Reformed Shopaholic

This afternoon I was watching Oprah and her topic was about people who spend money on a daily basis on things they don't need. One woman talked about the importance buying herself a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes for her 40th birthday which have been in her closet for more than 2 years and had never been worn. She spent $495 on them.

At one point Oprah made a comment that struck me:

"Having the best stuff is no substitute for living the best life."

In this economy many people are trying to be creative in ways to save a dollar. Our family is no exception. I clip coupons before I go to the supermarket, we very rarely eat out, we rent movies instead of going to the theatre, and when we purchase clothing we never pay full price. We do these things (and many more) in order to get ourselves out of debt, save money for our child's education, and to allow me to continue working part-time. However, while doing these things we realized that we really don't miss the stuff we used to splurge on anyway. It has actually strengthened our family bond. For example, Jeff and I often make dinner at home together. We open a bottle of wine and he slices and grates while I mix and stir. We have enjoyable conversations. It has helped us grow closer as a couple. We also find that we spend more time with friends and family doing things that are free...playing board games, talking walks around our neighborhood, and just spending time talking to one another.

I have not always been the spendthrift that I am now. Not by a long shot. Before I met Jeff I was what I would call a "shopaholic." I had Coach handbags (yes, more than one), designer jeans, and a closet full of expensive shoes. I would buy whatever I wanted without looking twice at the price tag. I ate out whenever I pleased, filled my home with stuff, and never felt happy. Yep, you read correctly...I had a ton of things but felt empty inside. I tried to fill up my life with stuff. The stuff was suppose to make me feel better about the crappy relationship I was in, the relationship that sucked all my happiness right out of me. All that changed when I met my husband. For the first time in my life (my relationship life) I was happy, truly happy and started not to care about what I wore because it just didn't matter to Jeff. He loves me for who I am-not what kind of purse I carry. It put everything in perspective for me. Then last May when we had our baby boy it further focused us on saving, saving, saving. It cemented the fact that our family is the most important thing in our lives. The time we spend together, the conversations we have, and the memories we make are priceless.

Not having so much "stuff" has simplified our life and made us realize all that we are truly blessed to have.