Author Topic: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!  (Read 189684 times)

Tris Prior

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #450 on: February 15, 2018, 02:35:32 PM »

And I love you for reminding me that the month is half over. This has been a hard one for me. I have noticed that my triggers are when I feel tired and insecure. As a new Mom, this happens often. Shopping to the rescue! Not.

February has been tough for sure! I now know my spending triggers are: not being able to leave the house due to horrible weather, loneliness (because no one else wants to leave the house either due to horrible weather), feeling unattractive (because due to horrible weather my hair and skin are dry and gross and I have to run around looking like the Michelin man due to the need for so many layers - sensing a theme here? ;) ), and dieting (no weather tie-in here, I'm just freaking starving all the time and since I cannot eat or drink anything I like, I feel deprived).

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #451 on: February 15, 2018, 03:44:33 PM »

DH gave me $100 to buy lingerie or nightgown. I told him I’m not buying clothes so he can buy me something or keep the money. Sweet thought, he finds it hard to shop for me (understandably!) but I am resisting the urge to show for wearable clothes.
...
I’m still debating the walking shoes. Will probably buy some.

Can you use the $100 for the walking shoes?

He wants you to have something, and you need shoes for your health.  Think of it as a gift AND as a medical necessity.  Then it's okay.  Right?  (or am I just a bad influence?)

Haha I like the way you think!

What I did was told him to buy me pretty pjs but that I would not be shopping for them. I don’t want to get back into that habit of shopping. And I’m wearing nursing tops and pj pants to bed, not gonna lie it would be nice to wear something prettier some days.

CrustyBadger

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #452 on: February 15, 2018, 05:07:57 PM »
Lifejoy I also think you should use the $100 on some comfortable walking shoes. IT would give you more energy for all your life's (ahem) passions.   I'm not sure if that's what your husband had in mind as he seemed to be thinking "lingerie" but that's my opinion!  (-:

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #453 on: February 15, 2018, 07:36:45 PM »
Lifejoy I also think you should use the $100 on some comfortable walking shoes. IT would give you more energy for all your life's (ahem) passions.   I'm not sure if that's what your husband had in mind as he seemed to be thinking "lingerie" but that's my opinion!  (-:

I think that’s a great suggestion but I’m afraid our dynamic is such that I think it’s best I don’t ask for a different gift. I don’t want to hurt his feelings, and it will be great for me to have pajamas! We chose something useful for daily wear instead of special-occasion wear ;)

I’m just pleased I didn’t take it as an opportunity to shop my face off :)

I bet I can get walking shoes for under $100! Good challenge for me. Or maybe they can be my mother’s day gift... hmmmm

mspym

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #454 on: February 16, 2018, 12:27:46 AM »
Went into the fabric shop today as I've been trying to get pics of clothes/material I like as part of figuring out my style, no problem, I wasn't tempted - I was HORRIFIED that people would pay NINETEEN WHOLE AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS for a pattern which was a tube of material sewn along a side to form the body. What's next? A pattern for making a sarong?

I actually ended up on the Simplicity website and downloaded the (FREE!) instructions which confirmed my suspicion - one length of cloth, and two partial seams and some hemming. So I am going to do this with some of my spare fabric and if it doesn't work out, well I haven't cut into the cloth and can just re-use it.

lifejoy

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No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #455 on: February 16, 2018, 12:37:13 AM »
Went into the fabric shop today as I've been trying to get pics of clothes/material I like as part of figuring out my style, no problem, I wasn't tempted - I was HORRIFIED that people would pay NINETEEN WHOLE AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS for a pattern which was a tube of material sewn along a side to form the body. What's next? A pattern for making a sarong?

I actually ended up on the Simplicity website and downloaded the (FREE!) instructions which confirmed my suspicion - one length of cloth, and two partial seams and some hemming. So I am going to do this with some of my spare fabric and if it doesn't work out, well I haven't cut into the cloth and can just re-use it.

