Shopping, a Propah Weakness

I have to say that shopping is my weakness and here I am in the midst of everyone talking about "tidying up" and organizing all of their belongings and getting rid of things that don't spark joy... and now I am facing something head on, that I suppose that I've known for a long time. I love to shop and when I am sad, upset, looking for purpose or bored, my first instinct is to pull up a website and shop, or go to a store and shop... and I actually think that now that I am acknowledging it, I can channel this energy better and more mindfully.

This isn't a new venture for me and it's something that I still struggle with. Now I am not saying that I will avoid all those sweet Spring dresses  when it comes time or I won't pick up a men's blazer for my husband but I am going to make an effort to be a better, more thoughtful shopper. Picking up only the items I need, maybe for a special occasion or when the kids are outgrowing the clothes that seem to only fit for a few days before it's too small. I am going to make shopping an experience, not a throw away exercise in spending money and time on things that won't "spark joy". If I am going to spend money, it will be a good use of all of those things.

I have been working on a low spend January, which is going OK, not great but not horrible. December was like a free for all and I sort of felt like I was hemorrhaging money in the goal to make our holiday more excellent. Now curbing those urges is proving to be a challenge. So moving forward this month, I am keeping to that low spend, avoiding places like Target (where I just buy so much we don't need), creating a solid food and household budget and then going no spend for February, much like I did last year. I need to do a detox of sorts, find different ways to fill time and find happiness... I want to make shopping fun again, not a weakness that I have to fight.

Any tips and tricks on curbing a mild shopping urge when the weather is cold and we're all hibernating?

Plant Based in 2019 with Alpha Foods

*This post was created in collaboration with Alpha Foods. All opinions are 100% my own.

I'll be 100% honest. In 2018, my husband and I, well, we might have made runs to a certain taco themed fast food restaurant once or twice (or ten times)... sometimes you have a craving for that yummy handheld food that you just don't want to have to share with your kids. As with a lot of people this time of year, we are vowing to make our meals more nutritious and also our easy food a little bit healthier as well! Enter Alpha Foods. I was just introduced to this brand recently and was able to snag some of their plant based frozen burritos and handheld pies so that we could try... and let's just say we have found an easier and healthier option for our occasional burrito craving!

Alpha Foods has created delicious, plant based, protein packed options for those of us wanting to find easier options to eat healthier. No GMOs, no cholesterol, no hormones, corn syrup, artificial flavors, preservatives or animal products without sacrificing any flavor. After the gym on Saturday, I had no desire to pick up lunch out so we just made a couple of burritos and pot pies and the whole family shared a couple of different flavors. We all have our favorites but I'll be working on the Philly Sandwich if you're wondering.

Seriously, I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner. What an amazing way for us to save money, calories, and the gas to drive by stocking up on Alpha Foods while I'm at Stop 'n Shop or Shaw's (find your nearest store here). With amazing flavors like Mexicali, Pizza, Philly Sandwich and Chick'n Fajita, we can consume less meat (one of my personal 2019 goals) while also getting the flavors that we crave on any given lunch, dinner or even weekend snack!

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