Spending Saturday | The Dream of the 90's

Is the chicken local?

We spent last weekend in Portland visiting a friend and attending a wedding. If you haven't yet seen Fred Armisen's new show Portlandia, well....you're missing out. Especially if you've ever been to Portland, or lived through the 90's.

As expected, we spent a little money on our weekend. First, I bought Pringles for $2.29 for the road trip. Then, I picked up the tab for some of our meals - $133.33 - way over my monthly allowance, but what can you do. I'm feeling kind of flush with extra money from my eBay selling and I figured that this was our Valentine's Day celebration. The hubs also spent $143.99. Considering how much we ate out, I'm actually pretty happy with those numbers.

Considering how far outside my budget plan they are, I'm not.

I did have a small victory when my friend and I stopped into a clothing store. I saw a sweater I liked, and even went so far as to try it on and calculate the exact price since it was on sale for 25% off. Plus, no tax in Oregon! It was hard, but I walked away.

I'm glad I did.

I recently read a couple articles about being addicted to shopping. I'm definitely not a shopaholic. I don't get a physical high from a purchase or a down afterwards that leads me into a spending cycle. But I can see how easy it would be to become one. We're all shoppers to some extent - you just can't get past it, no matter how self sufficiently you live - and even if I don't experience an actual rush, I still see things that I want and it makes me happy to have them. But when I go over my budget, it makes me bummed.

Certainly I'm lucky that when I feel bummed, I don't think to go shopping for a quick fix. I just try to put my spending on lock down, and be really mindful about what I need and don't. Even though I don't need to go away and eat out for every meal over the weekend, I do need to visit my friend in Portland once in awhile. I do need to have some fun. I don't need to live my life like a hermit, and every once in awhile I can splurge in one area and cut back in another.

Like cutting back my closet, and turning it into cash in the bank :)

If you're in Portland and in a spending mood (I know, I'm a horrible influence!) I highly recommend Papa Haydn and 50 Plates. We eat at both these places every time we're in Portland - they are amazing!