I think that’s badass that you stared your gazingus pin in the face and resisted sinking any money into it, and still get to enjoy it! Way to go!
« Last Edit: February 16, 2018, 03:37:59 AM by lifejoy »

mspym

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #456 on: February 16, 2018, 03:11:28 AM »
If anyone is the tiniest bit crafty, and likes draped tops, look up Simplicity 8452. You can practically make it from the cover image, and the instructions bear this out. There are some nice reviews for it as well from people who have made it. (NINETEEN DOLLARS! how could you sleep at night charging that much?)

Laura33

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #457 on: February 16, 2018, 02:16:05 PM »
You guys are awesome!  I am so impressed by the folks staring temptation in the face and walking away!

Hit a watershed moment here:  just today I used up the last of my decaf loose tea.  So, yay.  But then I realized:  what do I do when I need decaf tea?  This isn't an immediate issue, because I usually make "DIY" decaf by re-using the regular tea a couple of times, and I have some bags of decaf I can still drink.  But I do like to have some loose-leaf decaf around for days like today, when I want to make a whole pot in the afternoon and leaves from yesterday are all used-up (because, grr, I forgot and let them steep for like 20 minutes when I got distracted by work).  So I am going to have to figure out what that means for my challenge. 

I think I am going to come up with specific categories of tea that I want to have around, and when I run out of any specific category, I am allowed to buy one new one (given that the idea is to use up what I have, not deprive myself of teas for a year).  But that is a slippery slope, because I have various flavors/varieties of tea, and I don't want to define the categories so narrowly that the exception swallows the rule.*  So I am going to need to think this over and figure out what is reasonable (vs. what my tea-craving brain is telling me to do) -- I think I will need to keep the categories very broad for now (maybe green/black/decaf), and then once everything is appropriately used up, I can re-think what categories I want to keep stocked long-term.

*E.g., I like jasmine and peach flavors, in both green and white forms, along with plain green tea.  I have very little of the former and a metric shit-ton of the latter, because usually I'm going for jasmine or peach over plain green.  So it would be easy to define each of those as a separate category, and restock when I run out of, say, green jasmine.  But that would enable me to continue to avoid ever drinking the plain green tea ("oops, out of green jasmine, don't want plain green, so better get some more!"), which would defeat the entire purpose of this effort!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #458 on: February 16, 2018, 02:35:16 PM »
Used up a gift card. (Gift cards are my gazingus pin, particularly when they are "on sale" and "a great deal".) It's nice to toss it & use up the extra space in my purse.

mspym

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #459 on: February 16, 2018, 03:14:48 PM »
@Laura33 definitely sounds like broad decaf/green/black categories would be the way to go. Is plain green tea ever your first choice? Would you be better off drinking your current backlog and not restocking?

I have started thinking of tea the way I am going through my wardrobe and comparing to my actual lifestyle, i.e. if 40% of my life is at work, is 40% of my wardrobe workclothes, why is my wardrobe 30% party frocks when that makes up 10% of my time etc?

I am not allowed to buy any more ginger or licorice herbal teas until I have used up all my current stock. In fact the only one I am allowed to buy right now is the best sleepytime tea I have ever drunk, and that's only because we used up the last of it two days ago. [Pukka Night Time tea, for those who *are* allowed tea purchases]

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #460 on: February 16, 2018, 03:36:48 PM »
The best part of this exercise is realizing what we actually value and miss.

I'm amazed that after 7 weeks I don't feel like I'm missing out anything because I haven't blown $50 or more on books.

I hope you tea lovers can find the right balance for you.

(And good work, @MaybeBabyMustache , for using up a gift card!)

mspym

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #461 on: February 16, 2018, 03:48:03 PM »
The best part of this exercise is realizing what we actually value and miss.

I'm amazed that after 7 weeks I don't feel like I'm missing out anything because I haven't blown $50 or more on books.

I hope you tea lovers can find the right balance for you.

(And good work, @MaybeBabyMustache , for using up a gift card!)

That is great stuff! I haven't declared a moratorium on books but have finally been making progress through my TBR pile, instead of it getting bigger and bigger. Turns out all those books I was saving up are pretty good reads, who would have thought it?

This is a really good challenge and is making me reexamine a lot of unexpected areas in my consumption patterns and my values. STARS ALL ROUND.

lifejoy

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No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #462 on: February 16, 2018, 03:50:14 PM »
I love reading all these insights!

