Shopping— in the traditional sense of driving to stores, going in, and purchasing something — is not something I typically enjoy, so as I contemplated this challenge in late 2021 I didn’t think refraining from that type of spending would be a major problem. And in week 1, that proved to be the case. 

What is going to be a challenge is not purchasing non-necessities online. Amazon makes it so easy! A facebook friend raves about something they recently purchased, and it’s something I am not familiar with. Of course, I’m intrigued, so I google the item to check it out. The article I find has a link to amazon, so without thinking, I click on it. And there the item is, in all its glory, with hundreds or even thousands of 4- and 5-star reviews. I read a few, just to see what all the hype is about. And right there is that oh-so-tempting “buy now” icon. 

It happened twice last week, but I stood firm. I read the item descriptions and even a few of the reviews. And then {hooray, celebrate}, I closed that window and ate a mini candy bar. Or two.

So how did week 1 go?

Spending: 

I purchased gas and food — necessities. 

I also purchased 2 items that are needed to make a gift for my granddaughter. The finished item — on etsy — cost anywhere from $53 to $70. I purchased the 2 items needed for $25.00 total.

Not shopping at big box stores:

I purchased both items through amazon, which is not considered (I checked) a big box store.

Using items from my stashes:

I completed 14 rows on a (knitted) scarf I began back in October. I’m on track to finish by the end of January.

I’m looking forward to the coming week; as we prepare to move (again), I’m going through things (again), pulling out items I don’t want or use. I can’t wait to see how many things I can get rid of!