I didn't realize how much energy I spent simply considering whether or not I should buy something. When the decision is already made then things get incredibly simple.
It is interesting what "necessities" come up. For example, the rubber around my iPhone earphones came off and the assembly opened, which wound up shocking me whenever I used them. Since I use these daily, I looked into repairing them (finding iPhone earbud covers) but the covers cost as much as replacing the earbuds, so I bought new. (For those of you who are keeping track, I'm hoping this falls under 'appliances.') Then, while waiting for the new ones to arrive, it occurred to me I could use superglue which worked like a charm, so now I keep the spare at the office. Also, before the spending fast began, the duck tape repair on my backpack failed and I wound up purchasing a new one. This time I did some research, then spent some money and bought a quality one from Swissgear which has been working out really well. (The old one? In the landfill...sigh.)
My activities have changed. While I'm not big on shopping as a recreational activity, I'm not sure I realized how much I shop online. And while, I still allow myself to meet friends at coffee shops, I've stopped swinging by for random soy lattes.
The five day waiting limit on books/media has also influenced my habits. Now, when I want something I write it into Evernote with the date and wait on it. And you know what? There are many that I've simply decided not to buy/read. (That almost never happened in the past.)
As for gifts, I've wound up purchasing new, because in each case I knew what the person would enjoy and I didn't have a lot of time to research alternatives.
The biggest benefit? The spending fast has made me aware of the way I think about purchases. And there is definitely room to grow. On to month 2!
1 comment
I like SwissGear. I have one that is my work computer bag. I have abused the backpack quite a bit and it still looks new. LOL
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