The Spending Habits of a Diva

As the holiday shopping season approaches, I thought it would be a good time to let you in on some of my shopping patterns and the ways I save money. All of my family and friends know that I'm extremely resourceful and sometimes I can be down right cheap (I like to think of myself as "thrifty"!).

Last month, Oprah devoted several of her shows to helping families overcome the rough economic times. She hosted Suze Orman and Stephanie Nelson, founder of CouponMom.com. I have to admit that I spend most of my Saturday nights in front of CNBC watching Suze. Do I always do the right thing with my money? Heck no, but she's a great money mentor and gives sound advice along with her infamous "Smack Downs". I'd visited Stephanie's website a time or two, but had never implemented any of her easy coupon clipping strategies to combat skyrocketing grocery prices; I have my own system for using coupons and follow it faithfully. Just between us, I couldn't fathom someone outdoing me in the coupon/saving/thrifty department! However, after seeing her in action I decided to give it a try. I used my store's weekly sales ad and bought the items and brands that were on sale. I saved $24 the first week and $17 the following week. Now for some of you hi-rollers, I'm sure that's small change but for me and my family, that was major moolah (I can buy shoes, a purse, and a bra with the $41 I saved!). The new sales ads come out on Wednesday's and I make it a point to be there. I don't get bogged down with trying to go on a certain day and all that stuff, I just go when it's convenient for me.

I encourage each and every one of you to make just one change in your spending habits. I'm asking you to strengthen the relationship you have with your money. Pick something that works for you and stick with it for 30 days. Track how much you save and let that be your incentive to continue on and implement a new strategy. I said earlier that I could've bought about three things with the money that I'd saved, but that's clearly not the objective. Although I do encourage you to celebrate when you reach your desired savings goals.

I'd love for you to share the creative ways you recession-proof your life. Leave a comment and invite a friend to do the same. Do you need an accountability partner? I sure could use a few more! Call me and let's see how we can better help each other.

Talk to you soon...