Breaking Bad Habits

My bad habit started last fall sometime and got worse through the cold, snowy winter (and spring) we had this year. After awhile I didn’t even think about it; I just did it. It just became a habit and now it’s a hard habit to break. But I do need to address it. Not just for me and my family, but for others out there who are going through the same thing. There should be support groups; that may have helped me a little. But instead, a sunny, warm spring day last week proved to be my breakthrough.
Up until last week, I had stopped shopping. Yup, I said it. I stopped shopping. Except for going to Meijer and getting occasional car maintenance stuff, I stopped shopping. I remember buying my son a new Transformer sheet and comforter set sometime last spring, and I vaguely remember Christmas shopping this past year, but other than that . . .nothing.
So, last week, Judy and I decided to get out and enjoy the sun and walk into downtown Birmingham. It’s only two blocks, so, why not? We crossed Woodward and started peeking in windows as we made our way further downtown. As we passed a store called ‘suhm.thing’, we stuck our heads in and took a look around. At first we did really good, just browsing, not really looking at anything to buy, then Judy picked up a very elegant book mark (she was looking for a gift for her aunt) and suddenly our whole outlook changed. For a very reasonable price (I don’t want to put the actual amount here in case her aunt reads our blog) she found a very beautiful gift. As we looked around the store a little more, their traffic started to pick up. Friday afternoon in Birmingham is usually a pretty good time for business and this day was no exception. I ended up getting a small birthday present for a friend and even a little gift for myself (I earned it!).
As silly as it sounds, I missed shopping. We have spent the past several months being so focused on saving money, cutting coupons, not eating out and asking ‘do we need this or just want it?’. I even hesitated to go to Sam’s Club with my husband because I didn’t want to see something I wanted and not be able to get it.
But, if I ease back into it, it might not be so bad. I think it’s a habit I can break, if I try hard enough. Maybe if I had loosened my wallet up just a little the coney island down the street wouldn’t have closed, or my favorite store for baby clothes (babystyle.com) may not have filed for Chapter 11 protection, nor the specialty shoe store that is so good for those with medical conditions. And if I loosen my wallet up and get out a little more maybe others are doing the same thing? Maybe if we all did it a little more (just a little more, don’t go crazy, that’s a bad habit of a whole different kind!) we could boost the economy in a little microcosm called our community.