Author: Debbie Roes

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How Many New Items Should We Buy Each Year?

A few weeks ago, I launched my private Facebook group.   The discussions in this group are so interesting and thought-provoking that I will periodically share some of them here on the blog.   Today’s post includes the very first discussion topic that I posed for the group.

New Items Per Year

What’s a reasonable amount of clothes to buy per year?

The Question…

Here’s the question that I asked the group members to comment on:

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to how many new items it is reasonable to buy within a given year. I know there isn’t one number that will apply to everyone, but I’d love to get some thoughts on this subject. I know that the 50+ items I’ve been purchasing each year since I started “Recovering Shopaholic” is still too many, although it’s a lot fewer than the 150-200 annual purchases I made in 2012 and previous years. I’m thinking that I could probably reduce my purchases by half and it would still be more than enough, provided that I make wise choices. Thoughts?”

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Overcoming Debt and Improving Family Life in a Few Short Months

The following was posted in the comments section of my “August Grab Bag of Useful Links” post by a reader named Gabby, who shared her recent success with shopping less, overcoming debt, and reclaiming family life.   Although some of you may have read her comment, I thought it merited higher visibility as part of my “Stories of Recovery” series, especially since we haven’t had an installment in that series for a while.  I have done some light editing of Gabby’s words and moved things around a bit for impact, but the essence of her inspiring tale remains the same.

Summer family picnic

Gabby focused on summer fun with her family instead of shopping.

If you would like to be profiled in the “Stories of Recovery” series (you can be anonymous if desired), or if you have an idea for another type of guest post on “Recovering Shopaholic,” please connect with me to share your thoughts.  Since I’m taking a modified blogging break during September, I’m especially interested in any content you’d like to contribute here this month.

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On Self-Care, Clearing Backlogs, and Taking a Break

It’s a known fact that many women have a tendency to put themselves last. They expend the majority of their time and energy taking care of other people, such that they can become totally depleted and have nothing left to give to themselves. This phenomenon is common among mothers of young children and members of the “sandwich generation,” but it can happen to all of us.   And for those of us who struggle with compulsive shopping or other addictive behaviors, not taking care of our own needs can set us up for exacerbating those issues.

This has been the case for me in recent months.   No, I don’t have small children or elderly parents with failing health, but I also don’t really have a lot to give at this point.   I have been struggling more so than usual with my health over the past few months and have also been investing a great deal of energy in trying to help a sick friend who is really in a bad way.  I have also been spending many hours each week going to various medical and holistic practitioner appointments, which only seem to be eating up my time and money without doing much good.   And I often lose entire days or partial days as a result of feeling just plain awful.

lake tahoe clouds

Beautiful Lake Tahoe, where I will visit during September (my dad’s photo). 

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August 2015 “Grab Bag” of Useful Links

Before I dive into the topic of today’s post, I want to thank regular reader Margaret for her excellent post on how to successfully shop for clothes on eBay.  Usually when people write guest posts, they do so at least partially to drive traffic to their own blogs, but a few readers of “Recovering Shopaholic” have written articles solely out of a desire to share their knowledge with others.  Margaret is one of these people and her post was very informative and comprehensive! To see all of the previous guest posts on the blog, click here.  If you have a topic you’d like to share with this community, please contact me to tell me about it and find out if it would be a good fit for a future post.

torrey pines beach

A hazy August day overlooking Torrey Pines Beach in La Jolla, California.

With all that said, let’s move on to today’s post. It’s coming up on the end of August, so it’s time for me to share my latest “grab bag” of useful links (see previous editions here).   Included below are links to articles I think you’ll enjoy on the subjects of shopping and shopping psychology, wardrobe management, style, and personal development.  I usually also share a few previous “Recovering Shopaholic” posts that you may have missed the first time around, but since I just opened the archives last week on the topic of compulsive shopping, I’m skipping that section this month and including some extra articles in the other categories instead.

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How to Successfully Shop for Clothes on eBay

The following is a guest post from Margaret, who is one of the readers of this blog. Margaret lives in New York City and is a lover of style, fashion and interior design. She describes her personal style as an eclectic mix of menswear classic, vintage feminine, and quirky relaxed creative. When not studying for school, she enjoys lifting heavy things, watching interesting TV shows, anime, ballroom dance shows, and reading. 

Having grown up during the period of the internet, I have always been quite comfortable with shopping for items online. One of my very first eBay purchases was actually an antique early 1900s French-made chinoiserie wardrobe that cost me less than the price of an IKEA Pax system and is an item that I greatly treasure today for its function, craftsmanship, and beauty.

I want to begin exploring this topic by first providing some examples of advantages to shopping on eBay and shopping online in general versus shopping in brick and mortar shops. I will also provide a list of disadvantages to shopping on eBay and the ways in which I minimize those disadvantages.

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