Thrift store shopping?
I follow a lot of social media accounts that focus on budgeting and frugality. One thing that often confuses me is how many of the posts I see are focused on shopping.
There are many budgeting posts about finding sales and they often include photos of things people have purchased, like home décor for example.
I’m confused
Honestly, I’m confused by this approach. If you want save money, stop buying items that aren’t 100% necessary to live. Buy food, buy insurance, and buy medication. You need these things to live. But you don’t need more pillows for your couch.
I’ve seen people who post about the great deal they got by visiting a local fast food establishment and using a coupon or when a great deal is happening and all I can think is that the ultimate cost to their health will be substantially higher.
Who wants donuts?
I see people who post about the sale at the grocery store where they bought a decade’s worth of donuts that they will freeze for consumption at a later date. There is zero consideration of the harm they are causing their system by eating so much sugar and fat.
My point isn’t to live without the joy of a donut. I love a donut, few times each year. Not every day, not once a month, but perhaps three times per year.
Misery loves company
Am I miserable? No. Having junk food readily available isn’t happiness any more than having couch pillows is. I get it that it’s fun to decorate your home with seasonal décor. I see the fall time inspired wreaths and flags people in my neighborhood display to show their enthusiasm for the change in the season. These types of display are often considered “being in the spirit” of whatever is going on. I believe some people think that if they don’t participate they will be seen as “party poopers”, the shame!
What should you buy?
Being frugal can mean buying items when they are on sale. But the bigger picture of frugal living is to only buy items that you truly need. You don’t have to decorate your home with the change of season, in fact I argue that you can have a better experience going for a walk amongst the fall leaves that you will have displaying fake fall leaves on wreath at your front door.
Don’t make the mistake of shifting to thrift store shopping to serve your addiction to shopping. Yes it will save you money, but similarly, switching to wine from hard liquor doesn’t solve the problem of alcoholism. If you are shopping to fill a hole in your heart, that won’t work.
Is that entertainment?
Shopping as a form of entertainment is a concept sold to all of us in America by the people we buy from. For example there was a time when the grocery store didn’t offer cup holder in the shopping cart and it was unheard of to find a coffee shop in the store.
I have a friend who stated she “LOVES” the local grocery store / home goods / clothing chain. Granted here in the Pacific Northwest it’s nice to have a one stop shop where you can get groceries, and jeans in the same place. It rains a bit here and not having to make multiple stops is great, but do you really need jeans and a block of cheese that bad? How about just getting the cheese?
Your frugal journey
When you begin your frugal journey it will be tempting to find ways to carry on with your habits and simply replace where or how you shop to fill the need inside you to consume. Here are a few steps you can take to convert your desire to shop into an investment in yourself-
- Recognize that shopping won’t make you anything but less wealthy.
- People won’t judge you if you don’t have the latest (insert item here).
- Stuff can’t make you happy.
- Consider an activity you love, that is cost free, like going for a walk, playing a card game or reading a book. Next time the shopping bug hits, do the activity you love instead.
- Consider the health cost of saving money by eating cheap junk food, it’s not worth it.
- Look at your expenditures honestly and project how much you can save if you stop spending your hard earned income on (insert item here).
- Living a minimal life is freeing, less stuff to keep track of and less pressure to accommodate your belief in others opinions. Others aren’t even thinking about what you are displaying they are thinking about what you think of them.
Develop a habit
The key is to do the best you can. Over time you will develop habits surrounding the way you spend, which is what you are already doing; only frugal living has a positive impact on your bottom line versus mindless spending or spending to impress which will deplete your funds.
The opportunity for fun abounds
You can still have fun, I argue even more fun, when you are creative with how you invest your time. Frugal living can sound grim, but when you are out for a walk with someone you love and they are a captive audience who will converse with you on any topic you or they find exciting, you will get more out of that interaction than you’ll ever get out of a new pair of pants.
When you invest your time reading a great book from your library, you’ll expand your intellect and your imagination. A new handbag won’t do that for you.
Remember you are investing in yourself
When considering how to change your life my simple rule is to invest-time, money and effort, don’t SPEND time money and effort.
Investing time enhances your experience, or relationships.
Spending time is time wasted; think watching television, or social media.
Invested money earns, spent money is gone forever.
Invested effort comes with a reward; spent effort has zero value, think mending socks versus going to the mall.
You can learn more about frugal living by buying my book, “Never Worry About Money Again: Gain Financial Freedom By Becoming Better At Managing The Money You Have.”
