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Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,800
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Good morning, shopping friends. I was up bright and early at 5:30am. I am now watching AM Style but have no plans to buy right now. As I go through things to donate, I am finding more than enough to wear for a long time. No doubt, I will add something new later on but I plan to let two things go for everything brought into the house. I do so want a George Simonton item this morning but looked at all the tops I have out to debate which to keep, I decided buying right now was not the right move.

I do have a trash bag partly filled from my early morning efforts. I also have that nice box ready to fill with clothes I have already discovered that can find a new home. I have too much simply because part were hiding in the recesses of the closet, and part from weight loss resulting in buying new items. I have a tendency if I like an item and the way it fits to buy it in more than one color whether I need it or not. That is something I am watching carefully now.

We have all discussed needs versus wants in buying. When it comes to excesses, usually it is a result of wanting more or different things despite no need. I have some of those organizer cubes that look like storage ottoman. I hadn't opened one for a few months, so when I did, I discovered some handbags, one of which I know is 8 years old. It is an eBags Piazza Bag that went to Australia with me 8 years ago. The bag is still in great condition, so do I need more? I answered the call to have it in more than one color, so I have 3 of those travel bags that can also work well for daily use. Fabulous bags, but this is an example of how "want" can lead to excess.

Here are some links that might be useful:

http://organizedhome.com/cut-clutter/declutter-101-cut-clutter-at-home

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/creative-ways-to-declutter/

This is one tip:

Experiment with numbers. For example, Courtney Carver invented Project 333 to challenge people to wear only 33 articles of clothing for 3 months. If 33 articles of clothing seems too little, adjust the rules as you need by picking a new number. The important thing is to challenge yourself to live with less and see what you learn from the experiment.

http://theproject333.com/

We know of those who can travel two weeks using just a carry on. This is done by using fabrics that can wash well and dry quickly, mix and match, etc. We all have the means to clean our clothes so do we need enough clothes that we don't have to worry about the laundry?

We will all buy; we like to shop. We just want to do it more responsibly to free up money for other purposes. For you not in retirement, you need to be mindful that inflation continues while you might be on a fixed income. This puts a new perspective upon the freedom of retirement, especially for those in a one income family.

Have a great day. If you shop, shop wisely.

**************** "A black cat crossing your path just means that it is going from one place to another." Proud owner of a black cat and a shopper of QVC since the merger with CVN.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 5,501
Registered: ‎07-03-2012

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Jean, Great post again. I am heading to our yearly church meeting for breakfast. It is at a house with lots of space. Then I am going to lunch with a friend. DH is going to lunch with a friend too. Will check in later.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,800
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Twinny--Have a great day. You deserve a good outing!

I see the Q is selling the Clarks right now. I also have too many shoes. I remember when I could never pass up a shoe sale regardless of whether I needed it or not. I remember my mother asking me when I returned from a city and talked to her that she would ask, "How many shoes did you buy?"

**************** "A black cat crossing your path just means that it is going from one place to another." Proud owner of a black cat and a shopper of QVC since the merger with CVN.
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,285
Registered: ‎04-06-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

good morning Ladies.....good advice Jean....but I will have to take a peek at those shoes, even though I have more than enough.

Twinny sounds like you have a good day ahead of you with friends and good food! Enjoy!

We had about 4 inches of snow during the night, not bad..just enough to make the roads miserable I guess. I had no plans to go anywhere . Not too much going on, waiting for the guy to come around and plow my driveway but being a Sat.he may be around later in the day. Have a nice day everyone........Marijane

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,800
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Marijane--We didn't have much snow; just enough to make it messy and miserable as you said. Be careful about peeking; looking can lead to buying but I think you have a good handle on it.

A good roast in the crockpot would be good but I'm not venturing out. I have plenty of food so the roast can wait. Midnight is napping on top of the Lemon Hill duffel which QVC used to sell as its brand version of Vera Bradley. I really like it has it has organization pockets on the outside as well as inside. It is one of those things I pulled out while decluttering. It will be kept.

I liked that one of the decluttering suggestions that you pull out only the amount you could work with in an hour as all items must find an appropriate home in an hour. My box of clothes I packed for Good Will has not found its home in the car trunk as I don't want to go out in the nasty weather.

**************** "A black cat crossing your path just means that it is going from one place to another." Proud owner of a black cat and a shopper of QVC since the merger with CVN.
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,285
Registered: ‎04-06-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Jean is that George Simonton top you like his floral jacket? I just checked and I also like it in black. I am still hoping for that JR jacket to come back in stock though.....I think LindaL has it.

our snow totals went up to 6 inches,still not bad....it's about 35 degrees now so "warming up".

