I LOVE to shop. Seriously, this is one of my favorite hobbies. All of that, however, went out the window when I got married. Afterall, I didn't feel right buying shoes when needed to pay the electric bill. Every now and again, I allow myself a small, single purchase. Something that reminds me of what life used to be like in the carefree days of singledom, when I only bought food for one, there was only one credit card, and I had no idea how much a new tractor costs. Ah, but those days are gone, and I try to set a good example by limiting my extra spending.... so much so that we recently paid off several of our debts. Something I've noticed about myself, though, is that I'm a stress-spender. When I feel overwhelmed with finances, there's an urge that bellows within me screaming, "BUY SOMETHING, YOU FOOL!!!" I thought I had beaten the urge down within the last year of my life. It was now only a faint echo ringing in the back of my brain.
    And then I saw the purse. It was red. It was shiny. It had gold buckles and pockets galore. I always needed a purse with gold buckles and pockets galore. I could use it for work... AND for evening! It's an investment!! There's FREE SHIPPING!!!!! And then, with the simple click of a button, I had made my first impulse purchase (via the worldwide web) in well over 6 months. Crap. I know it was inexpensive, but I still felt terrible.
    Yesterday I come home and my husband announces that a package had arrived for me. Yikes... the moment of truth. My apologies and excuses for my accessory compulsion spewed out of me in at least 10 run-on sentences, my husband giving me an amused grin. He didn't care at all! A few dollars spent on something red and shiny was obviously ok in his book! I excitedly grabbed the package and tore into the cellophane wrapper..... And there were the curtains I had ordered for our guest bedroom. CRAP! I had tattled on myself for curtains?? In slow motion, I turned to my husband with a sheepish look. "They're for the house, it doesn't count!" I explained. He laughed, shook his head, and walked away. I'm pretty sure my impulsive shopping is now cured (well, at least for the next 6 months).