Do I really need it?

Some moments are harder than others when it comes to choosing to spend less or no money. As we get further into our journey with Project Money, we have been grappling with how much and when to change our decision making patterns when it comes to spending money. 

When I used to go to Costco, I would always looked forward to wandering through the clothing section and scoring some good deals. Now I try to walk by that section as quickly as possible and avoid looking at anything. Last time I passed by my eye happened to catch a super cute shirt for just $10. That's a pretty good deal for a shirt I will get a lot of use out of. But do I need it? No. Being intentional and held publicly accountable has given me a reason to keep on walking and skip the extra purchases that may seem like no big deal but that add up to big numbers very fast. It is easy to justify many things that we spend money on, but I've learned to challenge that urge to buy whatever sparks my interest in any given moment.

However, there are other times that I get my heart stuck on something that I just have to have. This month that thing was a bike trailer to pull the kids in. There have been many times that I wished I had one for recreation and transportation. I finally decided that it was something I felt strongly enough to spend some money on. But where to begin? My first stop was a sporting goods store, where I almost passed out when I saw price tags of $500-$1,000. While there are less expensive options, after I researched all of the many features out there, of course I wanted the fanciest model that converts to a stroller and provides a smooth ride for the kids and has all the other bells and whistles. So, my next stop was the online classified ads. After several weeks of checking for new postings every day, I found almost the exact version I had my heart set on and it was $100. Still a large amount of money, but much less than the brand new options! I just picked it up and can't wait to take the girls out for a spin! 

The additional bonus outcome was that searching the online ads for used items inspired me to post an old cat tower that we had in the basement. It sold the same day for $100! It's like I didn't spend any money at all! Major win. And hopefully the bike trailer will help us save money on things like gas and parking, not to mention helping us to get more exercise without paying for a gym membership. Go team go!