9 Things I Really Want To Buy, And Why I’m Resisting Them

Do you ever fill up an online shopping cart with aspirational clothing items, beauty products, home décor, or whatever the hell your poison is, knowing full well that you’re going to close the tab as soon as you can get a freaking grip and never actually complete the purchase?

No? Just me?

As you probably know, I’m not exactly a minimalist, and I’m definitely a lover of many different things. People sometimes scoff at my love of things, shouting down at me from atop their high horse that I should be worrying more about experiences. Well, my things are experiences, and I love them just the same. This isn’t to say I hoard, or spend money I don’t have – but when I do have extra cash to throw around, I won’t hesitate to buy something that will make me happy. Sometimes, that might be a trip or a ticket somewhere. Sometimes, it might be a pair of shoes. Sometimes, it might be a shit-ton of gummy bears. It all depends on the day.

However, I do have to curb the spending. Obviously. Or rather, I don’t have to “curb” it so much as I need to continue to not let it win. I’ve always coveted a lot of different things, but never quite been the type to just frivolously buy them. I can be aspirational in my purchasing, yes, but not often impulsive, and I try my best to really think on things before I spend on them.

I have a few different systems for how I do this – one of them is writing a list in my personal journal of things I was tempted to buy, but resisted. This acts as a reminder to me, when I survey the list of temptation at the end of the month, to not allow impulsivity to take control of my credit cards.

Another way I do this is by posting it on the internet, exposing myself to you as a way of shaming myself into not actually spending money on dumb things. So, as a metaphorical-online-shopping-cart, I’m here with a list of things I really really want to buy right now, and why I need to resist them. Wish me luck.

1. Very impractical high-heeled shoes.

I have recently been paralyzed by an obsession with acquiring a sexy pair of pointy-toed heels, preferably in a shade of red or pink, because I’m just feeling that ~extra~ lately. The thing is, I don’t really wear heels – ever. I have a few pairs of them, and they hardly get busted out. Additionally, if I do decide I’m going to add heels to my wardrobe, I should probably invest in a neutral pair that will go with many outfits – not bright freaking red, which will match approximately nothing I own.

2. Peeps Oreos.

The reasons I covet these so desperately are threefold:

1. I love Peeps.
2. I love Oreos.
3. You know exactly what reason number three is.

(Note: reason number three is precisely the reason why I should not buy these cookies.)

3. Pineapple home décor.

Which I want mostly because it is super trendy on Pinterest at the moment, and also because it gets me so excited for summer, which is (sort of) coming soon(ish). I shouldn’t allow myself to purchase any of this, because it is not exactly timeless and classic, and I’ll probably be over it in a month and then want a bunch of new, grown up décor. So I’m going to pass for now. But goddamn these are cute.

4. Sale sweaters.

During transitional periods in the fashion world, last season’s clothing tends to go on mega-clearance. Unfortunately for me, a 75% off sticker basically gets me sexually excited. However, as a New Englander, I have all of the (necessary) warm sweaters I’ll ever need, and really never need to buy new ones unless I have some sort of dramatic weight gain someday, or lose mine in a fire. Also, I’m not really a ~sweater weather~ type of girl. My fall/winter wardrobe is mostly utilitarian; I wait until spring/summer to friggin’ shine.

5. A wok.

I honestly don’t even know what these are used for, but Drew and I both feel that our Adult Kitchen requires one. To be honest, I think I need to educate myself a bit more on cookware before I buy anything else for my tiny-as-heck kitchen that already has more useless pans than I know what to do with.

6. A $30 bag of all-pink Starburst.

Because Amazon Prime is a terrible drug and I need it to be taken away from me. When I start zoning out in class, I daydream about things I love and wonder if they sell it in bulk on Amazon. The answer is almost always yes, which does not bode well for my wallet. I’ve had these in and out of my cart for months, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Someone stop me before I have $30-worth of pink Starburst in my home.

7. A yoga membership.

I do yoga every day, and have for years – but I’ve been flirting with the idea of membership at a studio again, which makes me LOL at myself, because I can’t even sort of afford that right now. Mary… you are a fool.

8. Art to hang in my apartment.

I look on Etsy and Amazon a lot for pretty canvas paintings and prints to hang on my walls, forgetting entirely that a) I love painting and making art myself, and b) this stuff would be so easy for me to DIY since I have all of the supplies already. Also, if I’m going to get anything that I didn’t make myself, it is obviously going to be prints from the TFD shop.

9. ??? from Ikea.

I’ve been dying to go to Ikea lately. But I literally need nothing there. I’ve basically convinced myself I need to go to Ikea, and I think I’ll probably end up going because – duh – I need to – and buying weird shit that I obviously didn’t need enough to be able to identify or write on a list before going to the store. I’m staying away for now, but I think I’ve gotten my boyfriend on board with the “we need to go to Ikea” idea and he’s starting to believe it too. Stop us.

Mary writes every day for TFD, and tweets every day for her own personal fulfillment. Talk to her about money and life at mary@thefinancialdiet.com!

Image via Unsplash