September Shopping Challenge - The Final Countdown

So September is about to wrap up, and some of you may wonder how my September Shopping Challenge went.

It went about 75% good. Or 25% bad if you're a glass-half-empty kinda guy.

Most weeks I stayed away from the shops except on Fridays. One week (last week) I did not. Considering September only has four weeks, that meant I really only did three-quarters of a good job.

Last week was terrible. Well, okay, not terrible. "Terrible" would be scandalous shopping til dropping, throwing money in the air, spending out of control. That didn't happen. But I did hit the shops like four days last week. Considering a week only has seven days, and only one day was allowed, that meant I did 50% bad. Or 50% good if you're a glass-half-full kinda guy.

It started with a trip to the mall last Friday - surprise surprise! An oversized building full of overpriced items actually caused me to overspend! I went because I wanted to hit Old Navy to find a dress for the October Dress Project, but got lulled into Claire's (which is so much more pricey here than in the UK!) and then I got stopped by one of those pushy salespeople running a kiosk. And then, the worst thing happened: I liked his product. Like, a freaking lot. And he kept going down in price for me until I buckled and, well, bought it. Epic Fail, but my kids love their new curling iron that actually keeps curl in their hair for days.

Pretty, Expensive or Pretty Expensive Curls

That was Friday. Technically speaking it was allowed. And I did find my dress (which shall henceforth be known as The Dress, because come a week from today, you'll be seeing a lot of this baby), which was a win.

Behold The Dress O' Stripes

But after that, I ended up at Walmart several more times last week, because last week was the true kick-start of my new Pampered Chef business. (Exclamation points! Yay!) I had my first Cooking Show last Wednesday, hosted by myself at my home as my Grand Opening, and I needed so many things last week. Expensive things like a printer and ink.  Technically all expenses came out of my business, but considering as of this moment, I have not actually made any money to go INTO the business, there's no real money to spend OUT of my business. That's how start up costs work, of course, but it does make for a couple of rough weeks before the income starts incoming.

Excited New Consultant Face

(Before I run off back on the Shopping Challenge thing, let me just say I LOVE my new business. I mean, I LOVE it. I have always thought of doing this, selling Pampered Chef, but the time was never right. Now, somehow, in this new world where I don't know anyone - an unlikely starting place - I know this IS the right time, and I am loving it. What could be more fun in a job than helping throw parties and getting to show off products that I personally love and believe in and getting to eat delicious food? This is what I get PAID for! I am so happy right now, I can't wait to see what this business has in store for me!)

Soooo, back to my fail of a week, I'm back on even keel now with my last week to go. It will probably prove to be a little difficult too, as I have four more Pampered Chef Cooking Shows before the end of the month, which may require another trip to the supermarket or the office supply, and also my WONDERFUL MOTHER-IN-LAW ARRIVES ON THURSDAY!!!! which might mean I need to get some extra vittles and whatnot before she arrives. But all in all, my thoughts on the September Shopping Challenge?

It was so good.

It was not that hard.

I saved so much money, even though I had fail days.

If I could avoid fail days, I could save even MORE money.

Yes, I am all about the Shopping Challenge and have decided it doesn't stop in October. While I won't have stringent guidelines to stick to (which didn't always work anyway), I am going to continue avoiding supermarkets, drive thrus, Amazon.com and stores during the week on through October too. I want to see how good this Shopping Challenge can be. I've already gotten so much better at shopping by my list, but I know I can get better. It's become a personal challenge to me. Can I resist that Dr Pepper at the check out? (Sometimes.) Can I resist walking through the clothing section? (Often.) Can I resist those Pop Tarts? (As long as it's not that time of the month.) Can I convince Lolly to stop asking for everything she sees with Dora on it? (No, but I can ignore her. At least until my brain explodes.)

Let the challenge continue! Hey, Mister Christmas Shopping, you better watch your back!

What I imagine Mister Christmas Shopping to look like.  Not really, I just wanted to post my cute cupcake.