Throughout my Newsfeeds you will get to know my many “quirks”. (I like “quirky”- sounds better than “weird” but call me what you will!) Some quirks I will come right out and share. Starting now:

1. I’m an organized control freak who colour coordinates her closet.

2. I also have an irrational belief that a) my closet is not colourful enough (aka need more clothing) and b) that I am made of money (so if I do happen to have money it was meant to be spent)!

So rigid organizer and reckless spender in the same body? And to think if I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder!

As much as I want to organize and control my spending- I waste countless hours pinteresting budgets and templates and make detailed excel charts of my “planned expenses” (I say planned in quotations because obviously as we know when you’re an impulsive buyer everything is planned, right?)- but the truth is I have this insatiable urge to spend every penny I have on new things that make me happy in that exact moment.

And back to the questionable Bipolar diagnosis where I immediately go from feeling happy to worried, depressed and oh my gosh…I just MIGHT be a…SHOPAHOLIC!

Well, the first step in helping yourself is admitting you have a problem, right? I admit it.

I came to the realization one day when I listed simply “Shopaholic” on my To-Do List….then later had to clarify for myself TO READ, NOT TO DO- but still did both anyway. (And crossed it off my list. I love the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella but I can only read a small chapter at a time because I feel such a bond between poor Becky and myself that I have to stop because I get sympathy pains. Ah, for the love of shoes.)

So, my goal is to not be a Shopaholic. Or at least be a smarter-saving-savvy Shopaholic!

I don’t really recruit people to tell them my shopping stories because it would just be well, a reality check when they cut up my cards for me. So, I found my current read “Better Than Before” riveting! I can make NOT shopping a HABIT! Gretchen Rubin is right, this would be better than before- wouldn’t any habit gone or replaced be better than before?!

According to her book, I am an “upholder” meaning.

In my words: “control freak”

In her words: “…they want to know what’s expected of them, and to meet those expectations…”

Regardless of wording, it means this book all about habits- which is AWESOME to me because all I want to do is work on everything she mentions to do to start a new habit or break an old habit. (This is all outlined in my four page summary of the book… that I got in the habit of making for all of my Self-Help books.)

So, starting today at 3:43pm I am embarking on my journey of being a smarter-saving-savvy shopaholic: I will use only cash (unless I am online shopping- then it’s a little difficult so I should probably make an “if-then” plan such as if I am online shopping then I will use my credit card), I will limit my shopping to scheduled times only, I will use the “strategy of pairing” (for this: I cannot buy something unless I have the money to put half of however much I spent extra into my TFSA).

It sounds like an awesome plan, right?

I’m just glad I got most of my shopping done prior to 3pm 😉

About the Author

Tara is a wellness Newsfeedger for the Local Biz Magazine who is in the process of writing her memoir on finding hope and meaning while living with a mental illness. Tara loves the concepts of positive psychology, incorporating them into every aspect of her life and spreading the message on the science of well-being.