Some Practical Tools for Reflecting on Shopping Habits
Or, what to do when you recognize your "package guy"
A little over a year ago, my neighborhood was in the throes of lockdown. Literal lockdown, caused by a trigger-happy neighbor. The police tape ran across our street, knotted off on our mailbox. In other words, one half of our house (including over driveway), was a no-go zone, and the other half was apparently fine. Needless to say, those of us in the house weren’t feeling terribly fine with SWAT, hostage negotiation (turns out there were, thankfully, no hostages), and even one of those mass casualty ambulance buses crowding our view.
A few hours into the ordeal, we see some random dude traipsing down the street, packages in hand. AHHHH is this the shooter?! How did he get past the police and WHAT NOW and why is he carrying boxes?!
We see him lift the crime scene tape tied to our mailbox and head straight for our front door. At this point, the adrenaline urging me to reach for a baseball bat or stand around shrieking (neither of which actually happened) shifted to oh wait! I know him! He’s our package guy!
Of course, like any overly inquisitive (or, as Pittsburghers call it, nebby) neighbors would do, we opened the door— ostensibly for our package, but really because we wanted to know everything the news crew and the snipers on our neighbor’s roof weren’t telling us. Our mailman was more than happy to tell us that he’d had to park at the entrance to the neighborhood, received a SWAT escort past the home in question, and was now delivering packages on foot.
Now THAT is dedication to the job. (Please don’t do this at home, kids).
Have you ever noticed that companies do a pretty good job of advertising themselves on their boxes? So our delivery driver probably had a pretty good idea that he was delivering mundane things like socks and toilet paper and not, you know, something worth risking your life for.
Have you ever noticed that companies do a pretty good job of advertising themselves on their boxes? So our delivery driver probably had a pretty good idea that he was delivering mundane things like socks and toilet paper and not, you know, something worth risking your life for.
In making light of the ordeal later with a friend, I said: “We opened the door because we recognized him! Oh. That should probably say something pretty concerning about our shopping habits.”
(Alternatively, it reveals that my toddlers are the kind who squeal with delight at trash trucks and hang out by the front window in hopes of seeing somebody walking their dog or cutting the grass…whoops, I might be raising little accidental stalkers. It’s up for debate, really).
In case you’re worried that you’re starting to recognize your delivery driver (or worse, he or she is starting to recognize you!), here are a few thoughts:
Wear a disguise
Change your name and flee to the Caribbean
Reflect on your shopping habits
I do not, unfortunately, have any experience with the first two options. If you’re going with option 3, though, well, that’s my forte. We have some new faces around here this week who have shared they would like some support around shopping habits, so I wanted to put a few downloadable resources front and center for you:
What Money Stories Are You Telling Yourself? This is a handy dandy, never-before-seen journaling sesh to help you untangle some of the baggage that comes with your relationship with money.
Tackling Your Purchasing Weak Spots is a guide to asking reflective questions about the things you bring into your life— all separated by category. Feel free to skip down to wherever you need some extra support, whether it’s consumable goods, household decor, books (yes, I went there), or kids’ gear.
Discretionary Spending Tracker— if you are trying to get a better sense of what you are spending, it can often be helpful to track not only what you are buying, but also what’s happening when you’re shopping and how you’re feeling to help you notice patterns. For example, maybe you go shopping when you get stressed by a work project, or during your TV downtime at night. Whatever your habit, this tracker can help you suss it out.
Also, these have at various points lived behind a paywall so YAY FOR FREEBIES. If you find them helpful, please consider sharing this post or upgrading your subscription.
And last, but certainly not least, CHRISTMAS IS COMING. SO IS HANUKKAH. AND KWANZAA. AND EVEN THE LUNAR NEW YEAR. Certainly, every family and culture will have their own traditions, and some will focus on sentimental or handmade presents in lieu of anything from a store. But for many people, you can practice a bit of delayed gratification by putting your nice to haves and that looks neat’s on a holiday wish list— and see if you’re even still interested come December.
Etc.
'I finally watched ‘Do I Need This?’, an award-winning documentary by filmmaker Kate Schermerhorn, this week. It is not available for streaming on any of the major platforms at this point, but it is available for free through Show & Tell Films (here’s the link) and is supposed to be featured on PBS sometime soon. It was just the right mix of sentimental and reflective— in short, an hour well spent.
Are you doing #NothingNewNovember? I’ve done it in the past and loved it (it really takes the pressure off the early November cyber-sale/ Black Friday/ early holiday shopping frenzy when you can’t buy anything anyway… aren’t self-imposed bans the best?), but I’m not sure I’m participating this year. I’d love to hear if you are though!
Also! From now through the end of December, I’ll be extending the ‘founding member’ benefit of a 30 minute Zoom call or e-mail consult (if you want it!) to everyone who decides to upgrade to a paid annual subscription ($60/year). We can chat about whatever you want— but here’s just a few ideas:
Troubleshoot your spending triggers
Make eco-friendly and low-waste swaps work for your lifestyle or small business
How to navigate gift-giving and boundaries this holiday season
(Already a paid subscriber? Not to worry— this offer applies to you as well. Just e-mail me to redeem!).
Paid subscribers may have also noticed a NEW paid subscriber perk— audio voiceovers, if listening is easier than reading (though you may hear the occasional toddler squawking in the background 😂). Thank you for being here. ❤️