Stop Me Before I Shop Again

I am about thisclose to being a true compulsive shopper. If it weren't for the tiny scrap of self-control I manage to retain, I would be that woman on Oprah who has boxes of mail-order crap she hasn't even opened. I LOOOOOOVE me some shopping. Nothing really makes me quite as happy as buying stuff. Which I get is really shallow and pathetic. I just look at it as my little part in "stimulating the economy."

I am that target consumer that marketing groups fantasize about when they do things like set up displays by the cash register. I scan them while I'm waiting my turn to pay for my stuff and think, "Why, yes, I DO need a teeny little flashlight that clips on my car visor! How thoughtful of them to put it up here where I'd see it! And I'd certainly better snag that package of Q-Tips while I'm at it." Pathetic. And yet oddly satisfying.

My real indulgences, when I have some fun money to throw around, are definitely clothes and makeup. I'm pretty much incapable of going into a department store and coming out with some little tidbit: a great pair of trouser jeans, a new brand of mascara, or a darling little sweater for one of my daughters.

Lately, though - lately, not so much. Suddenly, we're feeling the effects of the unstable economy. Business has fallen off at my husband's law firm, and that means unpredictable salaries. Last month we missed a whole week of pay, and it hurt a hell of a lot more than I ever would have guessed. I'm reining in my indulgences and trying to plan (totally unnatural for me) my shopping trips. I'm making lists for Christmas shopping and actually sticking to them. Yeah, it's taking some of the fun out of it, but I'm trying to embrace the satisfaction of making the money go farther. It's a learning curve for me, but I'll get there.