A Year of No Shopping
Guess what the beginning of June means? I’ll tell ya:
I hit 14 years cancer free. WHAT WHAT!! Last year I talked about some of my lessons learned. You can read those here.
I have officially completed 5 months of my year of no shopping. BOOYAH….BUT...this is where my confession comes in.
Wait for it.
I bought a pair of shoes.
SON.OF.A.BUCKET!
Yes. Yes.
Was it a moment of weakness? Nope.
Did I beat myself up over it? Nope.
Did I really need the item? Probably not.
Am I disappointed? Not at all.
Let's have a chat.
This is my 3rd time doing a year of no shopping. The first year was insanely hard. It was at a time when I was living within my means, but I had a serious shopping habit. So much so, I would come back from shopping with a pair of jeans I already had AND, I was starting to be that person who had clothes hanging in her closet with tags on them. Oy. I had so many clothes and hardly any space to put them (which means my closet was a DISASTER!).
The second year was MUCH easier. I maybe had a few moments of “I REALLY WANT THAT”, but for the most part I felt I had what I needed. I put $20k in our savings account the first year, and so I was motivated to give it another go.
My first 2 years I did not purchase one.single.thing that was not deemed a necessity.
So what happened?
This year so far has been fine. In fact, I’m forgetting that I’m actually doing a year of no shopping (obviously...I bought something. haha).
Okay, I did have one moment. I tripped on the concrete coming out of the garage and fell down 3 stairs. In that process, the tip of my beautiful floral shoe departed from the sole. NOOOOOO! I immediately had visions of DSW dancing in my head. Once I was able to sit up (my poor husband had quite the scare when he looked out the back door and saw me laying on the grass. Purse contents thrown across the astro-turf), I took a look and was like, “Nah! Super glue!”
So why did I purchase something?
Well, I’m off to Italy at the end of June for a retreat and then some sightseeing and I’ll be traveling for 15 days. I like to travel light, especially if I’m not staying in one place. That means, it’s essential to have the right items. With the most important being shoes that are versatile and comfortable.
I’ve been researching a company who makes their shoes out of recycled water bottles (I also like refraining from purchasing clothes because of the waste), and after reading review after review, I decided these were the shoes that were going to take me from espresso, to the Trevi Fountain, to cocktails and pizza.
Sooooo now what? Is the challenge over?
AW HECK NO!
When I start a no shopping challenge, it is usually because I need a reset or am craving simplicity, more time, more money in my bank account...all the things. And although my first two years I didn’t buy anything, I always expected to veer off the path because, well...we are humans. So I have a rule. If I buy something, I have to get rid of something...or 5.
So I departed with 13 pairs of shoes, 1 pair of shorts, and 5 shirts.
These little slip on flats, actually gave me MORE space and simplicity, literally. Two of my goals for this current challenge.
Here's the takeaway I want you to realize...
Sometimes when you want something to enter your life, you have to be willing to let go of some other things (yes, I’m talkin’ bigger than shoes). When I did my first no shopping, I let go of the thrill of having the newest piece of clothing, to allow for more abundance and happiness in my life. I NEEDED Less stress, more money, less debt, more savings. Ten years after doing my very first no shop challenge, I can tell you, it still works...even when you take a pitstop.
This week, challenge yourself to identify what you need to let go of, in order to receive what you want. Want to share it? Tell me in the comments!
Have a kickass week!
Livin’ & Lovin’
B
P.S. The next 90 Day No Shopping Challenge starts on September 3. Don’t miss it!