...on budgeting

As I am here in my indoor/outdoor rocker sitting beside my Duraflame fire reading all about the Janome HT2008 and various comparisons. My thoughts drift to cash.

The great thing about living by a budget is the fact I know where all of my money is going every month. It doesn't just seem to 'disappear'.

The stinky thing about living by a budget is sticking to it.

The fact I can't just buy something immediately when I decide I should is not easy at all. This is particularly true of appliances and such...yet as I was in Target today I realised it is just the same for DVDs or books or even wall hooks upon which to hang my lovely aprons.

Every dollar has a name and 'borrowing' dollars from other allocated sources can turn around and bite the budgetee in the booty.

So, I window shop. I make lists. I do with what I have.

Funny thing is: given a bit of time, I realise I really don't 'want' everything I think I do. I also quite rarely need any of those things.

(though, it would be quite nice to have a shiny new sewing machine though, wouldn't it???)

Never go shopping on a "holiday" weekend...

Why yes, I do believe I just posted on how grateful I was to be reminded to stick to my list and not go buying every little thing that lights my fancy. Oh, yes...I did mention how happy I was to have stuck to my handy envelope system.

What happened???

"This weekend only...!!!" & "Coupon Expires 30 August 2008", that's what!

I made my list. It was quite specific.
I was to drive down to Crossroads since they have both Joanne's and Michael's. There is also a Half Priced Books there and I have two books on my "ok to purchase" list.

Off I went. I had my coupons, my budget and my iron will!! Da-dah-daah-dum!

I first went to Joanne's because I prefer their fabric department and that was at the top of my list. I found a project to dive into and was excited to get started. More on the project in another post.

On my way over I found this little beauty:


I read in the instructions for my project that it is very handy to have a cutting wheel to just whip across the fabric on your Olfa board (which I don't have, by the way...just a small Fiskers self healing mat which I use mostly with an exacto knife).

Firstly, it has daisy's all over!!! I'm not really a girly, girl...but who could pass this over??? I could if it was full price:


But...it wasn't!!!



What a deal!!???!!
(coupon not valid on sale or discounted items)

Other than this I stuck to my list perfectly!

Then I strolled over to the book shoppe. What is that I see? Signs everywhere!!!

(insert photo of said signs that I forgot to take :here: )

20% OFF EVERYTHING!! THIS WEEKEND ONLY!!!

Oh! I sure hope they have the Photoshop Elements book I've been searching for, I hope, I hope, I hope!!!
OOh! What is this...cookbooks! Let's look! Tempting, but no...

What??? STILL no copy of the Kelby PSE 6.0 book I've been hunting for---for the last MONTH!!! Goodness people who use PSE---sell your Kelby books---you have learned just how to make the blast program work!!!

Hmmm...it couldn't hurt to go over and peruse the series. What is that??? A first edition U.S. copy of Goblet of Fire! OF COURSE I NEED ANOTHER COPY OF THIS HARRY POTTER BOOK!!! Oh my, and a mint condition British version (second edition) for only $8.00!!

Of course, they are both 20% off!!

Whilst I'm here, why don't I check out that other series I'm trying to complete as a gift for a certain someone for Christmas. Nice, they have one of the books in good condition. Now look, I'm shopping for Christmas--everything is FINE.

Goodness!

Friendly, Helpful Folks

I'm sure at this moment you are wondering 'why in the heck is she posting the front of a Taget store on her silly blog??? Well...I know, it's odd.

I did, however, go to Target after work. This very Target in fact, which is located across the street from my humble abode. I had a list, it was all going to be O.K.

As I meandered through the store, an easy and dangerous thing to do in any store...but so easy in Target, I picked up a few things on my list...and began to add a few others to the buggy. All of a sudden there was a clerk asking me if I was finding everything I needed. Only a few minutes later a few aisles away, another inquiry as to my finding everything I needed...I think during my little 35 minute excursion through the store I was asked approximately nine times if was finding everything I needed.

At about the third offer of assistance I responded again with a smile, 'yes, thank you' and went along my way. I also looked down into my buggy and saw the things not on my list that I had tossed in.

Immediately the question I was being asked over and again by these very friendly employees glared in my mind. I was finding everything I needed...as well as these other things that were rather frivolous.

I might really want that new special edition movie and those really brilliant new ink pens in 15 different colors...and those snack cakes that look SO YUMMY...but really, I didn't need them--didn't need them at all.

Out of the buggy they went.

I have about ten other things on my list that are needed, they will be useful and used and I have to wait until I have the money in my little envelopes. I'd have to wait even longer if I purchased wildly unneeded items at will.

Seriously, as I went through the store I was awestruck by the friendliness of the employees--I felt like they genuinely wanted to make sure my shopping experience was going well. I don't think even one of them had the intent of convicting me to stick to my budget, which in the end they all did. I'm grateful for that. It's one thing to receive help locating the carpet dust...and really another to walk out of the store feeling like I was really helped! (but I do need a bikini in September in the Pacific Northwest, right??? ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha)

Cheers to all the kind Target employees!!