Just finished my first month following my The Budget Mom. WOW, was it eye-opening!! I've used Quicken for years to track my money, but it was obviously very robotic and I was not emotionally tied to it. I was just a debit card swiper. Things got real when I put pen to paper, tracked everything I spend money on, and used cash for my grocery spendings.
Confession. I AM AN EMOTIONAL SPENDER. I have an addiction to spending. This is what I became more aware of in October. I have health coaching clients whom I support who are emotional eaters. I have clients who have food addictions. Have you ever heard the term B.L.A.S.T.E.D.? Do you eat or spend when you are bored, lonely, angry, stressed, tired, excited, or depressed? It's an attempt to combat a negative emotion with a positive one. I shopped when I was bored. I shopped when I was depressed. I shopped when I felt less than or not enough. <=== This stemmed from my abusive 2nd marriage and after the divorce using new clothes to feel like I was enough, to feel better about myself. It has become such a habit that I just do it now without thinking. I feel better for a moment, then the guilt comes rushing in. This needs to stop.
Some observations: 1. I have always been a digital tracker. I've used Quicken since the 90's. But tracking on paper makes such a difference. Wow, it made me so aware of when I WANTED to spend.
2. I have a sweater and boot buying problem. Funny thing, I've said this jokingly for years and never did anything about it. It's actually not funny. Fall is not only my favorite season for weather, but it's also my favorite season to buy clothes and shoes. In my head…and I've actually said this out loud…you can never have too many sweaters or booties. Ummm… yes you can, especially now when we can't even go anywhere to wear them!! I will be honest and tell you I put clothes and boots in a shopping cart at least 10 times in October but asked myself if I really NEEDED it or WANTED it. I then quickly deleted the items. I'm happy to report I didn't buy anything new! I don't think there has ever been a month where I didn't buy some kind of clothing or shoes. But DANG it was hard!! This just shows this is something I really need to work on!!
I've been purging and cleaning out my house. I held a garage sale and have been selling items on FB Marketplace. I'm happy to report I made $900 in extra income in October to put towards my savings and debt goals. I still have some furniture for sale and will be starting high-end clothing sales on Mercari this month!
Looking forward to my growth in November!
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