Couple's Corner: Shopping Galore!

Just like every woman, I love to shop, too! I remember when I was still single, I always give myself a treat after payday. It's either I would treat myself to a nice meal or go to the mall and shop. Mind you, I always shop for a name brand clothing and shoes. I would go to Alabang Town Center, Robinson, SM and Landmark and would not shop in Ukay Ukay or market. By so doing, I accumulated a lot of shoes and clothing that drove my grandmother crazy:-)! Back in Malaysia, I started shopping with friends and we would always go for name brand items such as Lacoste, Guess, Tommy Hillfigger, Ralph Lauren and more. Spending money was not a problem for me then.

But after Matt and I bought our first house, I started to slow down shopping. Every once in a while we would go to Thrift store or Goodwill even yard sale. But lately, I have found out that I don't need to go to those places because I can get new clothes even at the mall for a cheap price, all I have to do is wait for the clearance sale. I also use coupons and discount cards in order to save money both at the grocery store and mall. Now, I still shop for clothes, but mostly for my son. And if I want a nicer purses or bag, I would go to TJ Maxx for they sell quality made stuffs for reasonable price.

Indeed when you are married with kids, your perspective changes. I always think of my son now and hubby when I shop. And if I want something for me, I will need to think whether I really need it or not. Usually, I ended not buying anything for myself at all.

Yesterday, hubby took me on a date. His plans was we would watch movie, lunch and shop at the mall. But you know what? We did watch movie, but since we had pop corn, pretzel and soda at the movie, I decided not to eat lunch since both of us were not hungry yet. So he said, let's go shop. He told me he would like to buy me a new cellphone since he knew I like to replace mine with the slider one. Well, upon seeing the ridiculous prices of the cellphone at the mall, I decided that the one I have now is still okay. I don't need that expensive phone or purse. Then, we went to look for earring and once again, I couldn't afford to spend much money for a small jewelry, so we ended going home empty handed. Hubby was sad because he really wanted to get something nice for me this Christmas. Plus, I feel guilty spending money while other people need it more than I do..like my family back home. I would rather give the money to them than spend it to such an expensive things I don't really need!

As I get older, I realized that those material things are not really important to me now. Yup, it will make me happy for a short time, but that's about it! The Best Things in Life are NOT Things! It is our family, and the peace and lasting happiness we feel when we are together...sharing what we have and what we need...not what we wanted.