The most recent answer is…6. Hey, for me, that’s doing really good.

Kind of ironic - I blog about shopping, and then start goaling myself not to shop. How this all came about was a look at my checkbook register - all the debit card useage at grocery stores and Walgreens. Prior to that, I had myself convinced that I still spent $50 a week on food. This despite the stratospheric rise in prices on so many items. And Walgreens - that doesn’t count, right? WRONG. Adding the grocery charges and Walgreens charges up for a month - grand total was $600 and change. $150 a week is quite a jump from $50 a week.

So, I put myself on a spending diet. Joined in on a grocery challenge. Kept track of each day I didn’t spend a penny. Some of those days, I actually found a penny - or dime - once even a quarter - on the street. People don’t like to pick up change they drop near parking meters. Oops, I just let you in on my secret.

My not necessarily scientific - but oh so true - findings:

1. While I may have convinced myself that it was a good idea to go to the grocery store a mile from work every day (”just think of all the exercise - walking AND weight training, because some of those bags are heavy”), truth is, I was spending an awful lot that way. Walking to the lakefront is a prettier walk. And it’s free. Or I might even make a bit of money with found change (see above.)

2. Passing by great deals (that I didn’t really need) did not hurt me. My stockpile of health and beauty items is as big as ever. My freezer is still pretty darn full, as is my pantry.

3. By shopping less, I’m appreciating the occasional super deal even more. Something like the law of diminishing returns, the more deals I get, the less awed and appreciative I am. There are some areas where I haven’t quite grown up, I guess.

4. If I skip a great sale - the item WILL go on sale again. Yes. It. Will. And hey - maybe I didn’t really need it to begin with.

In the near future, I hope to report a 10 days without shopping stretch. In between, I’ll have a few more shopping blogs that actually involve shopping.