I am not a reckless squanderer. Nor am I parsimonious. My spending graph starts with caution and ends up in a spree. I am generally money wise but sporadically throw prudence to the wind. How is that defined? Shopaholism? Naah…!

The other day when I learnt that my eye surgery was postponed I felt doomed. A clarion call for a morale booster!! It came in the form of epicurean delight ordered  from outside (shoo to a structured diet!). Anyway I relished the super creamy Chicken Labaadar with homemade jawar ki roti finishing up the yummylicious combo with two spongy gulab jamuns and  a resounding slurp of the sugary syrup the golden fried balls were paddling in.

The guilt gatecrashed the next morning, a little too late perhaps, but it sat with me for quite some time holding my hands till I made a promise to myself that one crime is enough for the month. By the way the month is pretty long of thirty one days with a festival knocking on the door. I can see the writing on the wall in bold  – “promises are made to be broken”.

A month back I had a firm mind not to give in to sartorial extravagance. My wardrobe, bursting at its frame, was in a slogan shouting competition…”cholbe na….cholbe na“. But come September the firmness hobbled. And why not  it is the most  cherished time of the year – mid October Durga Pujo!! Insta dutifully popped up reels after reels of drum rolls announcing the festivities and ladies draped in their opulent fineries welcoming Maa Durga.

Alas! I am a mere mortal. The Insta scrolls were quickly  replaced by online store binges. FB and all other oft visited sites extended their kindest help  in whipping up my glutton. How does Google read the minds of the scrollers? The ingenious hacker!! Chased the instigating ads  like the paparazzi. So, there was I tearing up nicely wrapped packages while the wardrobe shedded copious tears. A sudden peep at my UPI history landed a crashing punch to my sanity. Gosh!! How could I???

Well, if you think that was a blow crippling enough to throttle my vicious instincts then sadly you have put too much faith on my virtues.

Yesterday morning Didi enters with a bag full of the most sinful goodies. Remember she was out of city! Naturally, the conversation veered towards Pujo (read shopping). I insisted that I get her a new dress. She had the same lame excuse –

“I have enough.”

“But it’s Pujo. What about the tradition? A dress is not a dress. It’s symbolic.”

And then another temptation happily parachutes down on the balcony – B-I-L is in great need of a pair of shoes (all rubbish – he already has an envious collection) which makes us swiftly check out the brands.

Of course! It’s my topmost familial responsibility to help B-I-L get hold of the right pair. And if in doing so my eyeballs hover over the ladies’ section… Don’t worry, I trust my cataract to thwart the slightest move towards another avoidable acquisition.

In the meantime, I have suitably influenced Didi that I buy her  a new dress. The shopping destination  has also been decided. A local outlet which has the most exquisite variety and a bunch of ‘effectively’ pursuasive sales persons.

So, another outing is very much on the planner.

But no, I will be strict with myself. No fizul kharchi (unnecessary purchases).

But do you seriously think succumbing to guilty pleasures once in a while should be met with zero tolerance?

Well…eh….ahem…you are mistaken…it’s not a high profile case of corruption.

Blame the season which lifts the lid off the otherwise “un-shake-able” self control.

Otherwise I am genuinely a very wise spender.

Whatt? You don’t believe me??

C’mmon now…

Hehh….Hehh

Posted by on October 5, 2026 in Celebrations, Confession, Daily Writing and tagged , .

32 Comments

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About gc1963

A working woman with interests in reading, writing, music, poetry and fine arts.

32 responses »

  1. Hazel's avatar Hazel says:
    October 5, 2026 at 4:56 am

    I believe you, gc.🤭 I’m not parsimonious, too. Usually, I got new clothes from my sisters coz i don’t give time to shop clothes, or I’m not into spending money on clothes.

    This is sprinkled with humor. Like it.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. sumandray's avatar sumandray says:
    October 5, 2026 at 5:02 am

    It was fun reading and happy puja shopping.

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. derrickjknight's avatar derrickjknight says:
    October 5, 2026 at 6:57 am

    I think your attitude is similar to mine. About 40 years ago I first need for a cataract operation was diagnosed. Sent away for a walk while waiting for the drops to confirm this I noticed a half-price watch in a window opposite. It cost £400 and has never dropped a second in all that time

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  4. Sadje's avatar Sadje says:
    October 5, 2026 at 9:32 am

    I fully subscribe to your opinion- a little splurging is good for the morale. And if you have too much of anything, giving it away is also good for the morale

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  5. richardbist's avatar richardbist says:
    October 5, 2026 at 10:49 am

    I think we deserve to spoil ourselves every so often. Life is short and we deal with a lot of things every day, so giving in to a little temptation now and then helps to keep us motivated! 🙂

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  6. Rupali's avatar Rupali says:
    October 5, 2026 at 11:34 am

    The way you describe the delightful food is so tempting. I would have placed an order without a second thought if I were in India 😁. Gulabjamun has to be from halwai not the gits version.

    Before every trip to India, I tell myself (and my husband) I don’t need anything. Yet somehow, the exact opposite always happens. Hava mein udtya jaye….

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  7. Nusrat Khan's avatar Nusrat Khan says:
    October 5, 2026 at 1:18 pm

    ऐश करो गीता दी,जो मन करे खाओ,जो मन करे लाओ.

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  8. ganga1996's avatar ganga1996 says:
    October 5, 2026 at 8:39 pm

    🤣🤣🤣! We are not saints just humans right! I rarely wear a saree and I was online browsing for diwali 🤣! Enjoy your shopping spree!

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  9. Veerites's avatar Veerites says:
    October 9, 2026 at 3:41 pm

    Thanks
    For liking my post ‘FBW2’ 🌹 🙏

    Like

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