No-Shop January
I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas if you celebrate! We had a lovely, peaceful day together–I feel so grateful for so many things this year, especially our health. Now that Christmas is over, my thoughts are turning to the new year, and how to begin new habits that will hopefully stick!
In an attempt to start the forthcoming New Year off on the right foot, I’m not going to shop for clothes, shoes, or accessories during the month of January. I have several reasons for doing this–one, I want to see what I have and what I need; two, I don’t want to be tempted during the inevitable post-Christmas sales; and three, I want to be cognizant of and grateful for the things that I have. With the new variant, it’s doubtful I’ll be leaving the house much, and I’ll have time to really take stock of what I do need when the pandemic is (hopefully! finally!) over.
I am going to make a few exceptions to this rule, which I’m noting here:
- I can make one exception for this rule during the month of January;
- Using gift cards doesn’t count towards the no-shop rule (but I can’t go above the amount of any gift cards, unless that is my one exception);
- If something is irreparably ruined and needs to be replaced immediately, then I can replace it with that exact item (but the item must be worn at least twice a week.)
I’m also planning to unsubscribe to most, if not all, store emails to avoid any temptations. This is something I did during Black Friday (thank you to Judith for this tip!), and it worked really well. I’m also going to avoid blog posts that only talk about what you absolutely must buy during [insert store name]’s sale. I hope this will be helpful, and help to continue to build on habits I’d like to create for the future.
Have you ever done a no-shop month, and if so–please share what worked for you!
I haven’t done this, but have thought about trying it in February. I’ll be following along to see how yours goes! Please share updates as you go along! Good luck!
Thanks also for your beautiful Christmas post. It was lovely.
I have tried this several times with limited success, but I’m hopeful I’ll be more successful this year with these rules in place! I will certainly post weekly updates (if only to keep myself accountable!!) thank you for your good luck wishes, I will need them! 😊
And thank you so much—I am so glad you liked the Christmas post. I plan to do this one every year! I hope you had a wonderful holiday!!
What’s so funny is that I was actually hoping you’d do sale roundups so I could take advantage of the sales while pretending you’re my personal stylist… But really, I love this so much! I tried to do a year of no shopping with somewhat of the same rules in 2019, but then immediately became pregnant, which foiled every part of that plan.
Luckily, between a small monthly fun budget, working from home, and a pandemic, I’ve noticed myself shop much less the past couple of years. If it’s between an art class or a new blouse, I’m going for the art class! My exception is typically resale. If I find something on the preloved market I’ve been searching for forever, and it’s at a good price, then I’ll go for it.
Haha, sorry, Quincy!! I will say I think the Molly Moorkamp sale is amazing, and one I’ve eagerly awaited! Otherwise, I always look forward to the Ann Mashburn sale, so I will plan to do a round-up for that 🙂
The Lenten season serves such restraint well as we’re encouraged to put the brakes on our inordinate affections. Godspeed come January! The trick is to not ramp up purchases this week but to start now, as in tonight : )
Hi Rux, thanks for stopping by! Yes, I have already started by unsubscribing from almost all store emails, so I’m trying to remain blissfully unaware of the post-Christmas sales! 🙂
I am excited for you! I can’t wait to hear how it goes. 🙂
It’s funny, I couldn’t think of a single thing I needed or even wanted for Christmas back in November. But now I have a small list of items falling apart or that I wish I had thought about, hahaha! In particular, I am looking forward to replacing my wellies (which served me well for a decade). I plan to buy myself a new pair in a lovely shade of green and enjoy them on walks in the rain with my kids, while gardening, and on trips to visit family (who live in climates with four seasons). I’m planning to buy Hunters (perhaps the kind that packs well), but do you favor another brand? The opportunities for me to wear them aren’t that frequent, so I don’t really need the hardest wearing pair.
Thanks Judith! Hopefully well–I’ll post an update in a week! 🙂
Re: wellies: I have a pair of Hunters that have served me well with heavy use (including wearing everyday on an archaeological dig for two summers!) I do recommend them. I have the regular and NOT the travel pair; I tried on the travel pair but they were definitely much less supportive, so I’d recommend the regular pair. If you need to pack them, just stuff the boots with smaller items and they’ll not take up too much room in your suitcase!