Bullseye

Well, I did it.  (High five, high five, high five!)  I went an entire YEAR without going to Target.

Did you ever doubt me?  I definitely did!  As with most resolutions, I crept into the year with some serious skepticism, found myself wondering why I took on this challenge, and then had moments of curiosity about why it was ever a big deal to begin with.  For a little background, you can read last year's post HERE and catch up at the half-way point HERE, all leading up to today.  Yup, this post has been a year in the making...so, here we go.

This morning, I got up like any other day, drank my giant mug of coffee and bribed my girls into eating breakfast and getting dressed so that we could get out the door before noon.  Whew.  Matilda is old enough to know exactly what "Do you want to go shopping?" means, and so it didn't take too much persuading.

However, when I said "Do you want to go to Target?" and she said "What's that?" I was taken aback for a second in remembering how she would have zero context for what or where that was.  It was so strange.  Like, when your little kid sees Michael Jackson or the Olympics on TV and you have to explain to them how this is something iconic and they should file it away in their little brains as part of the American Institution of life.  Remember this, kid, tuck this away, you don't want to look like an idiot when someone refers to this later in life.  Target, indeed, has become an American Institution.  And, like it or not, shopping has become an American pastime that we all rather pride ourselves in.

Coming off the heels of Christmas, we're all still wringing ourselves dry from dripping with the saturation of overt consumerism that we call "gift giving".  We've seen deals come and go.  We've wrapped and unwrapped and exchanged and gift carded our fair share of things just as we all do at the end of every year.  By the time January comes along, we're sad to see the glow of our Christmas trees dim, but we're all slightly anxious to step back into routine and relax in the comfort of our newly visitor-less homes.  As much as we dread the emptiness of a new year upon us, there is something calm and lovely about it too.  Clean slates.  New hopes.  And a chance to right some wrongs that perhaps we misstepped the year before.

And so, a calm bravery swept upon me as I drove my girls to the land of Target...a journey that I, not so long ago, took with ease and familiarity.  But now, as I parked and yanked a cart from the army of red crates before me, I found myself perplexed with caution and delight.

Here I was - I made it!  A whole year of Wal-Mart and Big Lots and Old Navy, and finally, finally, finally, after all the months of manna, I'd been let into the Promised Land once more.  Target!  Hello my old friend!

And yet, I felt no comfort.  I felt no reciprocating joy at my return.  I felt no peace at piling my cart with trinkets or deals that I had conquered by the aisle.  My guard was up, and I was very serious about this battle.

What the heck is going on?  I've gotta get out of this funk!

I had envisioned a lovely return to Target.  I had envisioned a relaxed, enjoyable mixture of entertainment and refined shopping.  I was determined to combine my needs for what I came for (shopping list in hand) along with my desire for an uplifting experience.  This seems reasonable, right?

Naturally, as most things in my life seem to, this required some caffeine behind it.  I had to start the trip off right, and so, the girls and I stopped off for a snack (latte for me, milk and madeleines for them) before continuing our shopping escapade.

This would help, I thought.  I just need to get back into the feel of how it used to be.  Relax and have fun.  I won't go crazy, I'll be fine.  Just stroll around and take it in and see what I discover.  What's this trip all about?  What do they have in store for me?  Get what I need and see how it all compares to the last year of shopping that I've encountered.  

Ah, okay.  (By the way, I know this all sounds dramatic and ridiculous to those of you who just went shopping and perhaps thought nothing of it.  I get that.  I absolutely and totally have been there.)  But, this trip was (in a word) weird for me.  I have been away.  I have seen the Matrix.  I have returned and have a newly developed, extremely acute awareness of what Target is wanting me to experience right now.  And, well, it wasn't working.

Here's my analysis:  Target is brilliant.  I mean, freaking genius.  They are purposeful in every way.  They are masterminds at drawing my attention to where I think I'm the one making decisions for myself in my best interest.  But, I'm not.  Well, I wouldn't have been before today, anyway.  And, while I've been outside of the store and not shopped Target online at all in 365 days...I'm not immune to their ad campaigns in the mail or on TV and can wholeheartedly say they have just about the cutest most clever marketing out there.  Agreed?

