Danger's a comin'. . . . .

A good friend is coming to visit at the end of the month, someone with whom I've spent countless hours drinking coffee, chatting, and yes, shopping. This will be the first visit we've had since I started my new frugal living habits, and I'm a little nervous about how I'll handle the pressure to spend money on things I don't need.

The last time she visited (in October, I believe), I bought a pair of shoes I've literally never worn. I HAD to have them at the time, but there they sit in my closet, mocking me with their shiny newness. Granted, I think they cost less than $20, but that is in addition to the roughly $60 I also spent on another pair of shoes (which I do wear occasionally) as well as some $20 hand lotion from Kiehls ($20! For hand lotion! WHAT was I thinking? It is great stuff, though). I believe there was also the purchase of some makeup, which I rarely use.

I'm trying to think of strategies that I can use to avoid this happening again. I do want to go out to breakfast and dinner, get coffee somewhere, and perhaps go to a movie, so I'm going to budget for this. But I don't want to spend anything on items that I wouldn't have purchased had my friend not been visiting (because I wouldn't have dared step foot in Banana Republic, Nordstrom, or Anthropologie).

I still can't find my credit card (not that I've spent much time looking), which is a good thing. The fact that I'm truly limited to the cash in my checking account will serve to control my spending----just paying for the entertainment noted above will be a stretch this month, in fact.

I'm going to spend some time over the next two weeks researching some other strategies I can use to control my spending urges when my friend visits, and I'll share what I find on these pages.