I bought some dye ($7) because instead of coveting a new house sweater, I am going to dye the one I love to wear (but have always hated the colour of). I’m not very crafty so this is out of my comfort zone, but an awesome way to appreciate the wardrobe I already have!

Rosy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #463 on: February 16, 2018, 05:02:28 PM »
You guys are awesome!  I am so impressed by the folks staring temptation in the face and walking away!

Hit a watershed moment here:  just today I used up the last of my decaf loose tea.  So, yay.  But then I realized:  what do I do when I need decaf tea?  This isn't an immediate issue, because I usually make "DIY" decaf by re-using the regular tea a couple of times, and I have some bags of decaf I can still drink.  But I do like to have some loose-leaf decaf around for days like today, when I want to make a whole pot in the afternoon and leaves from yesterday are all used-up (because, grr, I forgot and let them steep for like 20 minutes when I got distracted by work).  So I am going to have to figure out what that means for my challenge. 

I think I am going to come up with specific categories of tea that I want to have around, and when I run out of any specific category, I am allowed to buy one new one (given that the idea is to use up what I have, not deprive myself of teas for a year).  But that is a slippery slope, because I have various flavors/varieties of tea, and I don't want to define the categories so narrowly that the exception swallows the rule.*  So I am going to need to think this over and figure out what is reasonable (vs. what my tea-craving brain is telling me to do) -- I think I will need to keep the categories very broad for now (maybe green/black/decaf), and then once everything is appropriately used up, I can re-think what categories I want to keep stocked long-term.

*E.g., I like jasmine and peach flavors, in both green and white forms, along with plain green tea.  I have very little of the former and a metric shit-ton of the latter, because usually I'm going for jasmine or peach over plain green.  So it would be easy to define each of those as a separate category, and restock when I run out of, say, green jasmine.  But that would enable me to continue to avoid ever drinking the plain green tea ("oops, out of green jasmine, don't want plain green, so better get some more!"), which would defeat the entire purpose of this effort!

I'm totally fascinated - following the ongoing tea struggles and considerations, who knew such a tea quagmire existed?:) Perhaps you could come up with seven categories? One for each day of the week? So you always have choices and don't have to drink the same tea twice in a week?
If that is too limiting you could pick an extra one that fits into each category - giving you 14 days of different teas.

My tea experience is limited, I like the one in the pretty dragon tin, because it gives me energy, it's called Dragonwell Fancy Green. I like strong dark tea from Turkey and Earl Grey (although I don't do tea for breakfast) and the kind that looks like a rose and it floats and makes a lovely green or white? tea. I'd like to try a good jasmine tea, but the only jasmine tea I've ever had is the one served by our favorite Thai restaurant.

I also like herbal teas and make a few concoctions from my own organic garden, but find it difficult to find really good herb tea in the states, especially if you like a blend of different herbs.

Laura33

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #464 on: February 17, 2018, 09:20:59 AM »
@mspym - yes, I think that is the lesson.  My stock of green came from when I first discovered I liked some green teas and kept buying different varieties at the Asian market to try to figure out what I did/didn’t like (before I realized that most plain greens are in the “not so much/maybe every once in a while” category).  And sometimes I go through phases where I want one thing and then get sick of it (e.g., roiboos).  So, basically, the same unconscious/unthinking way I accumulated all of those partially-used cosmetics that I am also using up.  😉

Tris Prior

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #465 on: February 17, 2018, 10:03:30 AM »
You guys, we went grocery shopping last night and I was in the coffee/tea aisle buying coffee filters and I was sooooooo close to cracking. I am down to 2 flavors of tea, one of which I'm not wild about (I can only steep it for a bit; it goes from decent to waaaaaay too intense quickly so if I'm not paying attention, it gets gross.).

I was about to take a box of lemon ginger (one of my favorites) off the shelf when Boyfriend - who does not know about this challenge other than a casual "I really shouldn't buy more tea until I drink what I have" comment - said, "didn't you just say the other day that you're really sick of tea?" I agreed, pointed out that I drink tea when I want wine or junk food so I do need to have some on hand, but did move on without buying it! Because that was enough of a reminder about this challenge.

