Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

"I know I've made some mistakes, but I'm turning my life around."

Wise words, Rebecca Bloomwood. Like Becky, today I've decided to become a recovering shopaholic. A friend of mine didn't receive the full amount of loan money she requested and is struggling with trying to afford tuition. I haven't heard back from Sallie Mae, yet. I'm worried.

Also, watching Wifeswap actually inspired it, surprisingly enough. A family on the show paid off their $700,000 house by saving money and only buying the essentials. They are only thirty-one. If their kids wanted something, they had to pay for it themselves. Since I don't have kids, this should be even easier!

I have several things that I've decided to change that should help me save money:

1) Leaving the debit card at home. I will take out twenty bucks for snacks/take out/etc. whenever I go out and just...when I'm out of that, I'm out of money. Period. That way I won't say, "Oh if I just get this and nothing else," or the age old, "As long as I keep my account such and such an amount, I'll be okay."

2) Getting rid of things. My mom oftentimes jokes but with seriousness behind it that she wants to put me on Intervention or Obsessed, once she figures out if she wants to market me as a shopaholic or a hoarder. I keep things. I have emotional attachment to everything...and it needs.to.stop.

3) Change all of my favorites. My list below my toolbar includes ae.com, bananarepublic.com, forever21.com, perezhilton.com, gmail, my university email, and playbill.com. HALF of those are shopping websites. I check them weekly for new arrivals. That's BAD.

4) Use the giftcards and then STOP. I get money for Christmas and gift cards, and I use up all my gift cards and then move in on the money instead of saving it. I'm immediately going to deposit the money into a savings account (which I'm going to open, thankfully PNC has an awesome wallet program) and use the giftcards and only the giftcards.

5) "Do I need this?" In Confessions of a Shopaholic, Becky's roommate Suze gets a DVD called something like "Control Your Urge to Shop" and the second step (after clearing out the unnecessary things) was that every time you go shopping ask yourself, "Do I need this?" Now, this backfires on Becky as she goes to a sample sale, but under normal circumstances (as someone that doesn't live in a place where there are sample sales) it isn't so hard to do. I've tried it and have noticed (sometimes regretably) that no, I do not need it and so I don't buy it.

I'm sure there are/will be other things I come across that help me with my money saving/life changing adventure. We will also see how well this ends up working out. :)

In other news, it's football season in Pittsburgh again. YES. I need it after all of that hockey madness and...let's not discuss the Pirates. The Steelers makes the fall really fall, it gets me ready to go back to school, ready for Halloween (though the decorations in Yankee Candle and candy displays in the grocery store...already, help), ready for Thanksgiving, which ultimately get me ready for my all time favorite holiday, Christmas! :)

Can't wait! Here we go, Steelers, here we go!

"Changes" by David Bowie; 1971