I knew moving would be expensive. There were so many expenses connected to moving that I planned on, but then there were a lot of expenses I didn’t think about until I was in the middle of moving. For example, I had to consider what things I was going to take from my old place to the new place and what things I was already thinking about replacing and just wanted to replace before moving something that I wouldn’t want to keep for a while.
For most things that I knew I was planning on replacing, I didn’t bother taking the old ones with me. I knew that meant I would be spending more replacing things I technically already owned, but I think it was worth it because that also eliminated a bunch of things I would have needed to move. The only thing that I knew I would be replacing as soon as possible that I did move with me was my printer. Once I got my new computer, I discovered my old printer wouldn’t work with it anymore. I knew this was likely because I had to do some crazy things to make it work with the old computer too. But since I knew I might need to print things and I was still deciding on the new printer, I brought it with me. But I finally got a replacement printer, so the old one is finally going to go. I might try to sell it or donate it, but I have to look into my options more.
I wasn’t planning on buying a new couch, but when I found the one I saw when my parents were visiting, it really made sense to get it. The price was really good and the old couch really didn’t fit into the new space. And I got a few other new things like silverware that I had been looking to replace for a while, but I tried to keep the expenses down as much as I could.
And there are a lot of other things I want to replace that I’m waiting on. I want to get new dishes, but I’m not going to just buy anything. I want to find some that I love and I don’t need to rush into finding new ones. And I want to get a new tv since my current one is very small for the space now. But again, I can wait on buying a new one since it’s not urgent.
But it seems like I have a long list of things I still want to get and I have to think about what are needs and what are wants. Some things feel like needs, such as a storage cabinet I’m going to put in a closet to organize cleaning supplies and other things. I used to have a little utility room at my old place where I stored those things, but I don’t have anything like that here yet. And then there are a lot of things that feel like needs but I have had to tell myself they are really wants.
I want to get some display cabinets to put next to my tv stand to make the stand look bigger and to be able to show off some of the things I love. But I know I don’t need those right now. I’m also waiting on the bookcase bed I’m going to put in my office/guest room. If I do have a guest before I get that, I have an air mattress someone can sleep on. And I have other things I want to buy like a bench in my entryway and some seating for my patio that I know I can live without for a while and it would probably be best to wait until they are on sale.
I have spent a lot of money these past few months and while I have been able to afford it, I know I can’t just keep spending like this. I need to start working on budgeting again, which is something I have really slacked off on. I know my spending isn’t out of control, but I have really spent a lot and just told myself that those were the expenses of moving when maybe they really weren’t. It was a convenient excuse for a while, but I know if I keep saying that to myself I will get myself in a situation where I can’t pay off my credit card in full or something else like that.
I know recognizing that my spending might be a bit crazy right now is going to help me make sure I get control of it quicker than if I let things continue for another month or two. And once I have things stable again, then I can look into my financial situation and really see what things are looking like. I need to budget differently than I was before because my expenses are different. But I’m also hoping that the difference will also mean I have some extra money in my budget so I can work on saving up for something fun for myself.
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