I was stood in the changing room thrilled with the fact that I’d just tried on 4 pairs of trousers, all 4 pairs FIT, all 4 pairs looked NICE and all 4 pairs were in the SALE! What a result! I got dressed into the clothes that now felt old and shabby next to the shiny, new, superior, trousers I was just about to buy that would surely lead me to the social elite, the love of my life, wealth and happiness…
I took the escalator up to customer services to return the trousers I’d bought the week before (I’d been in too much of a rush to try them on - and lo they were too small), and exchange them for these sure fire life changing purchases, with the smug feeling that I was only having to hand over a further £11 to double the number of trousers I owned! I handed over my card, entered my pin, took my receipt and walked off with a big bag full of new clothes… And as I descended the escalator, I got that sinking feeling. My bubble burst. The endorphins had worn off. I realised that none of these trousers were destined to change my life, and I’d just talked myself into buying things I didn’t really need and certainly hadn’t intended on buying that day.
My impulses had lead me to spend more money - I only wanted to swap the two pairs I had and I walked away with 4. Ok it might only have been £11…well, ok, £16 if you count the coffee and salted caramel chocolate fudge cake I would never have bought from the café had I not needed to go and exchange the trousers in the first place…but this was becoming a regular thing. £16 here and there all adds up. How much am I spending over the course of a week, a month, a year even, because I have this magical inner voice justifying my need for these things?
So I thought, could I go a WHOLE MONTH WITHOUT SHOPPING?
….probably not. I’ve got to eat. I’ve got to put fuel in my car. These two things are unavoidable for an entire month. But aside from that, could I avoid spending money on anything non-essential for a whole month? Avoid any non-essential shops? And if I do it for, say, November, how much money could I save to buy lots and lots of Christmas presents (oops, back to shopping!)??
So I have set myself a challenge. No spending money for a month. If it's not food or fuel it’s not allowed! Will this ‘mont off’ be enough to change my habits for life? Who knows.
Wish me luck!
Jo Holloway
Marketing Manager
AC Print Ltd
Units 11&12 Yalberton Tor Industrial Estate
Alders Way
Paignton
TQ4 7QN
07703 186978
Twitter @acprintltd