I'm Going to Stop Shopping
Lately with the wedding I’ve been thinking a lot about money. About planning for the future and making sure that Nate and I have a good handle on how we manage our money and if we are prepared for things like buying a house someday and having enough saved for retirement.
We’re both very fortunate to have great jobs that allow us to put money into retirement accounts and savings. We will both be eligible for each of our company’s 401K programs soon and we have enough left in our checking to pay all of our bills and spend on non-essentials and fun things.
That being said, I still felt weirdly unsettled about what I’m spending and what I’m saving. I also realized that I haven’t done a significant clean out of my things since I “Marie Kondo-ed” our apartment back in Little Italy and then purged things again for the move to Ohio City.
Right as I was starting to feel all this unsettledness start rising to the surface, I stumbled upon “The Year of Less” by Cait Flanders.
I was immediately grabbed by the subhead on the book “How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy in a Store.”
This was my sign from the Universe.
I bought the book on Amazon, hard copy because I felt like it was a book that deserved a hard copy. I started reading it this Monday and finished it last night. I read it in two days.
I was totally transfixed.
As I was reading I stared to apply the principles that Cait recommended. I started by going through my clothes and shoes. I divided them into two piles: for donation and for Poshmark.
I had been meaning to start selling on Poshmark for a while, especially the things that I felt could be loved a little longer by people who were looking for them. So this was the perfect opportunity to do it.
In the end, I cleaned out all my jewelry, clothes, bags, make-up, toiletries, and, shoes and was left with a lot more peace about what I had. And I also realized that I have more than enough of somethings (deodorant, toothpaste, lotion, shower gel, soap) than any sane person logically needs.
After taking inventory of all the things I have, I started to think about the feasibility of a personal shopping ban for myself.
When Cait did her shopping ban, she limited herself to only buying groceries, toiletries, gifts for others, and things on an approved shopping list like a dress for a wedding, a new mattress etc. She also was allowed to replace anything that broke as long as she got rid of the original broken item.
She could travel and go out with friends for dinner, but it was limited. All the money she saved by reducing her non-essential spending went into a Shopping Ban savings account and her retirement accounts.
All in all, she ended up saving just north of $27,000 in one year!
After finishing the book, running my finances, looking over my inventory of things, and thinking about what I actually really NEEDED to buy in the next few months, I think I’ve decided to do a shopping ban of my own.
I am going to start with 3 months.
I haven’t really gotten through what all will be on my lists, that will come later this week but I think I’ve got the basics.
Essentials List (What I Can Buy)
- Groceries
- Toiletries (Only when I run out)
- Gifts for Others
- Gas/Car Things
- Dinners Out (Budget to Follow)
Non-Essentials
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Make-Up
- Sparkling Water
- Packaged Ice Cream
- Candy
- Books
Approved Shopping List (Things I am allowed to buy)
- Bridal Shower Dress (If needed)
- Bridal Shower Shoes (If needed)
- Bachelorette Dress (If needed)
- Bachelorette Shoes (If needed)
- Wedding Items (Decor, Vendor Payments, Etc)
- Wedding Hair Maintenance
NOTE:
I am also giving myself the freedom to travel and spend money on food and experience while traveling if all that money comes out of my travel savings account and if I set up a budget prior to the trip.
I think this will help me get a little better control on where exactly my money is going. In addition, I am planning to see how much I can reduce my grocery spending while still making us delicious food. One part of that goal is making my own RX Bars. That alone will save me over $30 a month.
While it’s not totally vetted yet, I feel confident that I can go three months without buying the things on my non-essentials list. It’ll be really difficult for me for sure. I’m a huge shopper. I love it. Retail therapy is a very real thing for me, but I want to see if I can manage that and find other ways to deal with stress in my life.
I’m going to work on a real plan and rework my budget to see what I can do from a savings standpoint. That will follow shortly, but I wanted to get this out there before I chicken out. I am going to use this blog to stay accountable, just like I did with keto and like I do with my workouts.
Fingers crossed. All the things crossed. I can do this.