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Almost every Saturday I make my way to my favorite store, Target. Between the cute things for me, my home, and the amazing prices, I have to prepare myself for all the new things I have to have. Given my tendency to be blindsided by bargains, I tried a new approach this Saturday.

I really don’t need any of these things that catch my eye, so I devised an experiment to see if I they were truly worth the impact on my wallet. As my red shopping cart hit the aisles, I realized I – not the store – was the real target, and the items were the darts. As I approached the checkout with my cart full of wants, I found myself lured into line, like a scarlet plane coming in to land. Then, I hit the brakes. What if I were to put everything in my cart back on the shelves and walked away empty-handed? So I did.

I parked my plane, walked out of Target and mentally gave myself a pat on the back. I did it! I resisted the temptation and lived to tell about it. I realized that even though I like checking out bargains, I don’t have to make each one of them mine.

After my success, I challenged my husband to an experiment of his own. The other night while passing the “golden arches,” Andrew got a strong craving for a McFlurry. As we drove up to the drive-thru, I told him to look at the picture of the McFlurry and weigh its nutritional value against his craving. I carefully watched what he did, and surprisingly, he left McDonald’s without buying anything. I mentally patted him on the back for this, too. But soon, we passed Wendy’s, and Andrew began craving a Frosty. As we drove home with our frosty treats in hand, I realized that perhaps this little test of will only works with non-edible items.

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