Just thought I would pass along a tip: Ann Taylor, The Limited, Banana Republic, J Crew, and in fact all of the stores are having THE BIGGEST SALE EVER!!!!!!!!!! Thought I would tip you off. It seems I am privy to this information because I am a card holder and a “valued customer”. In fact, these fine corporations are so grateful for my last purchase, they want me to come back. It does not even matter to their individual email gods that I cannot afford, nor do I actually need what they are selling.

I get sucked in every time. Every morning, I open my email and find offers. There are sales I cannot miss. This may be their last sale ever, you know?! Anything is possible. I do not want to miss out. I like to think of myself as a reasonable intelligent woman, one who is not easily suckered. BUT, when it comes to shopping, I lose all rationale. I will scour the websites desperately seeking something I “need” so that I can get in on the big savings. The stuff shows up on my doorstep and, sometimes, I don’t even remember ordering it, or what the hell I ordered.

I guess I should be grateful to all of these stores because they have probably occupied my time enough with this shopping addiction, that they have saved me tens of thousands of calories. Too bad, eating has not managed to help me save hundreds, in fact probably thousands, of dollars.

How do they suck us in? How? I say “us” because, while I do not want you to suffer or go broke, I would like to think I am not the only one. I guess I should know I am not the only one. Look at how much debt people in our country are in. Look at it. It is insane. It is loony. And, many of us, after finding a way out of that mire, turn around and jump back in.

A wise man I know once said, “when Daniel got out of the lion’s den, I doubt he went back for his hat.”

I, on the other hand, always seem to go back in and actually, forgetting my hat is securely on my head, buy a new one- from the Lion. It doesn’t make sense. But, that is just it. Addictions, obsessions, usually do not make sense.

So, here I am again deleting every email from the Lion, advertising his biggest sale ever. I guess I could change my email address, but he will find me. Maybe, next time I donate to the Good Will, I can make an itemized list, and even remember exactly what I spent on each item. I am sure the total would make me physically ill. I could tape that to my computer monitor as a reminder of what the biggest sale ever cost me last time.

The truth is, I don’t need anything. When I have to look through the sale items to find something I need- I probably don’t need it. So, the cute top or shoes or bag are really just cupcakes that I can’t eat. They will not appear on my belly as part of my, “hey… are you expecting” pile. Nope. Instead that cute top will probably be just be covering it up.