Poundwise

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #466 on: February 17, 2018, 07:40:55 PM »
*E.g., I like jasmine and peach flavors, in both green and white forms, along with plain green tea.  I have very little of the former and a metric shit-ton of the latter, because usually I'm going for jasmine or peach over plain green.  So it would be easy to define each of those as a separate category, and restock when I run out of, say, green jasmine.  But that would enable me to continue to avoid ever drinking the plain green tea ("oops, out of green jasmine, don't want plain green, so better get some more!"), which would defeat the entire purpose of this effort!

Is it possible that you could flavor your plain green tea somehow to make it more pleasurable to drink?  Like make a mix with some other tea, or add a fruit syrup?

CrustyBadger

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #467 on: February 18, 2018, 06:14:17 AM »
Green tea cookies?  Green tea cakes?

Jim Fiction

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #468 on: February 18, 2018, 03:34:31 PM »
For me this is easily beer.

I've always been a collector. If you can name it, I probably collected it as a kid/adolescent/young adult/twenty-something. I've gotten a lot better at this, a large part of which was finding this site and embracing many of the ideas of MMM. I sometimes joke to myself that I collect money now.

Lately, I've gotten into "collecting" beer. Now I don't retain the cans/bottles or anything like that, but I've gotten very into trying new beers as often as possible. I've been a big fan of craft beer pretty much since I started drinking beer. Budweiser and the like never really did much for me outside of getting me drunk. As I got less and less into wanted to get drunk, I gravitated more towards craft and local beer. It has become a fun hobby of mine, I enjoy going to a beer fest or two throughout the year and rarely buy the same beer twice, opting instead to try something different which normally equated to a new 4 or 6 pack every other week or two, with an occasional trip to a brewery for a growler fill.

Within the last 6 months or so, my beer enthusiasm has begun to morph into more of a collection. Attempting to try or "collect" as many different beers as I can. In part this is due to an app called untappd, in which you log the beers you have tried, earn lame badges and get to comment and "toast" beers that your friends have tried. Additionally, my best friend is big into it as well and its given us another hobby to bond over and talk about. But now I find myself buying way more than I should, and feeling compelled to run off to one of my favorite brewery the moment they release a new brew, worried that if I don't try it now I might lose my chance forever. It directly mirrors the mentality I had previously when I was collecting records, or pez dispensers or beanie babies, or whatever else I used to collect. I check the facebook pages or local breweries every day, I look through my untappd list and admire how many different beers I have tried from a particular brewery and lament the fact that I never kept track of the such things before I found out this app existed.

While I don't want to give up beer entirely, I do know that I need to trim back. My short-term plan is to take a month off from buying beer, then re-evaluate after that.

Best of luck to everyone else in their efforts!

Rosy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #469 on: February 20, 2018, 07:35:43 AM »
Update:
almost two months in - have resulted in freeing up $200 in my upcoming March budget! Better yet, if I stay on course it will help me save up that extra $1K I discovered I need for my trip by June.
I'm not looking at jewelry
I'm not buying jewelry
I am not lying awake at night - thinking about all the jewelry I will buy as soon as this challenge is over.

... regardless, I know temptation can still strike at a weak, unguarded moment ...

@Jim Fiction - the first month is the hardest:)
I guess I am a beer snob, I'll be happy to try something new, but I am firmly in the stout, dark slightly sweet beer camp, although I'll go for a good Pilsner or May Doppelbock in the summertime.
There is a craft brewery downtown St. Petersburg (well, there are several:) but this one has one called "1516" brewed in accordance with the German Reinheitsgebot - it is da bomb:) Smooth and surprisingly light tasting for a dark beer.

I'm a red panda

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #470 on: February 20, 2018, 08:41:26 AM »
Just "skipped" my Julep nail polish box for the month. Even though the colors in it were amazing.
I need to email and cancel, but I feel bad- because I kind of cheated to get an awesome gift with purchase (in December), and am canceling right away...

