I’ve been a long time consumer both of actual tangible things and of content put out by content creators in terms of videos on youtube and instagram of hauls, ads, sponsored content and more.
Don’t get me wrong I LOVE this stuff and I live for it. I love seeing what other people purchase and their reviews on things. This helps me make an informed decision and sometimes helps me when I’m looking for a certain item.
However as we approach the holiday season during a pandemic that does not seem to end, I think it is important to do an audit of our spending and what we are consuming. It is so easy to get caught up on purchasing all the things we see online from our favourite bloggers but we need to also remember that this is their JOB. It is their job/business to purchase and recommend things this is how they make a living. There is nothing wrong with this of course, these bloggers work HARD to make this a business and it truly is admirable. But to compare or to try to keep up with them is a fruitless task.
I am writing this because as I have entered into the world of blogging I find it is easy to get into the habit of buying things to have content for my blog. I take lots of cute pics outside during my outdoor adventures and the truth is I am usually wearing the same outfit or a variation the same outfit on several different days. I get lots of use of my clothes and as I’ve gotten older I have been concentrating on buying few good quality items rather than lots and lots of clothing that is more affordable but that I barely reach for.
Working from home has really amplified my creature-of-habit tendencies. I find if I really like an outfit I repeat it often especially because I’m rarely out!
I think part of the reason that I seek out accounts on instagram of bloggers who actually have a 9-5 is because it is relatable to me on several levels. I too work a 9-5 job. Blogging is truly something I do for fun. Of course I would love to have the opportunity to make this my livelihood one day but for the time being I am enjoying the connections I am making and the messagings I am getting from others who seem to find value in my content.
Anyway, I am writing this to post to just tell those who are working towards financial goals (mine is of course paying off my student loan which I’ve been very transparent about through this blog), don’t be discouraged or caught up in spending or participating in sales. The sales really increase and the promotional ad content is amplified during this time of year (we just had amazon prime day, American thanksgiving is coming up which means black friday and cyber monday, and as I’m writing this Bay Days has just started for my Canadian readers). It is important to focus on what you want your bank account to look like in the last 3 months of the year. A lot of us have seen a drastic decline (or incline) in our spending especially during the shutdown. If you increased your online shopping habits your inner frugal Franny is probably telling you to sit these sales out. If you decreased and barely spent anything during the shut down, you are likely already justifying and rewarding yourself and going off during these sales LOL.
Just make sure you won’t be kicking yourself for the mindless spending or getting caught up in the sales during this time.
As for myself, I have already set a goal for myself to not buy anymore clothing items for the rest of the year. Sales will come and go and I have no where to be (for once I have no holiday work events to attend so no outfits to be prepared this is bitter-sweet).
However I absolutely love beautiful bags and I have my eye on one that I want to buy before the end of the year. That is the only thing I’m allowing myself to buy and the only thing I can justify at this time, as a reward for surviving this pandemic and a treat for myself to surviving my first year of working as a real lawyer(…?) this is of course what I’m telling myself haha.
I know this post is all over the place but what I’m trying to say is to live your life and try not to get caught up wanting things that you don’t need or browsing sales just for the hell of it. Social media really makes it easy to be aware of sales but also can sometimes encourage you to buy things that you may regret – don’t let that happen! I am all about money positivity here but also being smart with your money.