Here's the Target experience:
I walk in.  Lovely red carts all lined up.  Not the heavy metal ones.  No, these babies are plastic and easy and with a  complimentary wipe station right next to it because they know I'm a mom who's hoping her kids do not get the flu, thank you very much, don't mind if I do.  Latte?  Why, sure!  Why not.  It's right there and the kids want popcorn or milk or something and it will help quiet them down while I shop so what's a few bucks up front to ensure a productive visit?  Done.  Now remember, we're here for hand soap, diapers and toilet paper.  That's it.
First stop:  dollar bins. Hello bargain shopper!  Right away I feel like I've come to the best place possible.  Everything is a DOLLAR in this 12'X10' area, so how harmful could it be?  Cute socks, some stickers, maybe a little monogrammed anything because it's only a dollar, so why not?  Okay, on to the first item on the actual shopping list.
Wait?  Does that come in my size?  Women's clothes is first thing when you walk in.  Cute stuff up front, bargains in back.  And, does that say Neiman Marcus?  Aren't they that shmancy New York store that is like super-high-dollar that I saw on that makeover show that one time?  How could I afford that?  But, one glance at a price tag and I get a little rush at the thought that I can afford it.  No, I can't think of a setting that is yet-on-the-calendar to wear this cute dress to...but, for that price I will come up with a new excuse to show off this new little number.  I want it.  And my husband will agree once he sees me in it.  I'm sure.
Okay, back to shopping.  Stuff for kids.  Toiletries.  Paper goods.  Check check check.  Is that Nate Berkus?  What's he doing here?  Oh my gosh, that is the cutest towel set I've ever seen.  That bedding matches?  AND a throw pillow?  I love it.  I want it.  But, I shouldn't.  But, I could.  But, now I feel guilty.  Okay, I should buy my husband something so I feel less guilty.  Okay, I'll swing by electronics and get him that CD that's only $11.99 and he'll thank me later for it all and just be glad I spared him a shopping trip with these little hooligans.
Fine!  We'll stop by the toys.  Here, take this.  Fine, what's $5 for your happiness and whatever stops your whining.  I'm exhausted.  Crap, I totally forgot about dinner.  Let's swing by the groceries.  And, oh yeah, we're out of milk.  Whatever, I'll just grab it since I'm here already.  Yogurts on sale?  Chips?  Okay, that looks good.  That's it, we're leaving.
Clearance sign.  What?  Well, I'll just peek.  70% OFF?  For real?  I don't have anywhere to put this candle, but isn't it my cousin's birthday next week?  Birthday!  Oh yeah, I just about forgot my nephew's birthday!  Let's grab a card on the way to the register.  Better get a gift card too.
Okay, we're really done.  I'm outta here.  That'll be how much?  But all I bought was toilet paper, right?  Sigh. Whoops, I totally forgot to buy diapers.

Does that sound familiar to anybody else?  Don't leave me hanging here!  They've got us figured out.  Here is the beauty of Target:  They are cheap enough that it feels like you aren't buying expensive things, but just expensive enough that you don't feel like you're buying cheap things.  Catch my drift?  They have perfectly priced themselves to entice you just enough so that the ways in which you justify your items outweigh any hesitations you might have.  And, somehow, they have products RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR FACES to help us eliminate any hesitations we might be dealing with, perpetuating the spending cycle.

They are geniuses at this in two major ways:  1)  product placement (this is kind of a no-brainer) and 2) gift-cards-as-coupons.  This has "sucker" written all over it.  All over the aisles of Target is this new "incentive bargain".  You don't get to actually save any money today, but rather, when you buy 2 (or 3 or more or whatever) of something, you can get a $5 (or more) gift card to come back and spend later.

Well, guess what me and every other shopper out there are doing when we see this sign?  We're subtracting $5 (or more) from the listed price and convinced we are getting a heck of a deal.  Beware!  They just hooked you in to come back and shop again (for, no doubt, more than $5 worth) and are counting on at least a zillion of us to misplace, lose, or forget about that $5 card they just handed us.  Boom - brilliant.

Here's my last thought on Target's marketing.  Their brands.  We love them.  We're not ashamed to buy "Target brand" anything.  It's not grosser or weaker or uglier than the name brands that we're used to being suckered into.  It's not "Wal-Mart-grade" or "Big-Lots-caliber".  Not in the least.  We're totally prideful in Archer Farms, Market Place, Up-n-Up, Method and all the other pseudo-saver-types that catch our eyes and let us know that we are doing the economical thing by not splurging for the elite-top-shelf-quality-brand that we recognize a mile away.  Target knows this.  Target appreciates this.  And Target places their version of whatever-it-is EXACTLY NEXT TO the others so that you can feel like you are competitively shopping with the utmost of accuracy.

