A New Way of Living.

My name is Terri, and I'm a shop-a-holic. Make-up, shoes, clothes, Starbucks coffee - all of these things make me euphoric. I read the "Shop-A-Holic" book series by Sophie Kinsella not because they're funny (which they are,) but because I feel that Becky Bloomwood and I are kindered spirits. I cannot resist a sale. I can justify any purchase, no matter how frivolous. I love to buy things. It's a sickness.

I lived with my parents until I was 25 and got married. I married a guy who already owned his home and was already paying the mortgage. Aside from a car payment or a cell phone bill, I have never really had any financial obligations to meet. Since I started working "real jobs" when I was about 21, I have made lots of money. How much do I have saved? None. I've bought a new car and paid it off, but other than that - I've spent all of my money on new outfits, cute purses, highlights, expensive make-up, wine, fancy dinners, and a myriad of other unimportant things.

We had a baby in May. Baby shopping brings shopping-obsession to a whole new level. I have not stopped buying cute baby outfits, shoes, toys, etc. since he was born. It is out of hand. Like I said, it's a sickness.

I cannot say that I had a noble motive that caused my "financial awakening." The thing that made me review my spending habits was the quest for a 2009 membership to the Otterbein Swim Club. The Otterbein pool is a posh oasis in the middle of the city. Adult pool, baby pool, playground, picnic area. The mommies chit-chat and get tan while their kids splash around in the pool. There are parties and events for grown-ups in the evening. In a nutshell, everyone who's anyone in our circle of city friends has a membership there...and it's expensive. About $1200 up front, and $600 a year from then on. Wow, right? I know. Still, I need to belong to this pool next summer. It's making me crazy. Andrew told me that, although he thinks it's a little overpriced, if I can save up the money, we can join. Here begins my journey into budgeting.

I began to do a little investigating into my spending with the help of Pear Budget. (Pear Budget, we love you and we will be talking about you lots in this blog!) Pear Budget is a program that, among loads of other cool things, allows you to enter your receipts and see how much you're spending on different things. My findings were not pretty. I spend $1,000 a year on my hair, $1,000 on manicures and pedicures, and more money than I care to discuss on random pretty and exciting things I see at Target. It's all very nauseating when you break it down. What have I been doing with my money?

Since drastic times call for drastic measures and I NEED that pool membership, I did something I have never, ever done before in my life. I created a budget (gasp.) It starts today - October 1st. A new way of living. I want to reign in my spending. I want to know where my money's going. I want to sun myself poolside from May through September. (Shallow, I know, but I'd rather be honest.)

Some immediate goals: clip coupons, buy more generic products, go from two mani/pedis a month to just one, and account for every single penny I spend with my new Pear Budget program! I also opened an ING Direct savings account, with plans to put all money I haven't spent at the end of the month into savings. I think I've made some great strides toward cleaning up my financial act.

So there you have it, the reason I'm starting to blog about money. How many other ladies are out there who have a life like mine? Super husband who pays all the major bills, paycheck that goes toward very few actual bills, trying to fit into the hustle and bustle of city life, a new mom who wants to buy the world for her son while still paying for his nanny (for my part-time work schedule,) diapers, formula and date-night baby-sitters. I hope you'll enjoy reading about my journey into financial responsibility. Here goes nothing!

- t