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #471 on: February 20, 2018, 11:39:13 AM »
Beer is definitely a gazingus pin! The upside to drinking down the tea stash is that it's killing my appetite for alcohol.

The other day I practiced not-buying: allowed myself to look, filled up a shopping cart, thought about how amazing it all would taste, and then exited the site. Walking away was much easier than anticipated. And it felt insanely empowering.

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #472 on: February 20, 2018, 01:39:47 PM »
Just "skipped" my Julep nail polish box for the month. Even though the colors in it were amazing.
I need to email and cancel, but I feel bad- because I kind of cheated to get an awesome gift with purchase (in December), and am canceling right away...

Omg don’t feel bad AT ALL! Emphasis on gift WITH PURCHASE. They got your money ;)

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #473 on: February 20, 2018, 01:40:38 PM »
Beer is definitely a gazingus pin! The upside to drinking down the tea stash is that it's killing my appetite for alcohol.

The other day I practiced not-buying: allowed myself to look, filled up a shopping cart, thought about how amazing it all would taste, and then exited the site. Walking away was much easier than anticipated. And it felt insanely empowering.

That is REALLY cool and not at all easy to do!

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #474 on: February 20, 2018, 01:42:25 PM »
@Rosy - and no more lying awake in bed, thinking of that jewellery piece you saw and want to buy but shouldn’t but, you know you shouldn’t, but omg do you ever want to and if you just bought it you’d be able to get rid of this niggling feeling of need...

I find that not shopping for jewellery is keeping me from seeing those pieces I just HAVE to HAVE.

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #475 on: February 20, 2018, 01:44:27 PM »
For me this is easily beer.

I've always been a collector. If you can name it, I probably collected it as a kid/adolescent/young adult/twenty-something. I've gotten a lot better at this, a large part of which was finding this site and embracing many of the ideas of MMM. I sometimes joke to myself that I collect money now.

Lately, I've gotten into "collecting" beer. Now I don't retain the cans/bottles or anything like that, but I've gotten very into trying new beers as often as possible. I've been a big fan of craft beer pretty much since I started drinking beer. Budweiser and the like never really did much for me outside of getting me drunk. As I got less and less into wanted to get drunk, I gravitated more towards craft and local beer. It has become a fun hobby of mine, I enjoy going to a beer fest or two throughout the year and rarely buy the same beer twice, opting instead to try something different which normally equated to a new 4 or 6 pack every other week or two, with an occasional trip to a brewery for a growler fill.

Within the last 6 months or so, my beer enthusiasm has begun to morph into more of a collection. Attempting to try or "collect" as many different beers as I can. In part this is due to an app called untappd, in which you log the beers you have tried, earn lame badges and get to comment and "toast" beers that your friends have tried. Additionally, my best friend is big into it as well and its given us another hobby to bond over and talk about. But now I find myself buying way more than I should, and feeling compelled to run off to one of my favorite brewery the moment they release a new brew, worried that if I don't try it now I might lose my chance forever. It directly mirrors the mentality I had previously when I was collecting records, or pez dispensers or beanie babies, or whatever else I used to collect. I check the facebook pages or local breweries every day, I look through my untappd list and admire how many different beers I have tried from a particular brewery and lament the fact that I never kept track of the such things before I found out this app existed.

While I don't want to give up beer entirely, I do know that I need to trim back. My short-term plan is to take a month off from buying beer, then re-evaluate after that.

Best of luck to everyone else in their efforts!

Join us! We give out gold stars ;)

Well, stars, at least. I’m staying away from gold, myself. Lol

And if you download Tapatalk you can easily have us on your phone...

So when will your month begin? Sounds like you have a bad case or FOMO! (Fear of missing out).

Rosy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #476 on: February 20, 2018, 06:01:17 PM »
@Rosy - and no more lying awake in bed, thinking of that jewellery piece you saw and want to buy but shouldn’t but, you know you shouldn’t, but omg do you ever want to and if you just bought it you’d be able to get rid of this niggling feeling of need...

I find that not shopping for jewellery is keeping me from seeing those pieces I just HAVE to HAVE.

