How to Shop at a Mall and Only Spend $1

Okay.

So, I really, really like to shop.  It's an interest that grew along with my age...  When I was 7, the last thing I wanted to go was go shoe shopping, but now, if someone asks, "Do you want to go shopping?" I'll say yes before...well, before they can ask twice!  (Admittedly, I still don't like shoe shopping, but clothes shopping is more acceptable to me than it used to be...)

So, recently I was invited to go shopping at the mall and I just got back home about an hour or so ago.  And I only spent $1.  Okay, technically, $1 and 25 cents.  I think it's a record...

What did I spend this small amount of money on?  Well thankfully I managed to escape Claire's and Justice without buying ANYTHING.  That probably broke one of my personal record's because Claire's clearance rack  usually has me, um...  wracking  my purse for money.  Or, alternatively, wracking  my brain for ways to make money...  (Pardon both of the super LAME puns).

The gumball machine got me.  That's right, it was the gumball machine that convinced me to spend my $1.  (Technically $1.25.  But I'm actually not sure how much I spent because I couldn't figure out if the machine ate my money, or if I bought an item, put it in my purse, forgot I put it in my purse, and then announced that the innocent machine had committed the horrible crime of stealing my money).  What did I buy?

Aren't they cute???  And they're super tiny...

So yep.  Cute little turtles, lions, penguins, IDK's, and crabs...  that's what I spent my $1.25 on!!!  (I will take this moment to point out the lil animal in the lower photo was given to me by a friend, so I didn't buy that one. :))

Okay, so I titled this thing, "How to Shop at a Mall and Only Spend $1", so I'm guessing you're waiting for some kind of amazing, money-saving ideas.  Here you go...

1. Only bring $1 to the mall in the first place.  Endeavor NOT to ask for favors, loans, or gifts from anyone else that you are shopping with. (You might want to bring money for tax, since items are labeled $1 but with tax, cost more than a dollar...)

2. Search the clearance racks, BUT, if you don't find anything you like, don't feel obligated to buy anything, even if you're shopping with friends who are dragging around bags and bags of items that they've purchased.  (On a note here, I'm generally the friend dragging around the bags of stuff, saying things like, "Will you buy something?  I feel like I'm buying too much...  If you buy something, it'll make me feel better..."  Note to self: BREAK THAT HABIT, KARA!  You're not helping anyone!  Except the stores...)

3. If you find something you really, really like that is over a dollar, wait a while before purchasing it.  (You kinda have to...if you've only brought a dollar...)  You might decide you don't like that item anymore.  OR, if you do really like it, you might come back and find the items all sold out, so, it was not meant to be.)  I struggle with this one, because sometimes I buy items and think, "Well, I really didn't want this."  But other times I DON'T buy items and then wish I had.  It's hard to figure out which items you really want / need / can use and which items are just impulse buys, luring away your money with an evil laugh...

4. Okay, I think that's it.  I might update this with ideas later, but...  OH!  Don't be influenced by, "Buy 10 get 1 free" if you didn't want the 10 in the first place.  Cashiers catch me off guard when they say, "You can get another of those for half price.  That's a really good deal."  But don't give in!  Unless you were planning to buy one for a friend, or something like that.

On a side note, I went shopping with really nice people who got me socks!!!

Aren't they epically cute?  :D

And we did a photo booth...  I've always wanted to do one of those since I saw "Stormbreaker", where the main character Alex enters a photo booth and is taken to the MI6 headquarters in London!  Yup...  so, I didn't get taken to MI6 or CIA (If I was, I probably wouldn't be able to tell you anyway...  although I wouldn't lie to you and say that I didn't, so you can know I'm telling the truth because I wouldn't lie to you...  But, I could be lying to you, saying that I'd never lie to you, but I wouldn't do that.  Trust me.) but I did have fun.  Side note to self though: Bring a pillow next time!  (I'm really short.  So, the photo was our heads, and a lot of blank space above our heads...  But the pics turned out amazing, so it doesn't actually matter.  :D)

Anyway, that's enough about my shopping experience...  I just wanted to share the joy and excitement of entering the mall of temptation and only spending $1.  Not spending any money at all however... that goal is far, far away.  :p

Hugs and Dreams,
"Klarabelle"

P.S. On a side note here, I think this is my longest blog post yet!