On June 21st I embarked on a summer season no shopping challenge with Cherie @ Renaissance Garden + at the close of 3 months I feel really good about this experience.
There were a couple times when I e-mailed Cherie with near confessions about some purchases, but she told me I was being too hard on myself + items such as a couch (when I had no couch) + dishes (when I had no dishes) were necessities.
During these last 3 months I bought:
3 books, a tank top + pajama bottoms while on vacation at June Lake, CA (all second hand for charity)
3 books, a tank top + pajama bottoms while on vacation at June Lake, CA (all second hand for charity)
a new (to me) couch on Craigslist for $50 (score!)
dishes + glassware
fall/winter clothes (I was in LA, far better thrift shopping than in my little TN town)
3 yards of hand-dyed silk from India, found at the Goodwill for $3.99 (the closest I will get to my dream of traveling to India for awhile) This was my one impulsive I have no idea what I'm going to do with this purchasesome misc. items at Home Depot (trust me, necessities)
black winter boots to replace the 2 pair I had to discard after much wear + dis-repair.
black winter boots to replace the 2 pair I had to discard after much wear + dis-repair.The purpose of this challenge was not necessarily to close my wallet for 3 months, but to re-assess my spending habits + in this regard I was successful. In a conversation with my friend Susan, she noticed a pattern on my blog of perpetual FINAL purges, something I also noticed when I printed off all my old posts from the last 5 1/2 years. Another friend told me that you never know what the universe is going to present + now that my financial situation has significantly changed, mindless + impulsive spending is NOT an option.
Cherie + I hoped that this challenge would not end on the last day of summer + in re-thinking + really contemplating my purchases + their worth in my life, I hope never to post about a FINAL purge again! This is my vow to myself.
Cherie + I hoped that this challenge would not end on the last day of summer + in re-thinking + really contemplating my purchases + their worth in my life, I hope never to post about a FINAL purge again! This is my vow to myself.
2 comments:
Great boots and City of Thieves was one of my favorite books in recent years.
The challenge has really impacted my life. Even though I wasn't what I consider a "shopper," the challenge has made me more mindful of how I spend my money. Thanks, Shona, for encouraging me to not only embark on the challenge, but to make it a full 3 months. Making it longer made it more "challenging" and made it more likely to become a permanent change in my mindset.
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