I love Target. My son naps better in the stroller going through Target than anywhere else. On bad days, walking down those aisles will always cheer me up whether or not I decide to purchase anything.
However, in a recent effort to start saving money, I've decided to cut back on my trips to Target. On my most recent trip, I stocked up on everything I could possibly think of that might otherwise tempt me to revisit again soon: baby wipes (I love the Up & Up brand), prenatal vitamins (the Up & Up brand is the most comprehensive prenatal vitamin I've found), bath soap, dishwasher detergent (7th generation), and baby cereal (Earth's Best). My goal is to abstain from Target for a month.
I am often drawn to Target (and shopping in general), because it is an easy excuse to get out of the house. Why the need to get out? At first, I blamed boredom and the need to stop looking at dirty dishes, unvacuumed surfaces, and dog hair fur piles that make me furrow my brow. What I think this really boils down to is not maximizing the space and potential activities that my home can host.
Without complaining about my desire for a magical cleaning fairy to manage my housecleaning for me (as a born and raised slob, I am evolving slowly into being self-reliant and efficient in all manners of housework), I realized that with a cleaner and less cluttered house, I could happily be doing all sorts of fun things with materials that I already have! While it is fun to find a craft, go out and buy supplies, and then come home and make it, this creates two problems: more stuff (clutter) being brought in and spending money (needlessly).
Here are some simple, fun, and cheap projects that I have been working on recently:
http://www.craftpassion.com/2010/03/recycle-tutorial-braided-rag-rug.html This is a braided rug made from old sheets- I'm sewing up my second one now, with one more to go in the bathroom.
My very own raised vegetable bed! My husband used Pioneer Woman's Tutorial as his basis: http://thepioneerwoman.com/homeandgarden/2011/02/build-your-own-raised-flowervegetable-bed/
While I did have to buy materials to make a vegetable bed (and a fence to keep the dogs out of the compost), it allows me to better use the space in my yard. Plus, I will hopefully have a nice crop of organic vegetables to enjoy soon(ish)! I've been making my own baby food purees, and I think it will be really fun to show Hamish where food comes from and to be able to pick and feed him from plants in our own back yard.
With the money I save (hopefully, about a $100/month), I'm going to try to maintain my minimum hours/week at work so that I continue to have time at home with the boy and some nights off in common with my husband. I don't think living within our means has to be difficult, but it can be a (very worthwhile) challenge.
