Compacting?

Starting in July, I made a commitment to not buy anything new and to get my house and budget in line. Actually I started in June and was doing really well until July. My "official" commitment to the Compact was due to start then.

At the stroke of midnight on the 1st, my brain turned into a consumer pumpkin.

Not only did I blow the budget on new stuff, I REALLY blew it!

So as of this week--the last week of July (!) , I have to say I wasn't too successful. However, instead of giving up and throwing in the towel, I am just going to get back up and saddle up again. Hopefully this time I'm on a horse instead of a jackass...oops!

One of the things I did discover about myself is that I have problems with buying even at thrift stores. For example: Yesterday one of the kids and I went to Goodwill to look for painting for the walls. We had found some really neat paintings at Goodwill earlier in the month. At this Goodwill, we didn't find anything even remotely decent, but as we were leaving I made one last pass through the housewares and dishes.

Bad call.

I found a punch bowl and cups for $5. Then I found 2 more sets for $5 each. Yes, I am one of those rare people who actually use punch bowls. But 3? As you can surmise, all three ended up coming home with me.

Damn!

So, now I am going to have to actually start using them to justify the space they take up. That means actually having get togethers at our house, which actually means getting the house uncluttered so I am not freaking out that our house is too cluttered for guests. That is going to entail actually making a plan and sticking to it.

One good thing about this is the fact that if I stick with staying home and uncluttering and decorating, I will not be in stores shopping. This is going to take a lot of self discipline!!