Bullseye.  Target, I'm starting to see your true colors.  You did me wrong, making me think that I needed you so badly.  Turns out, you are just aisles and aisles full of things I never knew I could completely live without.  And I would know - I did it!

The thing about Target, the thing they most brilliantly have mastered, is that they have figured out my weakness of where my line of "giving in" is at.  See, I don't have a problem with caving and spending an obscene amount of money on a Coach bag or Prada dress.  I am not that tempted to buy designer furniture or one-of-a-kind art.  I very rarely (if ever) find myself accidentally stumbling upon products I grossly can't afford or have zero use for.  This is why it's not as difficult to deny myself things when I'm in a fancy store - I already know what I'm in for.  I know I can't afford it.  It's not an option, and so, I don't entertain the desire.

But, when you place similar items ever-so-slightly out of reach and plunge them into a setting surrounded by every day essentials...they immediately become pieces to a puzzle that you never knew were missing.  You can envision it.  You see it.  You like it.  And then, since it's right next to the aisle of detergent that you use every day, you suddenly can't see your life without it.

Until I saw my life without it.

This might all seem quite abstract to you.  Perhaps you haven't thought about all this quite as in-depth, but chances are good several of these observations have crossed your subconscious at some point, right?  Nothing that I'm revealing to you is actual news, necessarily, it's just that I'm probably the only person you know who's stepped outside the box to see what difference it might make.

And so, here's the difference:  What do I really want?

I guess it is sort of that simple.  I had no plumb-line to gauge my wants before ridding myself of the temptations that compelled them.  Leaving Target for a year gave me the opportunity to rely on my own perceptions of how far I was willing to give, get, or go in order to gain what I really wanted.  Sometimes this meant multiple grocery trips in one day.  Sometimes this meant waiting for a better deal.  Sometimes this meant traveling further to find what I needed.  Sometimes this meant intentionally caving for the sake of convenience.  But, it was all on my terms.  Sure, others attempt to lure you in with deals or lights or coupons, etc.  I'm not immune to marketing or propaganda.  I didn't leave America or television behind, I understand that.  But, I side-stepped the beast that had baited me for years.  I got a glimpse of my true appetite and took the time to seek out what I deemed worthy to consume.

Will I be regularly shopping at Target from now on?  No, I don't think so.  Many of the new habits I developed over the last year have stuck for good.  I feel like I've gained a new perspective on things being just things and value lying in the intention and use behind them.  I have found wonderfully creative alternatives for just about everything from gift-giving to recipes to clothing and home improvement.  And you know what, I haven't lost one friend along the way because of it!  No one is the wiser to the pennies that I've been saving, and no one has ever stopped me and gasped out of the notion that I may or may not have purchased said item at a second hand store.

I have plenty to say about this whole experience and I'm certain more blogs are to come as these revelations (now, post-Target-boycott) become clearer to me.  In the meantime, I'm thrilled to have made it out of Target alive, necessities met, and only one little $5 incentive-card burning a hole in my thrift-store-pants pocket.

Target Practice

Well, we are over half-way through 2012.  How are those resolutions coming along?  Have you widdled your middle in time for bathing suit season?  Or learned a new language? Done your daily yoga? Read your Bible more? Paid off those student loans?

Let's face it, some resolutions are easier said than kept.  We've all made promises we couldn't keep, and by now it is quite common for diets to have slipped, habits to have returned, or disciplines to have been kicked to the curb.

As you may recall, I made a resolution as well - swearing off Target for 2012.  That's right!  No, not because I have something against them.  This isn't some boycott because of a social justice campaign I got talked into by listening to too much NPR or something.  And it's not because I didn't enjoy roaming the red aisles for shiny bargains that spoke to me with flattery and temptation - (You're right, cute pink shirt, you would look cute on me!  And you, scented candle for $4.99, you would look just splendid on my fireplace mantle!  I want you both!) in fact, it is the opposite.  I LOVED Target.  With a passion.  With my check book and all my heart.  With my time and energy and latte in hand.  With complete disregard for what was best for me or my family...or my time, energy, money, and passion.

C'mon already!  Even their ads are irresistibly adorable!

Welp...I'm still going strong.  Yep!  Proud to report that I haven't stepped foot in a Target since December 31, 2011.  Nor have I ordered anything from Target online, for those of you wondering if I've made some slippery loop holes in this plan of mine.  Nope.  I'm Target-free and over halfway through the year.  To be honest, I'm pretty surprised by myself.

