Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Retail Therapy Spending

Whenever I need a boost in spirits, I indulge in retail therapy. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but this is why I have had to make some rules for myself regarding spending.


Katie's 7 Rules of Retail Therapy Spending
  1. If I buy something, I must sell something. They don't have to be the same value, but if I buy something I don't need, then I sell something on eBay that I no longer want. That way there is still money coming in and not just money going out.
  2. I give myself a price limit before indulging. The price can vary, depending on my financial situation and the reason why I'm feeling I need retail therapy. Ex. A big fight with friends or family may have a $50 limit, whereas a difficult day with Spencer would probably have a $15 limit.
  3. There is also a monthly limit that I give myself. If I spent $15 every difficult day with Spencer, that would roughly be about $300 a month! By setting a monthly limit, I have to decide what warrants retail therapy and warrants a nap and some Hershey's kisses. This month had a $75 limit, some months have more, others have less.
  4. Retail therapy spending, (RTS) always comes from my PayPal account. I take the allotted amount out at the beginning of each month and put it into my regular account. I must always have at least $300 dollars in PP, I never let myself go under that amount, at least in terms of RTS. If I only have $350 in there at the beginning of the month, then I can only take $50 to spend.
  5. If I don't spend the full designated amount in that month, I put it back into PayPal. Some months are more difficult than others, and I like to have a little cushion for freedom, just in case.
  6. Know when to say NO. If my first thought is "I don't know if that's worth the money" then it isn't. I usually prefer to spend smaller amounts on many things than a large amount on one item.
  7. RTS is only on me! Almost all of my money is spent on Spencer, so RTS only really works if it's something for me.
These are my purchases for this month, and I'm proud to say that the most expensive item was $6! For all of these items, I spent $20!!




Vintage flower pots with a really cool removable base.




As you all know, I am a Kappa Kappa Gamma. Our symbol is the Key and and our colors are blue and blue (different shades of blue). So when I saw this for sale at Maisy's Market, for just $4, I knew it was meant to be mine!



Little white vases



Mini vintage flower pots.


This is 50 tulip poppy seeds, for just $1.99!

This month's theme seems to be flowers, I keep gravitating towards anything having to do with them. So that's how I indulge myself, without going over the top. What are somethings you all do to boost your spirits?

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3 comments:

PS~Erin said...

I love your rules. That is really a big part of the overspending battle, not having parameters. I will need to set some rules for when we're back in the spending game (no income at the moment). I love the paypal rule. I think I'll use that one for us.

Mama Melissa said...

I love the rules. What a great idea. :) I need to follow them!!

Melissa

Hayley said...

LOL I'm so not letting John see this post.

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