Shopping Fast update

I'm over halfway through my month-long shopping fast and I have to say, it's going pretty well, my resolve remains strong and, bonus, my husband is pleased about the whole thing. 

One thing that has stood out is the onslaught of emails I receive every day trying to convince me to part with my money.  There is something so freeing in being able to quickly delete all of these without a second thought.  Some companies even send me multiple emails a day!  Changing my email preferences is definitely on my to-do list. 

I also have an easy answer when my kids ask for something and so far, they've accepted it.  No frivolous dollar bin purchases at Target.  :)

The only time I've spent "extra" money is on purchases that I'd previously committed to (such as our Michigan's Adventure outing) and for treating a friend (and myself) to coffee...other than that I've stood firm.  This has allowed me to think outside our American consumeristic box.  For instance, my kids are taking tennis lessons for the first time this week.  Rather than going out and buying them racquets, we borrowed a pair.  (If they end up loving tennis, that can be something they add to their wishlists).  When my daughter left a pair of flip flops at the beach, I couldn't go out and buy her new ones so she's making do with an older pair that's a tad too small.   And why not?!

A few things have come to mind that I'd like to purchase and I've been adding them to my own wishlist in case I still want them next month (nail polish, a book, an umbrella for our patio set), and the delayed gratification will help me appreciate those items more.  The lag time also allows me to evaluate--Do I really need this item?  Is there a better way that my money can be used, perhaps in blessing another person?  No spontaneous purchases makes me a wiser steward of our money.  (No "fool and her money are soon parted" this month!)