Compulsive Shopping

Something dawned on me this morning as I was getting ready for work. I think I may have figured out why I like clothes and shoes so much, why I like to have more than one pair of each kind of shoes, why I like to buy things. To put it simply, I didn't have alot of new stuff growing up. Of course my parents bought me new things like shoes and underwear, all the necessities, but being the second girl in the family I was given hand-me-downs, LOTS of them, and not just castoffs from my sister, but from other families too. Could it really be as simple as that, or do I have a genuine compulsive problem that is clothes shopping?

Maybe it has to do with being an adult, I can make buying decisions for myself now, and not hear my mother constantly say "We can't afford that", "I'm not buying that", or "You don't need that". One thing I think I did adopt from my mother is bargain shopping. It is one thing I'm happy to have learned from her. Every time we'd go to a clothing store she would always make the sale rack our first stop. Seriously, why pay full price if I can get it at a discount, use a coupon, or wait until it goes on sale? If it's still there when the sale occurs I'm meant to buy it, right? No, I know that's not right. What's wrong with me? I know I'm getting better though, because every payday I'd go clothes shopping, and I don't do that anymore. I wish I had an answer to these questions, or a diagnosis as to whether or not I have a compulsive personality about shopping. One thing is for sure though, I'm not going into credit card debt to buy myself things. If that were so then I'd know I really do have a problem and I should get some help.

I have been doing a lot better in this area of my life in the last few months. I'm asking myself questions before buying that cute top that I have to have: how many different things will this go with that I already own? Do I really need to buy this, or am I buying it just to buy it? Do I really want to pay that much for this? Can I get this cheaper somewhere else? Do I already own something just like this? After I've asked these questions I usually don't end up buying the item, and admittedly, I do feel good about my decision. In addition to my own 'buying questions' and a few eye catching, unique tops & bottoms, I am trying to follow this guideline which I think is fabulous: The Essentials of a Well-Balanced Wardrobe.

Now, time to go shopping! ;)

Shoes - oh how I love and loathe thee

I wore a new pair of shoes today that rubbed on my toes and the back of my heel all day whenever I walked, not to mention they made all my mosquito bites itch because of the style of the shoes. So, I decided that when I got home I would add them to the pile of clothes and shoes that are going to be consigned. But what does my hubby say when I get home and he sees them?: "I like those shoes. They're cute." Rarely does he think or say that about any of my clothes or shoes that I am now compelled to keep them. I think they're cute too, dang it. Alas, I guess being fashionable is painful at times, in more ways than one.

You are the weakest link

Today I must confess one of my weaknesses: I have a hard time admitting when I've done something wrong. I will admit to it, but I feel ashamed. Today for example, at work I never followed up on an email that a coworker sent me five months ago. Why did I never take care of it? I have no clue. So just now I had to set my pride aside and follow through with the request, furthering my embarrassment that I dropped the ball. This has happened a few times within the last year, luckily there have only been a couple and I haven't had any major repercussions come of it. Now that I have identified a weak area in my life I'm going to take the steps to make sure it doesn't happen again. I hope to adopt this for more areas of my life too, because God knows there are so many more :)