@lifejoy - I was just kidding:) - the ultimate goal for me is to let go - for good! So I'm glad that I'm not dreaming up a list of jewelry I denied myself this year - only to buy it next year.
I am not going through all this pain this year only to start up again next year.

 

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #477 on: February 21, 2018, 03:23:33 PM »
No news are good news from my side. I have actively not bought notebooks several times since New Years, and even avoided bringing free notebooks home. On the other side, forgotten notebooks have popped up throughout the house, so the stash is even bigger than I thought.

Mezzie

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #478 on: February 21, 2018, 03:31:19 PM »
I didn't buy some really beautiful hand-carved classic games. I'm pretty proud of myself.

diapasoun

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #479 on: February 21, 2018, 04:35:01 PM »
Just checking in. I've been holding steady and not bought any books so far this year. It's been surprisingly easy, most likely because when I've thought "oh gosh I want to read that NOW," I've often found it at the library! So I haven't felt somehow deprived of books in any way. I've ever managed to let go of a few books to new homes.

I'm working now on running down my home book collection. So far this year this year I've only read 2/9 books that are mine (likely finishing 3/10 soon) -- so I think I need to prioritize a few books from my collection on my TBR.

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #480 on: February 21, 2018, 04:37:36 PM »
@Rosy - and no more lying awake in bed, thinking of that jewellery piece you saw and want to buy but shouldn’t but, you know you shouldn’t, but omg do you ever want to and if you just bought it you’d be able to get rid of this niggling feeling of need...

I find that not shopping for jewellery is keeping me from seeing those pieces I just HAVE to HAVE.

@lifejoy - I was just kidding:) - the ultimate goal for me is to let go - for good! So I'm glad that I'm not dreaming up a list of jewelry I denied myself this year - only to buy it next year.
I am not going through all this pain this year only to start up again next year.

Uhh same here *shifty eyes*

Ok maybe not. I am definitely currently planning to buy lots of gazingus pins next year. Hmmm maybe a flaw to my plan!

CrustyBadger

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #481 on: February 21, 2018, 05:44:10 PM »
Hi, Jim Fiction!  Sounds like you have identified a gazingus pin for sure in craft beers!  Good luck cutting back on those.

@Rosy that's amazing that you have freed up $200 for next month already!  Good for you!

I am going strong with no junk food at work from the vending machine.  I estimate I have freed up somewhere between $20 and $40 per month on this bad habit, possibly even more.  I do occasionally find myself craving a cold Coke around 3 PM every day but it is very easy to just tell myself no.

After reading these threads, I think it might be time to buy some tea... and possibly sip it evenings, in place of certain other beverages?   Hmmmm.... this might not so much be a gazingus pin, as a different type of habit I have let myself get into.  But it might be a good idea for me health and sleepwise.   

Poundwise

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #482 on: February 22, 2018, 05:49:43 AM »
Great going everybody!! And thanks so much for the encouragement, lifejoy-- it really helps!

I racked my brains and I cannot think of a single craft purchase, conscious or unconscious, since I last wrote in.  I was sorely tempted last weekend, because we want to have a movie night for an upcoming birthday party, and we want to make a projector screen instead of buying one.  No solution yet... think I may have some blackout cloth in my stash, but it is probably not big enough.

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #483 on: February 22, 2018, 06:30:05 AM »
I'm still doing good on the no fabric, no nail polish- though man it has been hard!

I will say I picked up a bad habit early this year of going to Hardees for breakfast ($1.79 a morning) but it turns out it was a "special" price. I went in yesterday and it was over $4! I actually got to the window asked the guy if the price was correct, and told him never mind to cancel my order.  That's an insane amount of money to spend on breakfast at a drive through.  Habit broken.

PingMe97

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #484 on: February 22, 2018, 06:55:52 AM »
New Here but I will jump in.

Cameras and lenses were my addiction. I would buy latest and greatest get bored and then sell it off at few hundred dollars loss swearing not to do it again. But it will repeat every few weeks and it’s largely the reason for my financial mess (refer my journal thread).

