If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen that, last week, I vowed to give up shopping for a while.
My sister is getting married in Europe this summer, and my husband and I have promised ourselves that we'd pay for our entire trip without using our credit cards. So that means that we have to save some cash.
Now. I shop a lot. Like, a lot. But I was able to convince myself that it was okay because I'm not an expensive shopper. I buy from stores with lower price points. I buy from sale racks (or more often, sale sections of websites). I use coupon codes. And I never, ever, ever put any type of clothes, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, etc. on a credit card. If I don't have the money in cash on my debit card, I don't buy it. Period. So I'm not as irresponsible as that woman in those books I've never read or that movie I never saw, but I'm not as responsible as I should be.
And all of these little things add up. I started to realize how much money I could save if I wasn't shopping so much.
So, until we've saved enough money for our trip to Europe, no shopping for me. And I'm posting it here because announcing it to you will keep me accountable. Yes, I know that a shopping ban is one of the most clichéd things that a fashion blogger can do. But it will be good for me and for my family.
Of course there will be a couple of exceptions:
- I need to buy some more gym clothes - specifically some sports bras and workout pants. But I view this as a necessity for wellness, not a frivolity.
- Jason Wu for Target. I know, I know. I'm weak. But I'm not letting that slip by. And, originally, I was going to start my shopping ban after Jason Wu, but then I decided to start it two weeks earlier and just make an exception. This decision has already saved me some money.
- I will only purchase makeup if it's a staple that I'm running out of. For example, I'm low on foundation and eyebrow pencil, so I'll have to buy some soon. That is it.
It's going to be hard. I spend almost all of my free time on Shopstyle, looking at so many pretty, pretty things for this blog. I'm tempted literally every day. But I'm going to be strong, because I have to be. I've unsubscribed from all of my email sale alerts, which will help.
After we've got our vacation money saved, I'm still going to make some changes to my spending habits:
- I'm going to allot myself a specific shopping budget, and I'm going to stick to it.
- If I buy something and don't wear it within a month, I'm going to return it.
Wish me luck!
And now, you tell me: what are your shopping habits? Do you have a monthly budget or any restrictions? What do you splurge on? Have you ever taken a hiatus from shopping? What else can you share? And could I possibly ask any more questions?
