A week of spending

Posted on June 1, 2013 1 Comment

Generally, I seem to go through cycles where I spend very little, and then one week I go out and spend a lot. Last week was that week. When I go shopping, I don’t do enough damage that I go into debt; it’s all within my monthly budget. But sometimes I wonder if I could be saving more if I was a little more disciplined. Let’s take a look.

The Teva Wedge Sandals I bought for work. Super comfy. Waterproof. And expensive.

Here are a few random things I purchased last week.

• $20 to check my FICO score. I’ve been a little thrown off by the feedback from the credit bureaus that comes with my LifeLock subscription. So I bought my FICO score, which had much better feedback for me.
• $11 on a new very small wallet. It fits in pockets. This was a learning from my stolen wallet saga. I had previously carried wallets so big they had to be carried in a purse. Which meant 1) I was carrying a bunch of personal stuff I don’t need on me every day, and 2) I was carrying big purses, which leave you vulnerable to theft more than a wristlet or carrying your wallet in a zipped pocket on your body. I’ve been loving my wristlets, but my cash and cards inside them were always held together with a rubber band. Now they are a bit more official (and less likely to fall out).
• $100 on a cable modem so I could skip the $7 monthly rental fee from Comcast. (I also spent $35 on cords so I could watch my Netflix on the television vs. the small computer screen. Helloooo Arrested Development season 4!)
• I recently threw out or gave away eight pairs of shoes. I replaced two pairs of work shoes. One was a pair of black flats for a reasonable $39.

Not doing so bad yet, right?  Wait for it…

• A second pair of shoes; these were Teva brown leather wedge sandals. And they were $84. I bought them because I learned long ago that cheap stiletto heels are a no-go for me. I need to buy shoes with some support, especially when it comes to heels. But now that I have them, I think I probably could have done without them. I got kind of wrapped up in the moment at DSW. 
• $77 at Ulta (beauty supplies). This included a $23 bottle of conditioner which will last me six months or more, new eye shadow (unfortunately Bare Essentials is not cheap), two new shades of nail polish, and a new top coat. I always hate spending money on beauty supplies. And I hate that I buy expensive brands. But they really are so much better than the cheap stuff. And, at least I didn’t pay for a manicure!

One of the nail polishes I bought. Happened to be the same color as my water bottle. (Clearly, this is a DIY manicure.)

Then there’s also the usual stuff: rent, groceries, pet food.

I guess those bottom two bullet points aren’t that bad. I didn’t go over my clothing and shoes budget during the month of May, and my entertainment and travel spending was nada (we cancelled a planned trip at the last minute). I did a really good job saving during the previous few weeks, and most of my bigger expenses were pre-planned (marathon training program, for instance).

Wow, it’s crazy how expenses that used to be nothing for me suddenly gnaw at me as overspending. I’m trying really hard to be frugal and less focused on consumerism, so when I give into unnecessary wants vs. planned purchases or needs, I feel like I’ve cheated on me. Maybe I shouldn’t be so hard on myself.

Category: Money
   Tags: Spending

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