Five Possible Outcomes When You Stop Shopping

In January of 2018 I challenged myself to not shop for or purchase clothing, shoes or accessories for twelve months.  Four months later I shared my takeaways to date from my shopping ban.  It’s now February of 2019 and I wanted to check in and share what I’ve discovered that I believe could be of benefit to you. 

Before sharing, I must confess to the purchase of two banned items. Going into 2018 I was confident two new pair of walking shoes would get me through the year. But, I put a lot of miles on my shoes and unfortunately misjudged longevity by about three months. So, before we left on vacation in October I purchased a new pair.  Though we had planned an autumn trip to Italy, the weather was more summer-like than we or the forecasters had anticipated.  We made do for the most part, that is until our day long trip to Cinque-Terre.  Having already perspired through my long sleeved tunic by hour two of our ten-hour excursion, I ducked into a tiny shop, bought the first t-shirt that caught my eye and changed into it in the tiny shop’s equally tiny storeroom. The owner laughed at the “impulsive” American shopper who couldn’t wait to wear her shirt. She had no idea though how much I appreciated that shirt that day and for the rest of the trip.

Even though I felt like I lost the challenge when I made these purchases, looking back, I view my one year experiment as a complete success because I learned what’s possible by not shopping.

No More Shopping Itch

First, I overcame my “shopping itch” and celebratory shopping tendencies!  It was fascinating to note as the year wore on how much easier it was to drive right on by my former shoe shopping haunt, Nordstrom Rack.  Interestingly, I hit the Rack in mid January 2019 to shop for boots and I was surprised by how quickly I lost interest in the task at hand and left without buying anything.  Shopping, a once interesting and sometimes exciting undertaking, felt boring and maybe even a waste of time. Clothing shopping used to be a way to celebrate and a way to play, but not any longer.  

More of What I Truly Value

By not shopping, I love that I created more of what I value most: TIME!  I’m guessing I gained on average at least 30 minutes a week by not shopping for clothes in brick & mortar stores. I likely saved an additional 30 minutes a week not shopping online when those SALE!!! emails dropped in my inbox. That’s 52 bonus hours in 2018 alone!  While I consider time my most precious resource, other resources such as money and gasoline have also been saved by changing my shopping habits.  

Change in Perspective

Because I wasn’t buying anything new, I got more creative with clothing combinations and working with accessories I already had.  As I re-wore outfits to events I realized that no one really cared what I had on. I also realized I wasn’t paying attention to what other people were wearing as much as I once did.  I also found myself playing with dressing in a uniform of sorts, which has made getting ready in the morning so much simpler.    

Better Understanding of Wants & Needs

Not purchasing anything but a pair of shoes and a t-shirt allowed me to build big-time awareness of the difference between wants and needs.  The clothing emergencies of my past – “OMG!!! I NEED a new dress for that event!” or “I can’t possibly go THERE wearing THESE shoes!” – it turns out weren’t actually emergencies at all.  I wore less-than-perfect outfits and shoes any number of times in 2018 and lived to tell the tale. 

I also became more aware of how many different outfits I actually need and which clothes I love to wear.  Throughout the year I took note whenever I found myself wishing I had something new.  As the year progressed I wrote those things down.  The list (in order of importance): two pair black low-cut socks, one pair dressier black sandals, two sports bras, one pair ankle length jeans, black yoga pants, tall black leather boots, rain boots, travel purse with slice-proof strap, and black leggings.  We’ve all heard about the benefit of taking a 24-hour break before buying something to make sure it’s something you truly want.  Multiply that by 365 days and you can imagine the impact it might have.  What’s interesting is that it’s now February 2019 and I’ve not yet purchased anything on this list. So, I guess I don’t really need any of it, yet. 

More Intentional and More Ethical Consumption

What I’m most excited about is having become a more intentional purchaser and a more ethical consumer.  As 2018 progressed I noticed myself scrutinizing all potential purchases more than I had in the past.  I also noticed (and am continuing to notice) that truly intentional and purposeful purchasing feels a lot better than the haphazard emotionally-charged impulse purchasing of my past.  It also means making fewer returns!

Ethical consumption is a topic I only began to consider late in 2018, but it’s an important one. I’m not going to delve into it here because this post is already long enough, but if you’d like to learn more about ethical consumption and how it relates to you, I invite you to read this piece I wrote in January.  

What Now?

Having experienced these successes I’m not sure what’s next for me shopping-wise.  I am confident though that my needs will be dictating my next shopping trip more than any wants. : )

As I said back in May 2018, if any of you out there are trying to curb shopping, reduce spending or just become more mindful about purchasing I hope my sharing of my experiences has been helpful. 

So what are your thoughts?  Does a shopping challenge of your own sound like an experiment you might want to try?  How might paying attention to your shopping habits make a difference in your life?  If you’re interested in discussing this topic, I’d love to hear from you.  

As always, thanks for reading. ~Andrea