What I learned from my 1st month of a Shopping Ban

 

A shopping ban sounds very dramatic doesn’t it?

It’s not really. But, I’m one month into this thing and I’m ready to share a little bit about what I’m doing and why. Mostly for accountability, but also knowing that the sharing of our stories can often help others in unexpected ways.

The moral of my story is: I’m doing a 6-month shopping ban. I started this a few days before January 1^st, 2021.  I have an approved shopping list of things I can buy, but that’s it. I got the idea after reading The Year of Less by Cait Flanders. Except she did it for a year!

Here’s my approved list:

-Essentials: groceries, gas, toiletries

-Replacement for something broken or un-useable (only after assessing if it’s really needed)

-One book at a time on my Kindle if I’ve finished the last one

-One candle at a time, only after I’ve used up all the other candles I already have (there’s…a lot of them)

-Gifts for others

I have many reasons for doing this, but the biggest is to create space in my life for the things that really matter. This was my only intention for this new year. I have so many things already, so so so so so many things already. Yet, I mindlessly scroll through Amazon, Instagram, Facebook marketplace, etc. on a daily basis. My email inbox was jammed with over 6000 unread advertisements/subscriptions/newsletters. My precious weekend time was spent browsing aisles at TJ Maxx looking for that perfect, 12^th million candle. So many things taking up space in my mind and my life. I want that space back.

A lot of my reflection on this happened after watching the two documentaries on Netflix by The Minimalists. Highly suggest. What I love about their ideas is that it can be different for everyone. You get to determine what creating space in your life looks like.

Another motivation is definitely my finances. Granted, I’ve done a lot of work in the past two years to get to a healthier place financially. I paid off $15,000 in credit card debt during this time and never carry a balance anymore. But I want to do more than just pay off my credit card each month. I have dreams of traveling and running races in extravagant places. What I’m doing right now doesn’t set me up for that.

But you probably only care about how it’s going, right? It’s…going.

Honestly, there have been moments that were harder than others to resist the temptation to buy something. I’ve learned to listen closely to the list of reasons my mind will tell me I need something. The one I keep hearing the most is, “Mary- you never really shopped much anyway. You hardly buy things for yourself. You work so hard-you deserve this. Don’t worry about it.”

It’s true- I’ve never felt like a compulsive shopper. My closet was never really overflowing. But going through my home decluttering during this time has shown me just how much stuff has piled up. Maybe I don’t go on big “shopping sprees,” but ya girl had 3 adult coloring books, never used, with a huge pile of dust on them. Why. Plus, I’m not saving/investing the amount of money I want to be. So, it’s clearly going somewhere.

I would say I’m optimistic I can complete this. I’m a goal-driven human so a challenge like this is right up my alley. But, I also have a lot of doubts in my mind. One of my biggest insecurities is that I start things and don’t finish them. That’s a big reason why I’m choosing to write this down and share it for accountability.

I’m planning to only update monthly. This isn’t earth shattering news. But I’d love to talk to anyone else interested or curious any time! And please- if you see me at Costco, you have permission to escort me out the building. :)