Gulp! I got my financial statement from my credit union today and it has a list of what I spent in the 6 months from July to December last year. At first I convinced myself it must be a mistake - there is no way I could have spent THAT much!! But gradually the denial receded and I realised I must have spent a whackload of money in the last few months of 2007.
The trouble was that I got a good tax return and a payout from work as I resigned in August 2007. The payout was meant to be my income for the next year at least ( I was even hoping I'd be able to stretch it out further - maybe 18 months) so I can stay at home with my youngest and not need to put her in childcare.
Unfortunately, a huge lot of it disappeared into a blackhole of spending before it could be put away and saved. The really worrying thing is that, other than a couple of big ticket items I bought with my tax return (awnings for the bedroom windows as we don't have aircon and the bedrooms heat up too much in summer, and organic wool toppers and pillows for the beds) I can't for the life of me remember what I spent all the money on. I worked out that if I kept spending at the same rate, I'd have to go back to work in March this year, as the money would be all gone (Shock! Shock!)
Ye Gods. Thank the heavens for the consumption challenge!!! Not only have I saved money and made a list of what I am spending my money on so I can see where it all goes, but I feel SO much better now I am not buying stuff. I have now gone into the city around 4 times and not bought anything other than what I had gone there for!!! And I've perused my favourite online shops heaps and haven't caved in and put things into my shopping cart. And it feels SO good compared to what I felt like last year.
Its hard to explain, but you know how it feels when you go into a cafe and order a slice of the the biggest, richest mudcake you can see? It comes with lashings of cream and you are really excited about eating it, but after you've finished you feel bloated, overfed and undernourished??? That's how I felt when I was spending heaps. Now it feels like I'm on a detox diet. I only consume what I need to consume and while I don't get that buzz of zoning in on an ebay item or snapping up a bargain in the sales, I feel so much better generally, all over. Its great. I'm loving it. I really think that this is actually a lifestyle change - that I've kicked an addiction and that things will be great from now on. Not only during 2008 but beyond. Woohoo!!! Go the consumption challenge!!!
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2 comments:
WTG CC - doesn't matter what you did last year (well, you can't change it), so all you need to do now is keep going the way you are - which is fabulously :D
And I LOVE your chocolate cake analogy! That is just so true and such a great way of looking at it.
I also love your chocolate analogy!
Keep going CC!
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