Shopalohic No More

Well I was a shopaholic, a very impulsive shopper. I used to visit malls and stores everyday! I was working in the business district of a busy city and my office was adjacent to a very huge shopping mall. Everyday I would have lunch in the mall together with some officemates and before we went back to the office we would stop by some stores and see what's new. And more often than not I would buy something by impulse. "Oh that one is really cute, I like it, how much is the price? Hmm not too bad, I'll buy this". That was me before. I was obsessed with beautiful things, bags, shoes, clothes and everything that caught my attention even though I knew I had lots of those and didn't need them at all. I also spent a lot on foods because I wasn't cooking at home so every time I had to eat out. The results were huge debts and no savings though I was working very hard and earning a decent income. I was poor! But I learned my lessons.

Now I am a smart shopper. I buy only those that I need. But sometimes there's a fine line between what we need and what we want so I ask myself before I buy anything. "Can I live without this?" I'll probably think about it several times and if my answer is yes then I will forego buying it. I'm getting good with this now. Of course sometimes I have to treat or reward myself for a job well done. So I still buy some beautiful things but not all the time.

A dollar saved is more than a dollar earned.