I know the date well because that's the date we went to the Deer Park outlets for back-to-school shopping, and I bought three pairs of jeans at the NYDJ store, and was oh-so-proud of myself for not splurging on the black crocodile bad at the Bergdorf outlet. Afterwards I felt ridiculous. Did I really need to buy three pairs of jeans? And why did I feel like it was such a big win to say no to a bag? I clearly have issues. So I started thinking that I should really begin to rein myself in and take it slower when shopping. There was no major decision on my part, but more of a quiet let's-see-if-I-can-shop-a-bit-less-in-stores-and-shop-more-in-my-closet kind of thinking. It's probably been building up for quite a while, not least that I'm somewhat of a hoarder and have an extremely hard time of letting anything go, which is why things pile up in my closet.
The weirdest thing about this whole thing is, however, that I've actually been quite enjoying the not-shopping life. There is more time for other things. It's much healthier to hang out with kids at home or do something else other than drag them around in stores. I have been using shopping as a quick pick me up therapy, especially my lunch time escapades have been very much retail-therapy, so it's been interesting to find different ways to get a little mind boost. Reading a book, for example. Or just taking a little walk.
I did make one major purchase during this period of time when hubby and I decided on new dining room chairs. But that shouldn't count since it's for the family home and not just for me.
At this time, I really don't want to buy anything, I've got no wish list, and sticking to my shopping diet seems very easy. I feel good about it and plan to continue at least until the end of the year. Eventually I probably will ease back into shopping, but I should learn something from my 12-year old daughter who is extremely picky, and only buys stuff that she really loves.
