Consumerism Temptations

It seems as though everywhere we go there are temptations. Eat more, spend more, buy more - more, more, more. Of course we all give in to temptation, and often times we have guilty feelings buying things even though not all purchases are unnecessary or excessive. You've got to pay your bills, buy food to eat, and it's not crazy to want something to entertain ourselves with. BUT being a minimalist it seems as though a simple outing to Target or the grocery store has turned into a hellish errand invented to really mess with our determination.

It is important to separate a good deal from a great deal.
Something might be on sale, but could it still be found cheaper elsewhere? Our new favorite online 'elsewhere': Lucky Vitamin. (Hint: check out the "Shop by: Specialty" to find items that won't contribute to carcinogens - what a great perk!).

Is it even really a sale?
Okay so you know how Kohl's gives you that dollar amount on the receipt - "You Saved $54.95" which is meant to make you feel good, but in all honesty seems like a bunch of baloney (see "Pricing for Idiots"). In my mind any clothing bought should be $1 (yes - you heard right - see previous blog My Mid-winter Wardrobe Update) and should be recycled (motivation for buying used clothing found here).

Know how to really spot the outrageous deals.
Target for instance and their clearance stickers (see: How To Shop Target Clearance). My new goal is to wait it out until the non-necessary clearance item is 70% off or better... if the item is still there (waiting ever so patiently for me to give in), then I win! I get to buy said non-necessary item and keep most of my money the store was trying to take from me in the form of markups.

And although it might truly be on sale, and for a very cheap price - do I actually need it? It's important to stick to our lists, replace the items you use, and really be a conscious consumer, and most of all - keep the receipt in case of buyers remorse (CONFESSION: this happens to me often).

Anyways, it's Sunday so it's time to go gather our item(s) for the week - what are you getting rid of today?

Need not,
Josey