Hear ye, hear ye, Money Saving Lords and Ladies! It’s Freedom Friday where I bi-weekly share our progress in becoming completely debt free. It’s also your turn to share your story of debt slaying. Whether you’ve paid off every cent you owe, are just getting started, or live somewhere in the in between, we want to hear from you! We’re better together, share your story and make us all stronger.
I want to tell you a little holiday tale today. It’s a little more horrifying than happy but I pride myself in being completely honest with you around the Queendom so make the Scooby Doo Time Warp sounds and we’ll travel back in time.
To a time before coupons.
To a time before debt snowballs.
To a time before $75K+ of Royal debt paid off and kicked to the curb.
The Eldest Princess was about the age of the Youngest Princess so I guess it was circa 2004. Or 2003. Or 2005. I’m not quite sure but it doesn’t really matter. We were in debt up to our eyeballs. We had no clue. And the holidays were at hand. I had made a big trip to Walmart. In addition to my usual grocery shopping, I was picking up holiday baking items, decorations, cards, and more.
I piled my cart high. I wasn’t estimating very well. And I waited in a long line to check out. When the cashier rang my items, my heart skipped a beat. The total was well over $200. Even in my wild spending days this was not a total I often reached unless there were big ticket items in the cart (which there weren’t).
I had nickeled and dimed my way to over $200 of holiday “things,” most of which we did not need. I went to pay for the bill and dug in my purse for my wallet. There was a lump in my throat and I wanted to cry. And then it happened.
I didn’t have my wallet.
Relief rushed over me in a wave. I couldn’t pay for these items. Literally. I embarrassedly told the cashier that I had left my wallet in the car and said I would be back. I placed the cart at Customer Service. But when I got to the car, it wasn’t there either. I had left it at home. I drove home to get it. But I never went back.
A bit of distance helped me realize we didn’t need most of those items. Too embarrassed to return to the same store, I went to another retailer later in the day and spent much less, getting only what we needed.*
Christmas is an easy time of the year to be literally caught up in the trimmings and extras. We all (me most of all) have to be extremely intentional about getting true needs and not lots of wants (unless your budget allows for it, I guess). Think about what kinds of traps are easiest for you to fall into at the grocery store.
Is it the candy aisle?
The dollar section?
The beverages?
Snack foods?
Even though it took many more years for us to begin our debt slaying journey, I see that abandoned cart as a symbol of the beginning of independence. It was one of the small cogs in the wheel of us heading toward true freedom. Freedom from the chains of debt. Freedom from owing more than we had. Freedom from overconsumption and overspending. It takes a brave and sometimes embarrassing step to say, “I can’t afford this. I don’t need this. I’m not doing this anymore.” My best holiday spending advice? Leave the cart behind.
*Retail employees, don’t hate me. This is not a regular practice of mine, nor am I suggesting it. It was a one time event and I felt HORRIBLE about it (still do). I am usually very intentional about putting items back or handing them to the cashier upon check out an apologetic, “We don’t need this after all, sorry.” I have horrible guilt if I place an item in the wrong place and dwell on it for days. I also have issues with not placing my cart back in the corral. But that’s another post for another day.
