The Spendthrifty Knitter

I don’t know what’s with me lately, but I’m burning through money like it’s… what? going out of style? I almost said pee, but that doesn’t make any sense. I guess I was just thinking of something you make without trying and want to get rid of, but you don’t burn pee. That would be awful and smelly.

Okay, so mixed metaphors aside, I’ve been spending way too much money on NOTH-thing. Seriously.

At the beginning of the year, I had this gorgeous idea that I wouldn’t make any personal purchases until I had paid down 25% of my stupid credit card bills. This plan was based on my January 2008 plan to go a full month without any personal spending (which I totally pulled off, yay me). But this time, I just wrote down the plan, calculated the figure, made up an elaborate spreadsheet to track my paydown/additional purchases/interest, filled it in religiously, BUT DIDN’T ACTUALLY QUIT BUYING SHIT. It turns out that was the critical part.

Today, I went through a big pile of old stuff that included 3 recent credit card bills, and I was filling in my trusty spreadsheet and scratching my head as to why I wasn’t miraculously out of debt, I had the genius brainwave that, oh yeah, quit buying stuff, smarty.

Of course, Suzanne’s arriving tomorrow, so I won’t officially climb on the wagon until she leaves–but she’s naturally frugal and our entertainment will mostly entail cooking with a few modest tourist excursions. But after she departs, and until the end of June at least, no personal spending. And no rationalizing personal spending as business expenses. And any business expenses that can wait a month, should wait. I actually really enjoy self-deprivation experiments when they have a finite time line, and I’ve found putting off purchases often means putting them off permanently. As an instant gratification junkie, I typically forget what I’ve bought 20 seconds after hitting the One-Click button.

Speaking of junkies (the regular kind), the recent Jerry Stahl Moth podcast is hi-larious.

Before I had my spendthrift epiphany, I bought myself some flowers, something I almost never do. But they were a steal! $6 for a big bouquet of orange spray roses. And it turns out they actually smell nice, something that wasn’t immediately apparent at the grocery store, but they’ve since opened up more.

And I did sew the buttons on this baby. I found some cute little round green buttons with a lighter-green flower. I contemplated little heart-shaped buttons, but thought that would be cute overkill. 1 ball Angora Soft + US 7 needles. I’ll take some better pictures & post the details asap.

6 Replies to “The Spendthrifty Knitter”

  1. Ouch I feel your pain, said that gal that bought a feed bag full of fiber at Yarn School! I am also in the dreaded debt paying off process. I am using the snowball method, I figured out how much money I needed to throw at my debt debt each month to get it paid off as quickly as possible vs. what I could afford each month and set up my bank account to pay out that amount automatically each month. Of course this is easier to do when you have a set paycheck coming in each month. Also apparently it works faster if you stop spending money! That part is hard for me :) Good luck!!! Frugal is the new black, be a recessionista!

  2. I hear you on the frugality failing. Its happinging here too but I am not spending near as much as say this time last year. Sigh…Frustration…I has it.

  3. Hi Robyn
    Made my way from homespun/blogger blog. And for a change of pace left you the link to my travel blog so you can something besides yarn related stuff.

    Love the flowers, typically roses don’t smell good anymore because they’ve been hybrided to death. I know thats not really a word, but it fits. Man this font is so small I’m having a hard time seeing it this am, in the comment section. It’s smaller than your blog font.

    LOVE the baby green top? Or is it a little dress? Do share details, I’m needing inspiration to get going again with crocheting and or knitting since Mom died.

    I’m not a shopper, hate it as a matter of fact…so can’t relate there. I like to yarn shop and definately buy more then I need, more then I know what I’m going to do with etc.

    I like the look at this new blog you have, not sure though I completely understand how it works. On your front page you only see pictures, no blogging, so I almost didn’t cruise further. Sometimes you see pages that aren’t really blogs, just ads, or pictures with one line posts. Or bunches of those read the story here…then you have to take time to click elsewhere etc.

    I’m always interested though in the differences between various formats, tell me what you like about this that you’re not going to be on blogger anymore. Give me the nickel tour, lol

    Thanks and once again Congrats!
    Sandy

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