Falling back into the spiral of desire

WOW! We haven't posted since July! Sorry! I've been trying to think what has happened to our year of no buying. I still likely can't articulate it well, but I'll try.

We started eating out again in the first trimester of pregnancy because I felt terrible and didn't want to think about food enough to cook. Unfortunately we've continued that habbit with the usual excuses of business and such. It seems to be a strong tendency of the busy American life that is such a strong pull it almost feels like I have no choice. I do; I'm just lazy sometimes. If dinner isn't planned and we have somewhere to be, it's easier. I must say that it makes me a little sad. When we weren't eating out so much, it was very special when we did - for birthdays or anniversaries. Now I'm just entirely too sick of fast food again....

We also started buying clothes. Dennis got a couple new pairs of dress pants for work so that I wouldn't have to iron as often:) I of course needed maternity clothes as I began growing out of my other colthes. Mind you, I hadn't been clothes shopping in ages. That's my pattern. Go forever with what you have and then buy a bunch. I think clothes shopping opened up my consumption flood gates! I didn't really have to buy loads. Thank you Dennis' sister, Nancy for maternity hand-me-downs!

Still, between getting excited about shopping for clothes and nesting, I seem to have fallen into the spiral of desire. I want a record player....I want an ipod...I want an external hard drive....I want....Of course, I try to justify it in the name of "simplifying our lives. "It will help us organize, have fewer things laying about." Trouble is, so many things meant to "simplify" really just complicate life. URG. Am I going to need to put myself through withdrawl again to break the cycle. Withdrawl from shopping sounds silly, but it's real and NOT fun. Thanks to my wise husband, I think I'm beginning to reign it in. He works very hard to be loving while asking questions that essentially say, "Do we really need this?" Of course there is also the added motivation that we have to save a rather large chunk of money in order for us to be able to pay my taxes (stinks working for yourself) and for me to be able to take 4 weeks maternity leave.

So, I suppose all that to say, we've cheated a little:( but we are still trying to be more conservative and looking for ways to be less and less wasteful.

Heidi