Contentment Challenge: Week 1

Scrolling Instagram over Christmas break I stumbled across Nancy Ray’s page.  I was immediately intrigued by her book club and the contentment challenge she was about to begin.  In her prep guide for the contentment challenge Nancy suggests taking a couple weeks to prepare your heart, home and wardrobe for the upcoming challenge.  Well, I didn’t have two weeks, I only had a few days before the challenge would begin.

It helps that my one of my favorites, the Gap Factory, is closing their store near my home.  Another favorite, has been changing their styles and don’t quite match mine as well as they once did.  And, the local boutique in our small town is designed for ladies much taller and proportioned differently than me.

 

Shopping is Fun!

I wouldn’t say I’m addicted to material things, but I do enjoy shopping and Bath and Body Works makes it irresistibly fun!  So I jumped in with both feet and decided to give myself grace at the beginning due to the shortened prep time.  So I signed up on New Year’s Eve, just in time to get the free prep guide and read through it.  I spent a morning unsubscribing from numerous “opportunities to spend money” email lists.   I stocked up on hair products, and made a list for my weekly errand day.

I’m sitting enjoying lunch at my errand day favorite, Chic-Fil-A when Nancy pop’s into my inbox saying, “Today’s the you start the Contentment Challenge!”  Yikes!  I still have a few stock-up prep errands to do, and Kohl’s cash to spend before it expires!   I decide this is still part of my prep, so I give myself grace to finish up the errands I had planned.

 

Me ready to run some winter errands, because every blog post needs a picture. 🙂

Kohl’s Kiosk fiasco!

I’ve needed a new purse for a while, but couldn’t find one I liked, so it will wait.  Being ever practical I decide to use my Kohl’s cash to stock up on undergarments.  Like I said, practical.  The racks are stuffed full, satin and lace falling everywhere.  It’s next to impossible to find the preferred color and size without feeling like I’m causing a messy scene.  Online shopping it will be!  A quick check on my phone shows no free shipping right now, so I head to an in-store kiosk.  Surely the shoe Kiosk will be low-traffic right?  I get my selections all pulled up and notice and man and a woman behind me.  Well no one wants to shop for undergarments with someone looking over their shoulder…..  So I X out and leave.  They leave too!  What!?!  I must have imagined them loitering behind me.  So back to the shoe kiosk it is.

I pull up the section to make my selections so the world can see what kind of undergarments I’m searching for and they come back!!!  What!?!?!  They ask me, ” Is this where you scan the price?”  Very flustered and annoyed, I X out and quickly scurry away, arms flailing, I mutter “NO!  You can order stuff here!”  So I’m scouting for a more private kiosk and hear over the store PA system.  ” Associate needed for assistance at the shoe kiosk.  Associate needed for assistance at the shoe kiosk.”    I didn’t break it, I promise!

 

Determination

I finally manage to get my selection in the cart, my payment information entered and the Kohl’s cash in my wallet applied to my order.  Yay!  It’s looking up!  But wait… I have another $5 in Kohl’s cash in my account on my phone.  I can’t for the life of my figure out how to get it into my cart on the kiosk.  So in the end, I surrender, make sure all my information is deleted from the kiosk and decide to just order from home.  Well my original search that revealed no free shipping was accurate, so I guess I will just have to be content with waiting a few more months and starting the contentment challenge right on time…..  I wished I had just purchased one selection in the store, used up my Kohls cash and I would have felt a lot more content, but there wouldn’t be nearly as much humor or a lesson in that. 🙂

 

I hope you’ve enjoyed the antics that started out my contentment challenge journey.  I’m sure there will be many more amusing stories along the way, and when there are I’ll be sure to share them with you!

 

It’s not too late for you to join the contentment challenge!  Find more information here:  Nancy Ray’s website

 

Recently engaged?  Check out wedding planning tips here:  Top 5 Things to do When you Get Engaged   and  The Next Steps: What to do After You Get Engaged

To learn more about the Simply Seeking Photography wedding experience click here:  The Wedding Experience 

blessings,

Julie