Home shopping!

No, not the TV channel. I'm currently visiting my parents, who have amassed a lifetime's worth of junk. My parents are the symbol of consumer glut, willing and able to buy any new gadget, kitchen accessory, or shoe out there -- especially if it's cheap at Wal-Mart.

The good thing of all of this is, I get to go home a few times a year and go shopping in our basement! It's free, I get items in either slightly used or new condition, and I save loads of money on things that I need -- usually replacing things that have worn out since I last retrieved them from the basement.

I love that my mom and I have the same shoe size, and that she has expensive taste in shoes. I do have to admit that I'm a freegan at that point: these shoes are definitely leather. This time around, I've gotten a pair of each (and almost if not new): New Balance, sandals, flats, brown work shoes, and black work shoes. And clogs. If I had bought the equivalent, I would have spent at least $400. Instead, in the last three months I have bought three pairs of uncomfortable, blister-forming shoes to the total of almost $160 (yes, I did actually spent that much on shoes). I could have saved that much if I had planned accordingly.

Other things I got: two brand new luggage pieces, a wok, some snacks, and some cookbooks. I might also take a pair of good headphones from my dad and a used cellphone (my dad just bought a new Blackberry-type gadget). So, I'm all set for the next couple months, until I come to visit them again!

This week reiterated for me how expensive it is to eat out. I've been having fun at TV Turnoff Week events this week, but that included two dinners out at $10 apiece. Then, because we have no food in the house, I bought my lunch today, another $6.

Versus eating at home:

My two roommates and I share our food. Our monthly grocery expenses add up to about $400, which is about $133 each. Which is about $4-5 bucks a day for all three meals, each. Not too bad! And we don't go hungry, either (except for now because none of us have gone shopping). We make ourselves scrumptious dinners and use leftovers for for lunch the next day.

I do end up buying at least two meals out every week, which adds up, especially if it's a special occasion. I'm going to work on limiting it to two meals and having people over more often for dinner. It might not seem like much right now, but it'll add up...

Two amazing things happened to my bank account last week: I got my tax refunds back and I got a bonus at work. Now I have mucho dolores in my name.

My goal is not to blow it all at once. Ok, actually here's a more productive goal: use my debit card, which automatically takes out of my checking account, instead of my credit card, which just piles up to this huge bill I pay off once a month. That way, when the credit card bill comes, I'm not going to be deathly afraid of opening it, or have to dump money from my savings into my checking to cover it all. (One of my huge fears is going into debt and never crawling out.)

Also, I feel better about meeting my monetary needs for the coming month: buying some books for school and probably putting a deposit down for an apartment in New Haven. So, although I'd like to transfer a lot of this "extra" money into my savings, I'll feel better about my money situation for the next month.

Don't worry, dear readers: I'll still be making spending mistakes, so I'll have lots to post about!

Rant: gym memberships are evil. They are painfully attractive and also painfully difficult to get out of. You think that you want them, and that you'll use them, and feel all great about yourself and your future hot body when you sign up for one. Then... slowly... you've realized you've made a big mistake. You never go, or your commitment wanes after a few weeks. Then, you're freaking stuck with this membership for however long you've agreed to. And the muscles don't grow just because you're making an automatic monthly payment from your credit card.

I've made this mistake twice now, and am in the middle of untangling myself from the second membership. I'm done with this crap. I'm taking advantage of the free gym that is the outdoors, now that the beautiful spring and summer is upon us in Boston.

I'm back! I did pretty well with my vacation budget. Factoring airfare, hotel, and rental car beforehand gave me a really good picture of how much I was going to end up spending overall. The only things that I didn't buy that weren't consumed on my trip was one t-shirt and two postcards (created by a friend of a friend, so I can say that I'm supporting a local artist!). I probably could've gone cheaper with the food if I wanted to, but the food that I did eat significantly enhanced my happiness during my vacation, so I didn't feel bad about any of it.

One strange and convoluted free pleasure I find everywhere I go: museum stores. You'd think it'd go against my anti-capitalist instincts, but they have some advantages: 1) they're free, as opposed to the $10+ fee to go in the museum; 2) you get to touch and play with the stuff, as opposed to the museum art itself, and 3) everything's way too expensive anyways, so there's no real "threat" that I'll buy anything, because I can't afford it! (Of course, some would argue that a postcard or mousepad rendition of a painting or sculpture is not the same as seeing it in person, but I'll leave those experiences for when I'm hanging with the art experts in my life, who make viewing art so much better anyways.)

Wow, vacation is so great, I'm so much more relaxed and can confidently face all the work that's ahead of me for the next couple of weeks. Money well spent!

For the next two weeks I will be on vacation. I have a budget that clearly designates how much I can spend on transportation, food, etc. My goal is to stick with this budget, or even use less than I plan for, and not buy anything frivolous, which includes not only touristy material items but also food (such as snacks in between meals, which is easily done on my vacations), unnecessary transportation (such as taxis vs. public transportation), and fillers of time. I'll cut out things like my glass of wine at dinner or extra magazines, etc., to make it a little cheaper.

I won't try to restrict myself, but just find ways to relax and have fun without feeling the need to buy anything. I'll try to make this vacation not only a time away from work and my usual life, but also time away from the little things I buy everyday that I "need" to keep me sane.

Wish me luck! I'll report back in two weeks.

This blog was inspired by a sandwich.

A sandwich that I had to buy, because I was so hungry that I couldn't wait 30 minutes to get to my house and make myself something homemade (and therefore, cheaper).

A sandwich that I felt pressured to buy, after spending 15 minutes in line and having the counter guy stare at me while I read the menu. A sandwich that I immediately regretted, but was too embarassed to rescind my order while he went to go make it.

A sandwich that, 15 minutes later, I didn't really want, but ate anyways because I had already bought it and didn't want to waste food.

A sandwich that gave me a stomacheache, continuing even as I got home a half hour later.

The power of impulse and satisfying my immediate desire: $6.

OK, let's start with March:

• Flats from Payless Shoes: $18. Cute, not made out of leather, but definitely made by a child in a poor country. Plus, they gave me a blister the first time I wore them.
• Collared shirt from Benetton: $40. I was desperate; thought I needed something for an interview (ended up wearing something I already had). It's pink, people, that's how desperate I was. Doesn't actually fit me. I got it on sale, which means I can't return it. Still has the tags on.
• Colors: Tibor Kalman: $12. I love the magazine Colors and think it's really well done. This anthology is about the first publisher, whose issues I've never even looked at. It was on sale and on a whim, decided to buy it. Haven't even opened it yet.
• WERS membership: $50. Ok, a membership to a local radio station that I listen to every day is not a bad thing, in fact, I would encourage everyone to support this great service. But, I did not have to give that much in a month which I was supposed to be saving money. I think my reasoning was, "I can get the Wilco CD as a gift, and since it's a 2-CD set, it'll be like I'm getting two things, a membership and a CD, for one!" That's how they get you.

Total spent frivulously/desperately/needlessly: $120.

Believe me, this is just the beginning...

This blog isn't intended to be a guilt trip for me. It's not meant for readers to judge my buying habits or cluck along with my grief.

I'm creating this blog to be able to rationally understand what goes on in my (and presumably others') mind when deciding to buy a material good. I want to start deconstructing my purchases and buying habits and STOP them before it's too late... before I buy something I don't need.

Is "need" or "want" that very different from each other, and do we all really think we can clearly define the two? I think I can, but judging from things I've bought in the past, I might have to look more carefully at that. This is where the blog comes in.

Hopefully it won't be a daily drama.