I can't say it's been easy.  There have been times where it would have been much more convenient to stop by a Target simply due to location and time so that I could just "pick up a few things".  But, it's a slippery slope for me.  Too slippery.  Plus, I'm pretty accountable to writing this blog - so, I gotta admit that was some decent incentive for me.

So, what's the big deal?  So, I gave up shopping at a store, so what? 

Well, in effort to save more money and to gain a bit of perspective, it has been an interesting experiment.  Where am I shopping?  Well, I do shop at Wal-Mart for several things.  This may surprise many of you since the whole "Target versus Wal-Mart" argument seems to have been hanging around since the dawn of man.  It's pretty crystal clear that Target has been winning at the "cool factor" for some time now...and that is almost entirely the reason I don't find myself tempted in the same way when I shop at Wal-Mart.  It is simply not very fun.  The Wal-Mart I go to is extremely sterile and warehousey.  It's not pretty.  And, if it weren't for the aisles of Mickey Mouse stuff right at the front of the store that lights up Matilda's face like it's the Fourth of July...well, I don't think any of us would be smiling much when we shop there.

I have also uncovered a new found joy in shopping at Goodwill.  That's right - Goodwill - the thrift store.  It's pretty remarkable, actually.  There will be entirely brand new things there still with the tags on it for a fraction of the price.  Sure, you have to dig through some junk.  You have to sift through some dusty glassware or wrinkly clothes to find the gems.  But, when you score a deal that brightens your home for pennies on the dollar, well, it is really worth the hunt.

I've had to shop around for some other things.  Costco for paper goods.  Old Navy for cute baby clothes.  CVS or Walgreens for over-the-counter meds and photo printing.  Sure, sometimes I miss the one-stop-shop-and-latte convenience of Target.  Sometimes I will see something SUPER adorable on someone else's kid and can only guess that it was purchased in the old forsaken land of Tar-jay.  But, there have been a lot of pros that I can remind myself about along the way.

For one, I've slashed my spending in half most months.  It's true.  I was in a vicious cycle of maxing out and paying off my Target credit card before this year.  I hate to admit it, but it was all just too easy.  They offer you a 5% discount when you used the Target card, so of course I justified much of my purchases with a "sales" mentality.  Look at me, saving money by buying more!  False.  If you don't need it and you don't have the money to purchase it anyway - it is a lose/lose situation, folks.  By paying off the credit card and simply not "refilling it" half of the cycle was stopped instantly.  By removing the source of the temptation - that cut off the rest of it - and voila! I simply am unable to buy things I don't need with money I don't have.  (Again, if you can legitimately control yourself and only buy things you need and always pay off that card every month - Congratulations!  I'm sure you can take advantage of this system somehow, but you might also want to be checked out by a doctor to make sure you are not a robot.  That being said - credit is rarely worth using and I, for one, could not control myself around adorable things at a killer price even if it was stuff I didn't need.)

chop chop!

So, yes, the financial side has been worth it.  Our efforts to pay down debt/save some money is still a very slow process...but, hey, it's working and the math is motivating! (Baby steps, baby steps, breathe, breathe.)

The greater value I've gained, however, has really been in my perspective towards shopping.  I don't want to be a downer here.  I love a good deal.  I love adorable stuff.  I love looking good and having nice things (until my kids break them) and having someone ask me with a bit of envy Where did you get such-n-such an item.  Love it!  (Who doesn't?)  But, in giving up Target, it made me reassess exactly what it was that I truly needed.  It made me stop and think about how much I was willing to pay for things.  It made me evaluate why I was so "happy" to sip on caffeine and stare at pretty things that I think I surely can't live without.

It's not like I want to become some frugal-Franny or penny-pinching-Patty or something.  No.  I'm just done being a SUCKER.  I am tired of being told what to buy.  I'm exhausted by the ads that tell me what a deal is or what I'm supposed to look like or where is the best place to get it (clearly Target is not the only entity to blame here).  I'm so nauseated by the sheer volume of it all - on tv, in my mailbox, on billboards or magazines.  And, don't get me wrong - I'm no hippie!  (Though there are days I truly envy those that have no sense of temptation towards a more glamorous life, honestly.) It's not that I want to give up all I own and "live off the land" (though I think that is super rad if you can do it!) or that I want to never be asked again "where I got" that cute shirt or shoes or whatever.  But, how can I have it both ways?  How can I save money, not be tempted, but look cute and still have fun shopping at least once in a while???  There has to be some kind of balance to this whole consumerism madness!

