No Target for the month of August

While I don’t think its realistic to drastically cut my spending with several weeks of summer left and the fact that I’m going to Florida for the first week of August on two family trips, I can take a small step and stop spending in a store that has been my “budget kryptonite” for the past few months: Target. My job happens to be across the street from a shopping center that has a Target, making it way too easy to head over there and spend money I have no business spending. From snacks to greeting cards to clothes to household items, I have definitely been giving a nice chunk of my money to Target since it opened earlier this summer. Target is a one-stop-shop type of place where you can get such a variety of things, so it is tempting to overspend. My Mint account has forced me to shine a light on this weakness and nip it in the bud. I like Mint so much because it is an easy way to determine where your money is going and keep track of your cash flow. The only frustrating thing is that sometimes all of my accounts aren’t updated every time I log on, but I wonder if it’s just my ridiculously slow lap top that is responsible for that. So for the month of August, I won’t be spending a dime in the store. If I'm successful at this, I'll keep it going. I guess I should get that tool kit I was eyeing before my self-imposed deadline. I really need to think about every purchase I make and ask myself: Do I really need that? Because if I don’t, the item should stay in the store. I will work out a revised budget in September after the summer is over.

Do you have a store at which you are making an effort to curb your spending?

Image: Target Website