But no more. I will not buy any camera or a lens for rat of 2018 and will be using only iPhone camera
« Last Edit: February 22, 2018, 08:44:57 AM by PingMe97 »

RetiredAt63

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #485 on: February 22, 2018, 07:24:35 AM »
I'm still working on WIPs and have not even looked at yarn or fibre.  I get emails from KnitPicks and WEBS, and I just delete them.  I skipped 2 spin-ins where there would have been fibre for sale.  Avoidance works.   ;-)

I don't have a ban on needles, though, because sometimes a project needs a size I don't have.  I am working on a toque and I want to move down a needle size for the ribbing - after looking through all my needles I don't have the size I need, and will buy some, but if I had had the ones I need on another project I would have managed to use them and not buy new.

Rosy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #486 on: February 22, 2018, 08:54:35 AM »
@Rosy - and no more lying awake in bed, thinking of that jewellery piece you saw and want to buy but shouldn’t but, you know you shouldn’t, but omg do you ever want to and if you just bought it you’d be able to get rid of this niggling feeling of need...

I find that not shopping for jewellery is keeping me from seeing those pieces I just HAVE to HAVE.

@lifejoy - I was just kidding:) - the ultimate goal for me is to let go - for good! So I'm glad that I'm not dreaming up a list of jewelry I denied myself this year - only to buy it next year.
I am not going through all this pain this year only to start up again next year.

Uhh same here *shifty eyes*

Ok maybe not. I am definitely currently planning to buy lots of gazingus pins next year. Hmmm maybe a flaw to my plan!

@lifejoy - Please tell me you are not thinking of sabotaging yourself? Been there, done that you know:) Yes, definitely consider ruminating over that teeny tiny flaw in your plan:)
Maybe you could come up with a comprise, a spending cap or limit your acquisition to particular events or holidays? It is difficult, I thought I was in control once before, but we have a way of fooling ourselves:)
Kudos for being honest with yourself!

@CrustyBadger - thank you, I'm thrilled to see a monetary impact.
It is hard to resist snack attacks and while I hardly drink any sodas, I do have a penchant for those little glass bottles of coke that you can still find in six packs. I buy one every six months:)
Lately, I've had some sweets in the evening and the chocolate I received for Valentine's Day is not helping. I used to have a rule of no snacks after six or seven in the evening - may have to implement that again. 

Serendip

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #487 on: February 22, 2018, 09:02:52 AM »
*shifty eyes* : such a descriptive term for this thread..ha

I found myself almost buying a book..but found it online via a borrowing site,
 found myself dreaming of a yoga retreat somewhere warm..so I deleted the email,
a new artist with beautiful work was added to our art gallery shop...so I pointedly avoided going in

*dodging temptation...we are getting goood at this!

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #488 on: February 22, 2018, 09:26:40 AM »
@Rosy - I’m fully committed to abstaining for 2018, but I have no problem with releasing the floodgates in 2019. I might have to really assess if that’s in keeping with my goals. I find myself finding it easier to say no to many little jewellery and clothing purchases, knowing that I can go on a major spree with all my saved “fun money” in 2019. But that’s not really going to help me long term :/

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #489 on: February 22, 2018, 09:27:19 AM »
New Here but I will jump in.

Cameras and lenses were my addiction. I would buy latest and greatest get bored and then sell it off at few hundred dollars loss swearing not to do it again. But it will repeat every few weeks and it’s largely the reason for my financial mess (refer my journal thread).

But no more. I will not buy any camera or a lens for rat of 2018 and will be using only iPhone camera

Welcome! Did you buy any in January? Wondering if I owe you a star...

PingMe97

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #490 on: February 22, 2018, 10:21:21 AM »
No I did not. In fact whatever I had bought in Jan, I returned literally everything for full refund reducing CC debt by  ~$6000


Welcome! Did you buy any in January? Wondering if I owe you a star...

mspym

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #491 on: February 23, 2018, 02:49:14 AM »
@PingMe97 that's EXCELLENT, keep up the good work.

