Beauty

[geezerette]

On 1/1/2015 just bee said:

On 1/1/2015 number one queen said: My goal for Jan is not to buy anything I don't need. One trick I have found of late is put things check status, then I can think about things, also I can wait and check out the reviews , this helps some,esp . if it's shoes or boots to size up or down, I will stay away from that hassle!

YES! It helps with a lot of those impulsive little purchases that we use to make ourselves feel better (and, of course, they really don't). If we take time to research the items, familiarity will breed contempt!

Yet another thing I've been turning back to lately is paying as much as I can with good, old-fashioned cash. I know that it's not possible with everything, but it does give me a different perspective when I'm in the process of purchasing. Somehow, having to actually figure out and give away 'X' number of bills to a stranger in a store makes me stop and think if I really do want all the stuff I've just put in my cart. It's one of the dangers of shopping online for me. It's just so easy to enter my credit card number and click 'send' without realizing how much I've just actually spent. I also now order as much as I can via phone instead of using the computer for that exact reason, as well. Having to talk to another human being and go through my order makes me sure that I really want what I'm ordering.

Also, with all the identity/credit card theft going on lately, it makes me feel better too. Someone did try to use one of my credit cards; thankfully, the bank caught it, but it freaked me out. And it's more private too, if that's a concern. Of course, on the downside, bad people can still steal your money.

[just bee]

On 1/2/2015 geezerette said:

On 1/1/2015 just bee said:

On 1/1/2015 number one queen said: My goal for Jan is not to buy anything I don't need. One trick I have found of late is put things check status, then I can think about things, also I can wait and check out the reviews , this helps some,esp . if it's shoes or boots to size up or down, I will stay away from that hassle!

YES! It helps with a lot of those impulsive little purchases that we use to make ourselves feel better (and, of course, they really don't). If we take time to research the items, familiarity will breed contempt!

Yet another thing I've been turning back to lately is paying as much as I can with good, old-fashioned cash. I know that it's not possible with everything, but it does give me a different perspective when I'm in the process of purchasing. Somehow, having to actually figure out and give away 'X' number of bills to a stranger in a store makes me stop and think if I really do want all the stuff I've just put in my cart. It's one of the dangers of shopping online for me. It's just so easy to enter my credit card number and click 'send' without realizing how much I've just actually spent. I also now order as much as I can via phone instead of using the computer for that exact reason, as well. Having to talk to another human being and go through my order makes me sure that I really want what I'm ordering.

Also, with all the identity/credit card theft going on lately, it makes me feel better too. Someone did try to use one of my credit cards; thankfully, the bank caught it, but it freaked me out. And it's more private too, if that's a concern. Of course, on the downside, bad people can still steal your money.

Yup! I usually wait until December to do the bulk of my charitable donations and now I've developed the (bad) habit of waiting until 12/31 to do all my last minute online donating. It never fails -- the bank contacted me this week and told me my card was compromised and canceled. This isn't the first time my bank has caught someone trying to use my card.

So now I'm a little freaked and am considering going back to those paper things. What are they called? Checks? You know -- the rectangle things with pictures of animals on them? They come in a stack, in numerical order, and you write stuff on them and they're kinda like money. This means I have to buy stamps again and lick envelopes. But maybe I won't wait until December to send those end-of-the-year gifts. Maybe I should send money monthly.

This card fraud is really bringing me down.

[geezerette]

On 1/2/2015 just bee said:

On 1/2/2015 geezerette said:

On 1/1/2015 just bee said:

On 1/1/2015 number one queen said: My goal for Jan is not to buy anything I don't need. One trick I have found of late is put things check status, then I can think about things, also I can wait and check out the reviews , this helps some,esp . if it's shoes or boots to size up or down, I will stay away from that hassle!

YES! It helps with a lot of those impulsive little purchases that we use to make ourselves feel better (and, of course, they really don't). If we take time to research the items, familiarity will breed contempt!

Yet another thing I've been turning back to lately is paying as much as I can with good, old-fashioned cash. I know that it's not possible with everything, but it does give me a different perspective when I'm in the process of purchasing. Somehow, having to actually figure out and give away 'X' number of bills to a stranger in a store makes me stop and think if I really do want all the stuff I've just put in my cart. It's one of the dangers of shopping online for me. It's just so easy to enter my credit card number and click 'send' without realizing how much I've just actually spent. I also now order as much as I can via phone instead of using the computer for that exact reason, as well. Having to talk to another human being and go through my order makes me sure that I really want what I'm ordering.

Also, with all the identity/credit card theft going on lately, it makes me feel better too. Someone did try to use one of my credit cards; thankfully, the bank caught it, but it freaked me out. And it's more private too, if that's a concern. Of course, on the downside, bad people can still steal your money.

Yup! I usually wait until December to do the bulk of my charitable donations and now I've developed the (bad) habit of waiting until 12/31 to do all my last minute online donating. It never fails -- the bank contacted me this week and told me my card was compromised and canceled. This isn't the first time my bank has caught someone trying to use my card.

So now I'm a little freaked and am considering going back to those paper things. What are they called? Checks? You know -- the rectangle things with pictures of animals on them? They come in a stack, in numerical order, and you write stuff on them and they're kinda like money. This means I have to buy stamps again and lick envelopes. But maybe I won't wait until December to send those end-of-the-year gifts. Maybe I should send money monthly.

This card fraud is really bringing me down.

I never stopped using those paper things, so I don't have to switch back now! Problem is, now they're talking about doing in the post office! Is nothing sacred?!

I've gotten terribly paranoid about all things digital/online. Wait, isn't paranoia when you think something is happening/someone is following you and they're not? What do you call it when it's actually happening? I've thought it's because I've never really gotten into all this online stuff like smartphones, etc. and I just don't understand how to use all that stuff safely. Now you can't even use your credit card at a brick-and-mortar store without the chance of it being stolen! The idea of keeping safe has actually become as much, if not more, of a motivation to me to pare everything down. Easier to keep track of, less to steal. Most of our stuff in our house is so old and out of date now that I think the thieves wouldn't even be interested--a good thing!

[just bee]

On 1/1/2015 kittykatmom2 said:

On 1/1/2015 PAlady said:

Happy New Year ladies!!

I haven't written for a while, but, I am still reading the thread. I haven't done so well the last couple months (credit card shows that), so I am here to recommit to compacting. Please keep writing about your goals and your compacting ideas, they are inspiring.

Have a good day ladies.

ITA Thanks for keeping the Compact going, Just Bee. I am taking the ORC. I will start with the entry way & go thru each room. I want 2015 to be the year of change.

For you newbies, ORC is the one room challenge. You take one room at a time instead of trying to tackle the whole house. Interesting... the word change is inside the word challenge...

[kathie66]

Yes The ORC! I need to jump back on the ORC challenge and do better than last year on it! Its a great idea! Thanks for the reminder!

[PAlady]

On 1/2/2015 luvmybonnie said:

Just Bee, thank you for keeping this thread going. I haven't posted, but read throughout last year. I didn't do well at all last year, so this year is a fresh start for me. I'm retiring at the end of May, so all my needless spending on clothes, beauty, and jewelry has to stop. Like many of you, I'm trying to figure out what triggers me, why I make these purchases. My first goal is a no buy January, as I need absolutely nothing.

My triggers are boredom and not feeling good about myself (of course something new will change this - Not!). Those are the things I need to work on.

[just bee]

How To Declutter in FOUR easy steps!

1. Stop buying s__t.

2. Throw s__t away.

3. Put all the other s__t where it goes.

4. No room? See steps 1 and 2.

[just bee]

[just bee]

[just bee]