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,800
Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Marijane--I'm a jacketholic and like GS's clothing line. I just have too many jackets to justify buying it right now. Six inches of snow is six inches too much!! I just read a post from the 911 Center advising people to be careful as the roads were slick.

**************** "A black cat crossing your path just means that it is going from one place to another." Proud owner of a black cat and a shopper of QVC since the merger with CVN.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,368
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Good Morning! Thanks for getting us started Jean. I plan to read those links you provided, but I thought I would post first. You are doing a great job with your de-cluttering and sorting. Sorry you were up so early, but.... I have a tendency to sleep later when it is dark and cold outside, that will change when it is sunny very early in the morning.

Last night I decided that today I would de-clutter the bathroom cabinets which are chocked full of necessary and excess stuff. Like several of you, I have accumulated plenty of samples that don't get used. I would like to tackle the kitchen, clothes, etc., but I know better than to take on more than I can do.

I keep forgetting to respond to something you said a while back Jean. While I haven't listened to the Dave Ramsey radio program for very long, so far I think he and Suze Orman have a lot in common as far as financial advice goes. What differences do you notice about their advice? I was just curious, since I have been a big fan of Suze for years. I watch her TV show almost every week, and I was just thinking how some advice Dave Ramsey gave the other day (regarding term versus whole life insurance) was identical to what Suze says all the time. Perhaps I misunderstood what you were saying.

Sounds like you have a great day in store twinny -- hope you enjoy lunch, etc.

Hi Marijane -- six inches -- yuck and double yuck in my book. Glad it wasn't worse. I do have that JR jacket in brown, and it is very nice. Hope you enjoy anything you might purchase.

Waves to Kathleen, Arlene, Rosa, LindaR, Karen, Gayle, cert, and all of our posters and readers.

Should be a pretty quiet day around here. I have started the laundry, and I plan to do my weekly financial accounting later today. DH and I will go for a walk, and I am considering making that a walk to the library. It is good for me to read during the day (I normally read in bed at night), and going to the library "forces" the issue. If I stay home, I usually end up reading stuff on the internet rather than my books during the day.

Hope everyone has a nice day!

Hugs,

Linda

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Registered: ‎03-10-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Linda--Dave Ramsey tends to paint credit cards as evil. Credit cards are just a tool; they are no different than a debit card if paid in full. Credit cards are more useful in developing a credit history as 35% of a FICO score is determined by how well one uses revolving credit. Debit cards do not usually contribute much to a credit score. Taking out a loan and paying it back does show responsible use and paying on time but it doesn't contribute to a FICO score to the same degree that revolving credit does. Great credit and financial advice is available free from MyFico.com in a downloadable book called "Understanding Credit." Credit history also plays a factor in determining a FICO score. As Suze says, once a card is opened the credit line helps to determine the FICO score as the amount used of that line determines the utilization which is 35% of the FICO score. One should never cancel the oldest card or whatever is on the credit report as that is a killer on history of accounts or age, and age is another factor in the score.

I had a friend who is financially astute except when it comes to credit cards, etc. He decided to use just a debit card and thus cancelled all his cards. He went about a year and then decided to get a car. He couldn't get a loan because he had no credit history in the past year. He had to go to his bank and get a small loan and pay it back over time to show responsible payment. The bank then gave him a credit card with a small limit to permit him to use it and show responsible use for reporting to the credit bureaus. He is still working on developing an active credit history but he treats the credit card (now 2) the same as a debit card in that he pays in full each month after the statement posts and reports to the credit bureaus.

I agree some people cannot handle credit cards, but it is the person and not the credit card that is the problem. Sometimes people have to take drastic steps to rebuild their credit, but if they are in good standing on a credit card with a lot of age, it should not be cancelled.

**************** "A black cat crossing your path just means that it is going from one place to another." Proud owner of a black cat and a shopper of QVC since the merger with CVN.
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,368
Registered: ‎03-13-2010

Re: SHOPAHOLICS: ONE DAY AT A TIME (SATURDAY, 1/24)

Very interesting Jean. I didn't know that about Dave Ramsey (credit card stuff), and I know that Suze talks about CC in a different light. I have never had a problem with CC debt (almost always pay in full at the end of the month), and I know that has helped me with having good credit/FICO score. On the other hand, DD and my SIL have no credit cards because they misused them very badly in the past. I have talked to her about getting a credit card just to re-build their credit/FICO, but she doesn't feel ready to do so. Hopefully, that will happen someday.