If you read my blog you likely know that my One Little Word for the year is INTENTIONAL. I’m trying to apply this word to all areas of my life including how I spend my money. I want to curb my impulse purchasing of shtuff I don’t need, like my 10th planner or all those art supplies that just end up being given away in a mad destash of my studio. I’m also trying to remember to celebrate my little victories when I make progress in this area. I recently had one of those occasions and I’d like to share it with you.
Ok so we all know that I loooove me some art supplies, especially when they’re available in limited quantities on those discount craft sites! Yeah, I’m a sucker for those. Throw in a website timer to rush me along and I’m done for! Sometimes it seems to all happens in such a blur that I come to feeling like I’ve been art supply roofied and wondering “what did I just buy?”
A couple of days ago I purchased 3 sets of a crayon I was rather meh about just because the price was good and the item is new & shiny. The “limited quantities” in big pink letters only served to seal the deal. I didn’t want to miss out on a good deal, right?!
It wasn’t until after I completed the transaction that I remembered my OLW. Rather than get down on myself, I allowed myself a few minutes to sit with my thoughts. It went something like this…
- Was I intentional in my purchase? Nope.
- Did I really even want them? Nope, not really.
- Why was I meh about them? I already own something similar that I think works better for me based on comparison videos that I watched.
- Do I really think I’ll use them more than once or twice? Nope.
- Why did I buy them? Because… Discount!
So guess what?! I did what I don’t know that I’ve ever done… I canceled my order And I felt good about it… Really good.
I’ve heard that success is a string of small victories. I know that correcting old habits and developing new ones is a process that will take time. This doesn’t mean that I won’t be buying art supplies and other goodies, or that I haven’t since this happened. It just means that I’ll make a concerted effort to be intentional about my purchases rather than simply falling into them without much thought.
I WILL eventually learn to be INTENTIONAL before making purchases, rather than after, but for today I’m celebrating this small victory on my path to success.
One day at a time.
xo,
Belen