Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.

Day 31:  Stay Away From The Mall

I am sitting in a hotel room near the Mall of Georgia.  Located near Atlanta, the Mall of Georgia is the “largest mall in Georgia and one of the largest malls in America”.  We have a family event planned for tomorrow morning, so our entire family is staying here tonight.  We have just returned from the mall - and I was inspired to write this post.

If you want to save money, stay away from the mall.  Just. Stay. Away.

Four years ago, before we started getting out of debt, we stayed in this same hotel and we went shopping at the Mall of Georgia.  I have no idea how much stuff we purchased - but I do remember that we had a difficult time squeezing it all into the trunk of our car.

Tonight, we went to the mall for ‘just a few minutes’ - ‘just to walk around’ - and I was shocked by the size of the place, the massive size of its parking lot, and the huge volume of people.  Once inside, we were bombarded by the sound of music, the smell of fast food, and the hum of conversation.

There were people everywhere, spending money, on everything from golf clubs to blue jeans, big cookies to washing machines.  And, for a moment, a single, solitary, moment, I wanted to be “one of them”.

I wanted to throw my budget out the window and buy, buy, buy!

But, of course, I didn’t.  I just walked around with my family, looked at a new set of golf clubs, did a little people-watching, and went back to the car.  Sure, it would have been fun to buy some ’stuff’ -  But, the truth is, I don’t really need anymore ’stuff’.

It’s easy to be content when we are at home, happy with our family.  But, when we surround ourselves with people who are spending money, it’s very, very easy to get ’sucked in’.  Instead of being happy with that ‘comfortable pair of shoes’ - we convince ourselves that our shoes ‘look bad and need replacing’.  That hand-me-down bike?  Looks great when Billy is riding it around in the backyard - not so great when compared to the brand new Z43X-W Super-Speed at the sporting goods store.

May I suggest that you do yourself a favor and avoid the pressure and temptation of the mall?  If you MUST go - go with a list, make your purchases, and get out as fast as is possible! :)

I look forward to reading your comments -

Click here to read all of the 33 Days And 33 Ways To Save Money And Reduce Debt posts.Observant readers will note that this series has taken much longer than 33 days. I can assure you, I am blogging as often as life permits.