SHOPAHOLIC? OR SHOP WITH A LIST

Shopping should be an organized activity. It is not a walk in the park. Preparations must always be made for shopping in advance. Shopping is not a family outing nor entertainment but serious business. Always shop from a list. There is an odd lot store in our area. I have found that because the discounts are deep and the merchandise is great, we must be particularly disciplined in our shopping habits or we have the tendency to overspend. We have gone into that store and spent $50 for no real reason. We use everything we buy, but we could do without much of it. Now I use a list and we leave when we find the items we need. It's just too dangerous to stay. I do the same thing at the supermarket. If I don'tuse a list, the cart gets filled up with impulse purchases. Always use the list. Always write it down.
Don't aimlessly wander the mall, either. Remember that retailers are in the business of parting you from your money. Be smarter than that and be careful. At the beginning of each season, I like to go through my clothes to see if I need anything. I make a list of stuff I need and look only for that stuff when I shop. Sometimes at the end of the season, I shop for bargains. I look for what I can get for less than $10. This was fine when I was working at a job that paid little but required a professional wardrobe. But even then I thought carefully about every purchase. Sometimes it pays to wait and think about a purchase. Do I really need this? Will it work with other clothes in my closet? Do I already have something just like it? Shopping is mundful work.