I Had My Debit Card Taken Away (Voluntarily)
Here we go again.
It started with a few innocent purchases at Ann Taylor for 50-90% off.
Then, I started buying anything I wanted that was on sale since I had a $50 off $100 promotion code.
After the promotion code expired, I spent $6 at T.J. Maxx on “The Everything Home Storage Solutions Book,” and started organizing our bathroom and walk-in closet. Of course, this required a new ironing board ($20), bins for the closet ($30), a row of hooks ($16), a recycling container for under the sink ($7) and a wall cabinet ($50). So that’s $123 so far, and I haven’t even bought wooden hangers for the fourth of the closet that still needs them, or bins/boxes/shelfs for the toiletry stockpile under the sink.
I’m out of control.
My husband called me on it last night, as I was sitting on the floor of the bathroom with a million pieces of the wall cabinet I was trying to assemble (with no success, I might add).
“How much did you spend tonight?”
“Um, $70.”
“I thought you weren’t going to spend very much money on this!”
“Yeah, well we need a cabinet to keep all the medicine in instead of having it in a big heap under the sink!”
“Look, that’s great that you want to organize the house, but don’t you remember the talk we had last time this happened? We can do this kind of stuff when we’re debt free.”
“What, in three years? I can’t take it anymore! Our house is always a mess and I’m embarrased to have people over!”
“We just need to clean the house. There’s no need to buy all this stuff!”
(Crying now) “But the reason our house is never clean is because we’re unorganized! I can’t organize stuff when we have nothing to put things in!”
“Have you been taking your medicine?
“Yes!!!!”
“Are you almost out or something?”
“No!!!!”
“Are you bailing on me?”
“No.”
“Well, it’s not fair. You know, I’d like to buy a new computer or go on vacation, but you don’t see that happening! I know it’s for the good of the house, but you need to find something else to do.”
“But I’m bored!
“So get a hobby. I’m going to get a hobby.”
“Everything I like to do costs money - photography, fashion, decorating…”
“So let’s find a free hobby”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, let’s look online. But, I think I need to take your debit card.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right. It’s in my purse.”
(Holds up credit card) “You’re not using this are you?”
“No.”
“OK, well I’ll leave that in here for emergencies. Where’s all your cash? You only have like $25 in here? Did you already spend all your money?”
“No, I just haven’t gone to the ATM yet.”
“OK, well go to the ATM tomorrow, then give me your card. If you put all the cabinet pieces in a pile and put all the little pieces in a bag, I’ll put it together Wednesday night after work.”
“Really? OK.”
So, it’s back to cash only for me…
Photo Credit: Reorganizing my closet by Melilotus, used under Creative Commons licensing.
, hoping it would provide me with a list of items that every wardrobe should contain. And boy, did it!