I'm a red panda

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #492 on: February 23, 2018, 05:25:23 AM »
If anyone is the tiniest bit crafty, and likes draped tops, look up Simplicity 8452. You can practically make it from the cover image, and the instructions bear this out. There are some nice reviews for it as well from people who have made it. (NINETEEN DOLLARS! how could you sleep at night charging that much?)
Do you actually have to pay the price on patterns? The stores here always have them half off, and often have them for 99 cents or 1.99. I didn't know anyone sold them face value. Thats insane.

lifejoy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #493 on: February 23, 2018, 06:39:31 AM »
@PingMe97 that's EXCELLENT, keep up the good work.

+1 Bravo!!! Next time I’m at a computer, you’ll be getting a star! Woot woot!

Yesterday I was feeling WEAK. Sad, tired, stressed. Self-esteem looooow. Cuddle time with DH and sushi and early to bed seemed to cure what ails me.

Made it through! Almost 2/12 months! And given that in halfway through a move AND breastfeeding, I have a ton of clothes that I haven’t worn for... a very long time, and now that baby isn’t eating every second of every day (and I’ve lost weight) I think I can start wearing more of my old clothes and that will feel awesome :)

Also I have two clothing swaps coming up. For me, the challenge is not to spend rather than not to accumulate so clothing swaps are A-ok! I have one in April and one in June. Hooray! Can’t wait.

Rosy

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #494 on: February 23, 2018, 06:54:14 AM »
You are doing great, @lifejoy ... and thanks for all the positive reinforcement:), it is appreciated. I hope everyone else is hanging in there too.
Just a few more days gang ... our second month - gold star - is almost within reach, we can do this!
« Last Edit: February 24, 2018, 06:38:35 AM by Rosy »

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #495 on: February 23, 2018, 07:52:24 AM »
Working through my existing gift card stash & spent 2 gift cards yesterday on a few things we needed. My son also spent his birthday gift card, which means 3 less things to carry around in my wallet.

I have a gift card worth $15 that i'd like to sell, but I'm having a hard time finding a place to sell. Local FB group turned up no interest. My group is way less active than it was a year ago, sadly.

In other news, not my gazingus pin, but I did also commit to not buying more tea until I worked through my stash. Have finished 4/5 boxes of clearance teas (purchased for less than $1/each). Liked the first two, hate the last box I'm working through. After that, I have two boxes of decaf green tea + some loose leaf tea. Looking forward to one day actually spending the money to buying a box that I will fully enjoy! :-)

PingMe97

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #496 on: February 23, 2018, 09:06:53 AM »
Have $50 Bestbuy Reward Card, very tempted to use it to buy kindle or Alexa. I don’t need either and I know it’s just a gadget lust...

Put it in cart and went up to payment quite few times :-) but in the end have not bought it till now. Help me avoid the purchase. If I carry through end of Feb it would be two months without any unnecessary purchase.

frontstepdesign

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #497 on: February 23, 2018, 01:09:30 PM »
Could tuition be a Gazingus Pin?

I'm torn on this (more in my journal), because on one hand, what I finish training on, I rarely regret.  On the other...I tend to sign up for more than I can do at one time.  So it's kind of like whoever's tea...it's generally a good idea, but buying more than one can consume...   seems to be YES, but I just found another whole course that looks SO HELPFUL, and of course they're running a limited time deal, and I'm already getting a lot out of the free material...

learn all the things!

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #498 on: February 23, 2018, 02:11:36 PM »
I think the key for all of us is mindfulness.  If taking classes is just a habit, and you sign up for all the classes because reasons, then yes, it definitely could be a gazingus pin.

Whereas if you are taking classes because they meet a specific goal (to get a degree, to learn a foreign language, to get a certification in something), then that is likely more mindful and not a gazingus pin.

frontstepdesign

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Re: No Gazingus Pins for 2018!
« Reply #499 on: February 23, 2018, 02:51:13 PM »
I think the key for all of us is mindfulness.  If taking classes is just a habit, and you sign up for all the classes because reasons, then yes, it definitely could be a gazingus pin.

Whereas if you are taking classes because they meet a specific goal (to get a degree, to learn a foreign language, to get a certification in something), then that is likely more mindful and not a gazingus pin.

Ah, so helpful!  My list is definitely components of a larger goal, and perhaps if I can keep an eye on estimated completion, I can keep this activity on this side of the line.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!