Resisting Temptation

Learnvest recommends that no more than 4% of one's annual budget be spent on clothing! (see full article here!)

So as part of my effort to live on a budget, I have recently unsubscribed from all shopping e-mails. I was getting almost 20 per day. Not only has this helped me to cut back looking at a plethora of online stores, but it has also uncluttered my inbox dramatically. However, that doesn't mean that I have stopped e-shopping all together.

In fact today, I decided to browse at Neiman Marcus to look for this well-priced, work appropriate Alice + Olivia dress I had seen a while ago in the store. I have a bunch of work events next week and thought that it would be perfect. That's when Neiman Marcus online through this teaser in - if I spent $250 or more today, I would get a $25 gift card back (There were higher increments with even more money back, but there was no way I was spending that much). Suddenly I found myself wandering through rows and rows of dresses, skirts, and tops justifying spending that amount just for the deal, even though the dress I really wanted was nowhere to be found on the site.

Sales (and deals) are never really sales or deals at all, unless the specific thing you NEED is actually on sale. They trick us into buying things we would never buy if they weren't on sale or spending way more than we intended because we are so excited for the great deal we are getting.

I fall victim to this mentality all the time, so I am particularly proud of myself for NOT buying anything today! And let's face it, $25 at Neiman Marcus can barely buy an eyeshadow, so that $25 gift card would have turned into another budget-busting shopping trip that I simply should not take.