"The largest restriction that I’ve ever placed on myself might end up being the most freeing thing I’ve ever done for myself." >>> this resonated so much. I'm on a low buy and also finding it quite liberating but there were moments where I felt a genuine spark of inspiration looking at an item of clothing, and I struggled with giving myself the permission to explore it, and the fear of slipping back into actual, addiction-ish habits. Thanks for so generously sharing your experiences and looking forward to whatever comes next!
Well done, Gillian. You did it! I think it’s really great you made it and shared the negative thoughts around it. I did not manage to do it at all but I really want to. I recently had a day with my mum where we went through all my clothes, trying things on, making new outfits and swapping things. I had the best day and afterwards I told her it was so much better than shopping.
I really admire you for committing to a year-long no buy - I'm navigating it month by month, but I know I can't do more than that at the moment. But one thing I'm realising, and which I think is probably your biggest take-away, is having the (uncomfortable) headspace to look at past shopping behaviour.
You absolutely need to forgive your past self, and yes, plug-back into the joy of buying something you will wear and love, knowing that you did the work to retrain your old habits.
Thanks Louise! I love that you're doing what works for you in this moment and taking it month by month. I plan to incorporate some no buy months over the next year as well. I think taking a conscious step back from shopping is so helpful.
Thank you for sharing so openly about your experience with a no buy, I look forward to reading more about the journey and how re-entering the shopping world goes for you. I could really relate when you said that you like shopping and that it is a hobby for you, me too. Also when you said defining ourselves into a few words, something I have struggled with and can never narrow down my three words. It is so true that we are putting our creativity in a box when we do this. I think you have learnt a lot from your no buy and you do inspire me to give it a go to see what realizations I come to about myself and my habits.
I think when I started trying to "define my style" is when I started to lose what made it truly personal and unique for me. I feel like I started to dress like I was seeing others dress because I admired their style and how put together they seemed. But honestly, I like a little messiness and unpredictability when I get dressed and I'm really trying to lean into the fact that I can admire other's style without adopting it. And that's it's perfectly ok to like a lot of different things. I hope that made sense 😅. Thanks for reading, Rach and I hope you have a great day!
Always glad to receive your updates in my inbox. Sounds like this was a healing journey for you. As I read it, it felt so natural, having cycles of expansion and contraction in our lives. It creates balance and transformation. Although you struggled in some of your posts, your artistry and expression were never wavering. In fact, they were deeply inspiring. Looking forward to all you have to share as you move forward.
Unfortunately, I can't say that I had a lot of savings from this challenge. I replaced some shopping activities (i.e. Saturday morning with my daughter) with breakfast dates and had some health issues that the money went towards. So it's probably a good thing I did a no buy for this past year!
I’ve just started a no buy month , which I’ve never fully been successful with before . But I won’t let myself get too worked up about missteps either because I do see how doing these no buys forces me to be more mindful overall. Even during months where I don’t try a no buy. Mindfulness is the difference between my “former shopping self” and me today. Also, I agree : I love secondhand and vintage and the creativity that it can inspire . Just doing it much less often now, which actually makes me enjoy the times I go more ☀️
Whoa Gillian - congrats on this accomplishment ! I am living vicariously through you and literally feel all the emotions reading your story. I started my shopaholic behavior in high school and only recently realized the temporary shot of dopamine that I get acquiring stuff. Like you mostly fashion items but can be beauty, technology, Amazon deliveries etc. And it is a financial burden. One question I have is did you “replace” the void on another way? A new hobby or activity? And, did you save a ton of money by doing this?
Thanks so much, Wendy! It's so easy to get that dopamine hit quickly through shopping, especially online. I'm definitely glad that I stayed mostly offline over the past year.
I think at the beginning, I replaced the void with a lot of journaling and reading. I watched a lot of shows and movies in my spare time but as time went on, I did less of those things. I have been focusing more on my health over the past few months which has helped me feel more positive since my 10 month update. I can't say that I saved much money...instead of shopping with my daughter on Saturdays, we started going to a cafe for breakfast so I would say that was a pretty even trade. And then I had to get invisalign to fix my TMJD so it helped that I wasn't spending money on clothes. It always seems like there's somewhere for the money to go 😅
Good job Gillian! The thing I got out of my shopping year isn't a new view on shopping, rather than knowing that I can survive and even thrive without shopping. But I also learned that I don't want to. At least not for huge periods. I like shopping and thrifting just like you and I believe our closets shouldn't be static but rather evolving with us (but in a sustainable circular way). Thanks for sharing your journey 🥰
Thanks Gabriella! Glad to hear that you had similar takeaways from your experience. It's definitely not what I expected. How long have you been out of your challenge?
"The largest restriction that I’ve ever placed on myself might end up being the most freeing thing I’ve ever done for myself." >>> this resonated so much. I'm on a low buy and also finding it quite liberating but there were moments where I felt a genuine spark of inspiration looking at an item of clothing, and I struggled with giving myself the permission to explore it, and the fear of slipping back into actual, addiction-ish habits. Thanks for so generously sharing your experiences and looking forward to whatever comes next!
