Hi, I’m Gillian. I used to be a shopaholic.
When I was around 16, I got a really unique jacket for Christmas. It was made from a dark blue, iridescent plastic material with a black faux fur lining. I think it was a Moto style with a belt buckle at the waist, maybe it even had an asymmetrical zipper but I can’t be sure. On the first day back to school after the break, I got on the bus and one of the girls told me that she loved my jacket and that I was “really fashionable”. I was on Cloud 9!
From that moment on, I created my entire identity around that single interaction.
I spent the next decade trying to live up to that description, constantly looking for the next thing that might prompt someone to comment on how cool it was or how stylish I was, spending most of my free time in college at the mall, buying things that I didn’t need to impress people that I didn’t even know, or ones I did who didn’t even care.
I wore my metaphorical “shopaholic badge” with a sense of pride. My favorite movies were “The Devil Wears Prada” (still is) and “Confessions of a Shopaholic”. Instant gratification was my M.O.
And I did all of this with borrowed money. I’ll forever be amazed at how much money they’ll extend to kids who have no income (I hope it’s changed but I remember signing up for my first credit card on the first day of college in the student union building where a bank was luring kids in with the promise of a free t-shirt).
With graduation lurking, I started to read personal finance blogs. I set up my very first budget and spent quite a few years dealing with my debt. Eventually, I moved on from personal finance blogs to minimalism blogs, which I discovered in 2015.
I decluttered half of our belongings and started experimenting with capsule wardrobes. I shared the things that I was learning about minimalism with my family and friends. Eventually, in 2018, I started a blog to share these things and I called it “Uncomplicated Spaces”.
I completed a NO BUY YEAR in 2024 after being afraid that I was slipping back into my old shopping habits. As a result of that experience, I realized that I’ve had a lot of guilt and shame over my past shopping behaviors and that I place a lot of restrictions on myself as a punishment. I’m learning to let that go and to embrace a newfound sense of confidence that I have in myself as a result of the challenge.
You can get more information in this newsletter, but I have come to realize that I am someone who actually needs restrictions around clothes shopping after experiencing a massive rebound period when my no buy year ended. I am no longer viewing these restrictions as a way to punish myself for my past spending behavior. Instead, I am viewing it as an opportunity to become somebody who is on control of her spending!
Which is why I decided to do a LOW BUY YEAR in 2025! I only plan on purchasing 25 items for the entire year, which I think will be the sweet spot between not buying anything and buying whatever I want!
I’ve also been rediscovering my love of clothing and styling recently, after going through a period of feeling very uninspired. I have a minimalist-ish wardrobe full of mostly secondhand clothes, a few items from sustainable brands, a few I’ve sewn and a few old items from fast fashion brands. I have been documenting all of my outfits in weekly outfit dairies and it’s been really helping me to focus on, and appreciate, the clothing that I already own!
And this newsletter isn’t called Uncomplicated Spaces for no reason - I started it as a way to document my minimalism journey, but I’ve always been interested in interior design and creating cozy spaces that are also minimal and functional. I want to apply everything that I’ve learned about personal style (color, texture, layering) over the years to some posts about interior design (from a beginner’s perspective) as I work to add a little color to our mostly white-walled house!
If any of this sounds interesting to you, please subscribe to join our community!
Also, if you can think of anyone who might like this newsletter, I’d love it of you’d share it with them 🖤
