I didn’t buy any clothes, shoes, bags, or accessories for 30 days, and here’s what I learned.
I have officially completed 30 days of no shopping, and let’s just say…I’m PRETTY glad it’s over. While I definitely missed shopping, there were pretty valuable lessons I learned over the last month.
i had too much stuff, so i purged
One day I just started purging. And purging. And guess what? I still have too much stuff. So that really just went to show me that I definitely do not need to be shopping more. I decided to start putting a lot of things up on Poshmark (will be up soon) and donate the rest! Being in my room for HOURS and just getting rid of things started getting old very quickly. Especially since I didn’t feel completely satisfied afterward. This leads me to my next point.
most things are wants, not needs
Whenever I want something, I say I NEED it. I realized this probably isn’t the best approach to shopping. And the fact that I went 30 days without “needing” anything, just proved that I’ll be juuuuust fine without shopping basically every day. As I was purging, I came to the conclusion (ok, I’ve always known this but whatever) that many of the things I own, I don’t wear enough. It’s becoming super wasteful in terms of spending.
i realized what drove me to shop
Two words: Instant gratification. I know they say money doesn’t buy happiness, but it definitely gives you instant gratification. I loved buying things knowing they’d either be coming home with me that day OR I’d have something to come home to in a few business days. So how did I feel about not shopping for 30 days? Well, I didn’t get a ton of instant gratification, but I survived;) By depriving myself of the temporary “fix” of shopping allowed me to do other things like spend a little extra in Croatia and actually focus on my blog instead of mindlessly browsing through pages of products.
So am I going to continue to not shop? No, probably not. I’m not going to lie to you. BUT, I am definitely way more conscious about my purchases and what I’m putting into my closet. I’m still going to be looking for those pieces that I’m going to be able to wear for years. I’m still going to eye a nice pair of shoes. But being more conscious of my purchases is definitely a start.
Do YOU think you could ever do a month of no shopping? (I know, in your head you’re probably like, THAT IS EASY.)