Well done, Gillian. You did it! I think it’s really great you made it and shared the negative thoughts around it. I did not manage to do it at all but I really want to. I recently had a day with my mum where we went through all my clothes, trying things on, making new outfits and swapping things. I had the best day and afterwards I told her it was so much better than shopping.
Anyway, really well done!!
Thanks Kate! That sounds like such a great way to spend the day with your mum 💕 It's always fun to shop someone else's closet, isn't it?
I really admire you for committing to a year-long no buy - I'm navigating it month by month, but I know I can't do more than that at the moment. But one thing I'm realising, and which I think is probably your biggest take-away, is having the (uncomfortable) headspace to look at past shopping behaviour.
You absolutely need to forgive your past self, and yes, plug-back into the joy of buying something you will wear and love, knowing that you did the work to retrain your old habits.
Thanks Louise! I love that you're doing what works for you in this moment and taking it month by month. I plan to incorporate some no buy months over the next year as well. I think taking a conscious step back from shopping is so helpful.
Thank you for sharing so openly about your experience with a no buy, I look forward to reading more about the journey and how re-entering the shopping world goes for you. I could really relate when you said that you like shopping and that it is a hobby for you, me too. Also when you said defining ourselves into a few words, something I have struggled with and can never narrow down my three words. It is so true that we are putting our creativity in a box when we do this. I think you have learnt a lot from your no buy and you do inspire me to give it a go to see what realizations I come to about myself and my habits.
I think when I started trying to "define my style" is when I started to lose what made it truly personal and unique for me. I feel like I started to dress like I was seeing others dress because I admired their style and how put together they seemed. But honestly, I like a little messiness and unpredictability when I get dressed and I'm really trying to lean into the fact that I can admire other's style without adopting it. And that's it's perfectly ok to like a lot of different things. I hope that made sense 😅. Thanks for reading, Rach and I hope you have a great day!
Well done Gillian! I’ve really enjoyed reading about your challenge and look forward to your next newsletter
Thanks so much Suze!
Yeah agreed! Always something to spend $$$$ on ! 🙃
Always glad to receive your updates in my inbox. Sounds like this was a healing journey for you. As I read it, it felt so natural, having cycles of expansion and contraction in our lives. It creates balance and transformation. Although you struggled in some of your posts, your artistry and expression were never wavering. In fact, they were deeply inspiring. Looking forward to all you have to share as you move forward.
Thank you so much for your support this past year, Ruby! I'm excited to close this chapter and move forward with the things I've learnt.
Did you track the money you didn’t spend, and if so, are you going to do anything special with it?
Unfortunately, I can't say that I had a lot of savings from this challenge. I replaced some shopping activities (i.e. Saturday morning with my daughter) with breakfast dates and had some health issues that the money went towards. So it's probably a good thing I did a no buy for this past year!
I’ve just started a no buy month , which I’ve never fully been successful with before . But I won’t let myself get too worked up about missteps either because I do see how doing these no buys forces me to be more mindful overall. Even during months where I don’t try a no buy. Mindfulness is the difference between my “former shopping self” and me today. Also, I agree : I love secondhand and vintage and the creativity that it can inspire . Just doing it much less often now, which actually makes me enjoy the times I go more ☀️
That's amazing, Rebecca! I have a really good feeling about this no buy month for you 🙌🏻
Whoa Gillian - congrats on this accomplishment ! I am living vicariously through you and literally feel all the emotions reading your story. I started my shopaholic behavior in high school and only recently realized the temporary shot of dopamine that I get acquiring stuff. Like you mostly fashion items but can be beauty, technology, Amazon deliveries etc. And it is a financial burden. One question I have is did you “replace” the void on another way? A new hobby or activity? And, did you save a ton of money by doing this?
Thanks so much, Wendy! It's so easy to get that dopamine hit quickly through shopping, especially online. I'm definitely glad that I stayed mostly offline over the past year.
I think at the beginning, I replaced the void with a lot of journaling and reading. I watched a lot of shows and movies in my spare time but as time went on, I did less of those things. I have been focusing more on my health over the past few months which has helped me feel more positive since my 10 month update. I can't say that I saved much money...instead of shopping with my daughter on Saturdays, we started going to a cafe for breakfast so I would say that was a pretty even trade. And then I had to get invisalign to fix my TMJD so it helped that I wasn't spending money on clothes. It always seems like there's somewhere for the money to go 😅
Good job Gillian! The thing I got out of my shopping year isn't a new view on shopping, rather than knowing that I can survive and even thrive without shopping. But I also learned that I don't want to. At least not for huge periods. I like shopping and thrifting just like you and I believe our closets shouldn't be static but rather evolving with us (but in a sustainable circular way). Thanks for sharing your journey 🥰
Thanks Gabriella! Glad to hear that you had similar takeaways from your experience. It's definitely not what I expected. How long have you been out of your challenge?