Another Trip to the Mall

I made a trip to my local mall today. It was a necessity, as I lost my iPhone (Yes, the one I just got a month ago. "This is going to be, like, your third iPhone!" my eight year old commented.) and needed to check on the price for a replacement.

So, deflated by the news that it would cost hundreds of dollars to replace my phone, in effect getting me nothing more than what I had at this time yesterday afternoon, I moped around the shopping center. There was still an hour before I needed to be at school to help out in my son's class.

It's been almost a month since I've been at this mall, and even in that short time, I noticed that my friends Kenneth (Cole) and Max (Studio) had moved out. Feeling depressed — how stupid could I be to leave my phone sitting on a bench, even for a few minutes? — I was tempted to get a little pick-me-up.

While the racks were relatively bare, as they usually are during this post holiday slump, many storefronts were decked out in my favorite navy and white stripes of the "Resort" season. I knew better than to go and pick up a cute sailor top, but I did wander into The Body Shop and my favorite Japanese tea boutique. The coconut body butter and peach and vanilla green tea were calling my name, but even those relatively minor treats just didn't feel very "treat-like" to me. If I hadn't been on this Year (Almost) Without Shopping project, I seriously think I would have bought one of those. Not that either of things are on my No Buy List. But just one month of introspection and staying away from unnecessary spending has heightened my awareness of when I am emotionally shopping.

Anyway, pretty soon I will be buying myself something black and shiny.