I'm still not quite sure where I fit in.  I'm still on this journey and I'm only halfway through the year.  I love saving money and getting toiletries for a fraction of the cost at Wal-Mart....but I sort of loathe shopping at such a giant, consumerism-boosting corporation.  I love having a cute home that has some character - and I'm finding that no one ever knows the difference if my throw pillows came from a thrift store.  I hate having to hop around to different places just to get the best deal - but I feel so excited when I can cut up yet another credit card and feel a sense of accomplishment.

Giving up Target has not been about stepping away from cuteness, good deals, or even convenience.  The focus of the experiment has been about gauging what I need and figuring out who is really deciding where my values lie.  Sure, I've slipped into other marketing traps.  I've freely blown too much cash here or there along the way.  I've had a day of "retail therapy" followed by a week of "buyer's remorse".  I'm not perfect!  But, I'm gaining a whole new appreciation for what it means to need something, value something, wait for something, earn something and even want something.  That's a lot of something.  Good thing I have a few more months to go...this is gonna take a bit more practice.

Off Target

Happy New Year! Or, as it is known to most of us...Happy Deprive-Yourself Day! That's right, today is the day we all hold to our new resolutions for the year. The day we are determined that if we can just get through these first 24 hours of depriving ourselves of something then, surely, the rest of the year will follow with ease.

What's your New Year's Resolution? Maybe you aren't giving up something after all - maybe you are only looking to gain something. Still, with each resolution there is a two-fold vow taken December 31st, ready to spring us forward into a new and better year where we will fully equip ourselves with what we believe will be necessary to our new found happiness. Two-fold, in that, if you are looking to "lose weight" you are also hoping to "gain self-esteem" or perhaps you are wanting to "read your Bible more" than you will also have to "be less self-centered"...with every gain, there is a loss somewhere - for the better! It seems only right to have a balance of gains/losses when mostly what we are seeking is a new found balance within ourselves somewhere. (Just ask Oprah, am I right?)

Maybe "balance" is becoming an overused term (it can be found on the pile of "amazings" and "authentics" that are getting dusty from their use over in that corner over there). Still, for lack of a better term, I am also looking for some extra balance in my life this coming year.

As a new stay-at-home-mom, I take very seriously my authority over my domain. That is, I run this here household, ya see, and there'll be no more shenanigans when it comes to keeping this Pardy train on track. Er...I want to do a good job at home. :)

So, let's cut to the chase. What am I giving up? Target. What am I hoping to gain? Perspective. (And savings.)

Target? Say what? Is this the same girl who nearly walks around with bullseyes reflecting in her glasses at every turn? Is this the lady who makes a day at Tar-jay into an amusing outing filled with entertaining stories and lattes and deals at the bargain bins and can't stand the notion of not seeing those little red clearance tags polka-dotting her favorite brands???

Yes. It is. You read me right. I'm giving up TARGET for 2012. The. Entire. Year.

I had my final parting with Target yesterday...right up to the very last day, you betcha. I'll admit it wasn't quite the dream parting I had hoped for. I had some final Christmas returns to bring there, and by the time I got what I needed, Matilda was starting to meltdown and there was a line 20 people deep at the Starbucks and it was approaching lunch time and my family was starving. So...there was no leisurely shopping to be had, latte in hand, new shiny items to be discovered. Nope, it was more like ripping a band-aid off, only to find the wound was still there, yet to scab over. The wound of wasted time and money, that is.

So, here's why I'm giving up Target: I can not be trusted. I realized this a couple months ago, as I caught myself once again headed toward the red bullseye (it really does draw you in) and merely going to get out of the house with the girls, grab a coffee, and stroll the store for utter and complete entertainment, justifying the whole mess by "needing" one or two items that I most likely would end up forgetting to grab anyway by the time I filled the cart with dozens of other items that had struck my fancy that day. This was not "shopping for my family". This was not "picking up necessities". This was not even "running errands". This was total self-indulgence...and it was making no sense at all...not to me, not to my time, and especially not to my check book.

We have some awesome and serious financial goals for 2012. I'm excited about paying down some debt and tucking some real rainy day money away and getting a true grasp on what we are spending where and why...not because I want to control the money...but, because I don't want the money to control me (or lack thereof!) It's all God's anyway, but I've been asked to help steward this small portion that's been graciously blessed under our care - and both my husband and I want to be sure this is being dealt with according to our value system: God, family, time together, caring for those less fortunate, and so on...our value system...not Target's (or anyone else's for that matter.) Simply put, I'm removing the temptation. For at least a year.

