My Anniversary Gift!

natalie_ca

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Next month on the 14th will be 19 years since I quit smoking. As a motivator I started buying myself something as a reward for not having smoked that previous year. I have no actual budget as to the amount I spend on my gift. In 1996 it was the purchase of my living room set, another year it was a coffee maker, another year it was my KitchenAid mixer. A couple years ago it was a new computer.

This year I want to buy myself an actual bedroom set, complete with a bed and dressers. I've never ever had an actual matched bedroom set and currently my clothing are in those clear rubbermaid bins with pull out drawers. However, thanks to my owing taxes this year, the purchase of my bedroom set won't be happening until later this year. In the meantime I bought myself something else.

A new purse. I bought one in December last year for $25.00 on sale. I thought it was real leather, but it turned out it wasn't, and already it's falling apart with a busted zipper and what looks like small tears on the sides near the bottom! So I saw a purse that I fell in love with.

It was $100.00 but I got 25% off and had a certificate for $25.00. The purse ended up costing me $50.00 plus taxes!


http://www.kathyvanzeeland.com/shop/...x?style=H39410

I didn't buy it online. I bought it at The Bay. It's really cute!
 

lil maggie

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Congrats on not smoking! Nice purse!
Nice reward!
Hey, you should have posted this in the Quitting Smoking thread for incentive!!!
 
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natalie_ca

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I was at the bank a couple weeks ago and the bank manager I was seeding said to me "Is that a Kathy purse!!"

Apparently she absolutely loves the purses that Kathy New Zealand makes. I must admit that so many of them are pretty but not over bellished and very functional.
 

kscatlady

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Congratulations on not smoking!!
That's incredibly inspiring to a person who can't make it more than two months!!
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by kscatlady

Congratulations on not smoking!!
That's incredibly inspiring to a person who can't make it more than two months!!
Just take small steps!

Tell yourself, I went 15 minutes without smoking, I can go 15 minutes more! Soon it will be "half hour" and then "an hour" etc.

Also, the key to kicking the habit is not only will power. But it's also about changing routine. You have to change the behaviours/tasks that you do that you found you smoked more when doing.

For example. With me it was drinking coffee, watching TV, talking on the phone, eating in fancy restaurants, going to bars. Instead what I did was switch to drinking tea, when watching TV I did a craft that involved my hands to keep them occupied, I gave up eating in fancy restaurants and when I had to go I sat in the nonsmoking section, and I didn't set foot into a nightclub.

In time I reintroduced those things. However, if I found it gave me a craving, I again stopped. Really, it was about 18 months or even 2 years before I had a cup of coffee.

Another important thing is to form a new habit. When I got a craving for a cigarette, I went and cleaned something, usually a drawer or a cupboard, even if it was already clean!
It was basically to keep me occupied. You could pick something else to do obviously, taking a walk wouldn't be bad, but I couldn't do that because at the time I was quitting I was a lame duck with a huge cast on my leg.

I also ate those plastic stir sticks that you get at restaurants to stir your coffee. I would start off holding one and sucking on the end occasionally, then chewing the end like you would a pen, and eventually that stick would be in my mouth and I would be chewing it like a piece of gum! I went through boxes and boxes of them.

But I've never had another cigarette. However, I still get the occasional craving for one. I know to this day that I'm just one cigarette away from becoming a pack-a-day smoker again. But I know that if I resist and go and occupy myself with something to take my mind off it, the urge will pass and I'll be fine. The important thing is to resist that urge, because as intense as it can be, it really will go away


Also, while I buy myself something yearly now in honour of not having smoked, it wasn't always like that. My rewards were initially much shorter. At first I would buy myself something every week. Something small even if it was just my favourite food. It was something to look forward to, and a goal to strive for.

Today, with the price of cigarettes, the money saved over a week could get you a full one hour body massage! Now that is a great weekly reward!

Good luck to you quitting!!!
 

margecat

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You certainly deserve a reward! Good for you!

I always buy myself a nice piece of jewelry on February 15th. In 1995, I became a diabetic, went on a healthy diet, and kept most of the weight off since then, so I reward myself each year.
 
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natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by MargeCat

You certainly deserve a reward! Good for you!

I always buy myself a nice piece of jewelry on February 15th. In 1995, I became a diabetic, went on a healthy diet, and kept most of the weight off since then, so I reward myself each year.
Good for you for making a permanent lifestyle change!
 

wellingtoncats

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I was at the bank a couple weeks ago and the bank manager I was seeding said to me "Is that a Kathy purse!!"

Apparently she absolutely loves the purses that Kathy New Zealand makes. I must admit that so many of them are pretty but not over bellished and very functional.
I love the purse but I think it's made by Kathy Van Zeeland?? not New Zealand!
 

yosemite

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Lovely purse!

Gee, I've been buying myself gifts weekly since I quit in January. 3 days ago I went out and bought 2 pairs of slacks, 1 pair of capri pants, a skirt and a blouse. I think next week I'm going to go shoe shopping. I might even do that at lunch time today since the shoes I have don't look so good with the capris.
 
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