Saving up this spring...

So I had a little heart attack last Friday where I logged into my online banking and realized that there was a problem. A problem named "Jeanne's shopping habits".

Scrolling down my bank statement and looking at how much I'd dropped at Sephora or MAC or H&M... it was embarrassing and frustrating. I'm a sucker for limited editions and new collections and I'm a softie in the makeover chair, so I've got a lot of stuff that just gets added on top of everything else I have.

So I need to knock it off. No more shopping sprees. When Kati and I were doing the knitblogging thing, it was called a "yarn diet": use the yarn you have, stop buying new yarn! For me now (as the yarn buying has, well, pretty much stopped), that means "stay out of Sephora! stop looking at Specktra! avoid the beauty supply store with OPI and Essie on the way home from work!"

It is, of course, very hard, especially when your Bloglines is full of chatter about what's new and hot for spring and summer and it's all so incredible and so tempting. But the truth is, I have a lot of awesome stuff that I have never used or tried more than once because I've already moved onto the next thing. And I've spent a good chunk of change on it, because everything I've got, I paid for myself.

Just like before I left for Europe and Japan, I have a set goal to achieve this summer that I need to save money for: I'm moving, and since I'm going to be moving up to San Francisco, it's going to be expensive not just to start up, but every month after that. And so I've got to sock away as much money as I can towards that goal, and then keep socking it away. (And no, I do not need to buy myself a new cute piggy bank to do so. THAT IS NOT THE POINT.)

So no more stops at Sephora. No more "well, I'm at the drugstore anyway, might as well grab this and that and this too" buys. No more impulsive Etsy buys. No more new nail polishes. No more "I'm just going to LOOK in H&M, I swear" or "Hmm, I'll just stop in at American Apparel before the gym". I'm going to use what I have for as long as I can. I've already done an awesome job of not buying a new swimsuit since '06 -- last year all I wanted was the perfect simple black retro-esque one piece suit. I didn't find it, I didn't buy it, and while I'd still like one, I didn't (and don't) ultimately need one.

There will be, of course, some things that I'll allow. In the next couple of months, I'll be having my birthday and I'll be getting some tax returns (not to mention that "save the American economy and buy! buy! buy!" incentive). Odds are that yeah, I'll be putting that money away as well, but Naughty Nauticals is coming out in May, and not to mention Marimekko for H&M... NO. STOP IT, JEANNE.

But I will still be attending events, including ones that charge cover, and (naturally) I'll still be eating, going places, and getting haircuts. And I'll be rediscovering (and writing about!) the things that I have in my collection and my wardrobe, which will be fun, like falling in love again. (Right? Right.)

Anyone else in the same dilemma I am? How do you decide what to buy and what to walk away from? What are you putting your money towards this spring?

image from banksbanksbanks.com