Now, before you scoff, before you doubt, before you - hey, I saw you roll your eyes! Believe me, this is happening. First of all, I've told you about it, so there's a bit of accountability right there.

Second, if there is an upside to being as stubborn as I am - this is it. One time, when I was in high school, I felt like I had been entirely eating too much chocolate. Like, a LOT of chocolate. So much that I began to think "I don't think I could ever live without chocolate!" (these are the kinds of mundane/all-important life questions that you face in your teens - amazing). So...I gave up chocolate...for 3 years. That was that. I just didn't want to be a person feeling controlled by something - so I just removed it from my world. I wondered if I could do it - so I did. So, believe me when I say I will not be going to Target for the next year.

Yes, I will be shopping elsewhere. Obviously, our need for basic living necessities will continue. But, I hope to be more conscious with where I shop - why I'm shopping - and to do so diligently, with a mission in mind and a list in hand. I think intention is the word I'm looking for. Being an intentional shopper, making sure that I'm finding the best deals for our needs to be met.

Yes, I will be the first to admit that it might not be as fun to shop at Goodwill or Big Lots as it is at Target. For me, that's the whole point of this experiment. I don't intend to never shop at Target again. And, I have no problem with other people shopping there. Let's be clear - I love Target! This is exactly why I need to quit it. I need to step back, refocus, and evaluate my perspective so I can find that comfortable position between needs and wants that allows me to make the most of what I've been given and how I can give back.

It will be so interesting to see how much time and money I will save this year. What will God have me do with it? Certainly, I'm hoping 2012 helps focus my sight on what truly matters, and how to be more thankful for it. I might not hit the bullseye...but hey, it's worth a shot.

(Like you didn't see that pun coming?)

Right on, Target

In case you were wondering how it is that Target is flourishing amidst the economic crisis, I'll tell you - it's because of the Pardys. I think we are singlehandedly sustaining this corporation, and all I have to do is glance at my checkbook registry to find proof. Are you with me on this? I absolutely can not get out of Target without spending at least $70. I don't know why that's the magic number, but somehow it all adds up to at least that much (or more) every trip. I go in, list in hand: toilet paper, hand soap, card for Grandma's birthday, diapers...and come out with eighteen red and white plastic bags with a receipt a mile long. How did that happen?

What's worse is that our "new Target" has a Starbucks (cha) and a grocery store (ching). It also has covered parking, an elevator, and a separate escalator just for the carts (I'm not joking). I could absolutely live there if I had to (don't think I haven't considered it) and I'm starting to prefer it over the mall as my "shopping-as-exercise" strollerizing course.

Not only has Target become my market, coffee shop, and gym...it's also become my calendar. Afterall, if it weren't for the overstuffed $1 bins at the front of the store, how else would I know that St. Patrick's Day is coming up (I know I don't need green, glittery hat that says "Kiss Me, I'm Irish" but...) or that Easter is around the corner (bunny shaped playing cards for a buck!)? As long as I'm shopping at Target, I can count on a good holiday warning well in advance of even remotely needing to be prepared for the event (back-to-school in July! Christmas lights in September!)

And it doesn't stop there! Target is also a pharmacy, optometrist, and full photo center. Not to mention...Target's got style. You ask any girl you know. ANY. And at some point during her week, at least once, someone has said something looked cute on her and she raised her bargain-loving-eyebrows in response with "Thanks, I got it at Target!" which actually means "I may look like a snob, but I don't shop like one!"

We love it. We love Target and there's no stopping the addiction. Walmart has taken such a backseat that it's become like that long-forgotten extra seatbelt buckle that always gets crammed way down in between the seats - you don't even think about it till you really really need it. And even then you wonder if it's even worth the effort.

While I love (am addicted to, whatever) Target, I have to question my needs nearly every time I go. The so-familiar-it-feels-like-home, palace of consumerism that it is, I find myself wandering around (straying further and further from my list) talking myself into trying a new shade of blush, or might-as-well-isms (cute purse! might as well...). Target! You've got me again! I've fallen into the Target-trap once more when I look at my overflowing cart and realize that it's high time Target and I have a DTR where I hold back the tears and realize, dearest Target...it's not you, it's me. You have the red tag deal, health and beauty steal, the home furnishing ideal, the style appeal...but you can't heal or make me feel what's real, so...really...what's the deal? Put. The. Cute. Purse. Back.

I won't be giving up Target any time soon, don't get me wrong. But the next time I'm making a list of the things I really need: toilet paper, mascara, socks, wet wipes... Maybe I'll be adding Self-control at the very top. I mean, I might as well.