One of the biggest things that has helped me during this 12 month no-shopping challenge is to just stay away from temptation. Kind of a no-brainer isn’t it?

I make it a point not to pick up and flip through fashion magazines. I don’t gawk at the celebrity outfits online. (Well, except for the Golden Globes. But really, it was the year of the ugly dress.)

And I haven’t been to the mall since the challenge started.

But Wal-Mart and Target? Well, they can’t be avoided. There are groceries to eat, birthday presents to buy etc. So instead I just avoid the clothing section. Even when I can see those lovely red signs that call to me “Clearance 50% off”.

I have done REALLY well.

Until last week.

The girls get done at school at 3 but the boys have basketball practice until 5. The plan on this particular day was that I would get the girls, take them to Target to get a birthday gift for one of Natalie’s friends and then go home. Mark had a doctor appointment and he would get the boys on his way home.

Have I mentioned that going with your kids to pick out a birthday gift is pretty much like Chinese Water Torture? We looked up and down the toy aisle, then it was over to the jewelry, then over to the purses. Oy!

I had given Natalie the “you got 2 minutes to decide” speech when my phone rang. Mark was running late and needed me to pick up the boys. No problem. But, there was no sense going home at this point so we had another 40 minutes to kill.

In the accessories department of Target.

Where I found this hat.

The exact style I had seen on someone’s blog a couple weeks earlier and thought – “Wow, that’s cute. Wonder what it would look like on me.”

And so I tried it on.

And looked in the mirror.

And realized I had made a major mistake.

I looked good in that hat.

And now since then I have been obsessively thinking about that hat. It was even on clearance for crying out loud.

And this is why you don’t go where you know you will be tempted!

Lesson learned.