The Best Kept Secret Blog - The Month of Living Frugally

My first reaction was scorn when my good friend D. announced she had cut her family's Visa bill in half simply by cutting out impulse buys.

"Wow, she must have been a real spendthrift before embracing this new frugality."

Next came shame. "If she can save that much, imagine how much I must fritter away each month on clothes I don't really need, magazines I never have time to read and stuff the kids ask for then forget about in a nano-second."

Finally, there was dread. "But stop shopping? I don't think so."

I consider myself average - certainly not a shopaholic. But like the women who can't imagine living without their daily glass (or two) of wine, I can't see myself saying "No" to a cute little pair of shoes that makes my heart sing. Maybe I have a problem.

So right then and there I decided that for the month of November, I would go on the wagon and cut out impulse shopping.

Mind you I'm not talking about going to extremes. I'm not a crazy Birkenstock wearing (I mean the ugly old sandal style, not the cute new ones that look like comfy clogs), coffee filter recycling, dye-your-hair-at-home kind of woman. I will only buy the things my family and I really need.

Tomorrow is the start of my month of living frugally. Check back in from time to time to see how I'm doing.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get me to a store. Like a smoker on New Year's Eve who is planning to give up her pack a day habit at the stroke of midnight, I've got some serious puffing to do. Only in my case, the smoke you see rising around me will be coming from the vigorous swiping of my Visa card.