There are plenty of other Targets all over the country."

And did I mention that JoAnn's had all kinds of crazy 10% off coupons in last Sunday's paper? It's like somebody knows, and they're trying to make me fall off the wagon!

I promise I will stop doing daily reports on this, but I am so very proud of myself today!

I just boxed up birthday presents for four friends who all have birthdays before the beginning of August. (This now means I am finished with birthday shopping for all but one friend.) Moreover, I picked up not one, not two, but three wallets for my husband so that he can finally retire his (which I bought for him in, oh, 2000?) and have backups when the next wallet falls apart. I also got some fun onesies for the baby and his friends (complete with matching bibs), and a bunch of shirts for myself.

And I didn't spend a single penny!

That's right! Two or three times a year, my department sells off all the sample products that don't make the cut for the new season's line. Think of it as a giant department garage sale. Anyway, in exchange for setting up the room for the sale and working the sale, people in my department get to sort through items and take the things we want - all before the doors open and the feeding frenzy begins.

So, I essentially bartered my time and energy for these goods. And, as I didn't spend any money, it's all well within the guidelines I previously set forth for myself.

[smiling] Freebies rock!

Well, with the baby being under the weather, I had to make some purchases today. But as they are for the baby and not for me, they are exempt from the Embargo.

The big purchase was an ear thermometer. I've been trying to take Baby C's temperature, and he won't sit still long enough for a rectal reading. And the armpit reading is downright impossible now that he can reach over, remove the offensive thermometer from his armpit, and fling it across the room. At least with the ear thermometer, he's still kind of curious about what I'm doing, and by the time he figures it out, I've already taken his temperature and we're all done.

Oh, and I found it on sale - 20% off. That's better than a sharp stick in the eye.

I was very tempted to buy a cute little tote that would double as a laptop bag yesterday, but I resisted, remembering the Embargo.

Something tells me this may be a long six months. But if it means a couple of extra dollars in my wallet at the end of this trial run, I know I'll find a way to manage.

Okay, I read Jennifer's post yesterday and ruminated on it, then one of my neighbors decided that she was going to take the plunge, so I've decided, well, it must be possible.

So, I hereby announce my personal shopping embargo.

Clothes shopping has never been a real issue for me. I go through spurts, where I might not buy any clothing for months and months, then suddenly decide to spend a couple hundred dollars in one expedition. At the end of the day, it's really not as bad as it could be. But I definitely have other vices.

Since shopping for clothing is not a major issue (I think the last item I bought for myself was a belt at the beginning of the year... which I seem to have since left behind in the Philippines and will need to replace before the end of the month), I've decided to make up my own rules in my shopping embargo:

1. No purchasing of new or used clothing (excluding underwear - I own enough socks) - PERIOD. This includes accessories and shoes. No new jewelry, no new shoes, no new ANYTHING. (Not even a concert T-shirt.)
2. This embargo is limited only limited to adult clothing, meaning that I will not purchase anything for my husband or me. The baby, on the other hand, still needs to be clothed (nakedness - as much as it becomes him - seems to be frowned upon as we do not live in a nudist colony) and I honestly don't have nearly enough clothes to sustain him for any extended period of time. Toys for the baby are also exempt from this embargo (but they have to specifically be for the baby, and not something like a Nintendo DS, which would really be for me).
3. I am allowed to accept clothing from others, be it borrowed or hand-me-downs. This also means that when my company has Sample Sales (such as the one we are having at the end of the week), I am allowed to acquire whatever goods I choose, as long as I am not required to outlay any funds.
4. Alterations, dry-cleaning, and shoe repairs are musts.
5. No purchasing of new (or used) scrapbooking supplies (excluding adhesives - and only then if I legitimately exhaust all of my supply). This includes paper, ribbon, stickers, etc. Since my magazine subscriptions have already kicked in and do not need renewal until the end of the year, I'm free to continue receiving them. I just can't buy anything new.
6. No purchasing of yarn unless I completely use up my existing supply. And even then, I'm sure mom left more than a few skeins for me to use in a project of my choice.
7. No purchasing of new (or used) books (beginning Monday, February 25, only because there are a couple of books that I want to add to my library), with the exception of work-related books and textbooks (in the event that I either need books for work or choose to return to school before the designated end of my embargo - neither of which is likely, but nothing is impossible).
8. No purchasing of new (or used) kitchen gadgets, appliances, cookware, or tools. I have a lot in my kitchen already. I could probably stand to get rid of some of it.
9. No purchasing of new (or used) electronic hardware or software. Since I've already done my taxes, I won't need to buy Turbo Tax. And since Nintendo Wiis are still hard to come by, this really won't be much of an issue for me.
10. I am allowed to accept any of my embargoed goods as gifts, provided there is no exchange of money for said goods. Additionally, I am allowed to purchase any of these embargoed goods as gifts for others, provided the gifts are for legitimate occasions (i.e., not just because it's pay day) and my primary intention is not to then borrow said goods for my own personal use.

In a nutshell, effective immediately (with the exception of books, which I am postponing until Monday, and a new belt, which I will purchase today), I declare an embargo on all goods except foodstuffs and baby items. How long will this embargo last? Jennifer has proposed a year, but her embargo is strictly on clothing. I challenge myself to maintain this embargo until the beginning of August, which is 6 months. At that time, I will re-evaluate my position and share with you, my blogging public.

Wish me luck!