I wish that I could tell you that I haven’t missed shopping, just 43 days into my year-long Low Spend, but that wouldn’t be the truth.
The truth is that I do miss shopping. For the past 10 years, I owned a vintage business. Shopping was a part of my job and I was good at it. Most weekend mornings, you could find me at a flea market or estate sale, large coffee and small dog in hand. If I was running low on inventory, I’d even pop into the thrift store during the week to see what treasures I could unearth.
Yes, this shopping was secondhand and if you are going to shop, secondhand is better than new, but I was still shopping for hours of week as part of my job. And although most of my shopping was things for me to clean, fix and resell, I inevitably found items for myself. I inevitably over-consumed.
After the storm, I shut down the vintage part of my business and with my Low Spend Year, I don’t really have any excuse to buy frivolously. But after a little over a month, I find myself wanting to switch up my wardrobe a bit.
Now, I do think scratching the shopping itch can be a slippery slope. If you think you may be addicted to shopping, seeking help and abstaining for the time being is best. But, I’m not addicted to shopping. I don’t neglect my responsibilities to shop. I don’t spend money I don’t have. It’s not a compulsion for me. I’m just simply bored of my clothes.