The Folly of it All!

About a month ago, I went to the mall in search of a few of the items on my shopping priorities list.  Since I was looking for very specific things, I probably walked into and out of close to half of the stores in the mall.  During the process, I observed many other shoppers and later jotted down a few notes to potentially explore in a future post.  When I shopped again this past weekend, I was reminded of my impressions from the June excursion.

In today’s post, I write from the perspective of a recovering shopaholic who has emerged enough from my compulsion to see it in a different light.  While it’s true that I am not yet completely recovered (that may take a while…), I am sometimes able to view the folly that shopping can be with the wise eyes of an outside observer.  It is my hope that my observations will be helpful to you and will provoke both deep thoughts, as well as lively discussion for those who wish to chime in!

Tired shopper with lots of bags

Do you shop til you drop but not have much to show for it?

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Confession: I Shopped the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale this Year

Exactly a year ago today, I wrote a post titled “Why I’m Skipping the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.”  This has become one of the most popular posts on my blog, probably because so many people search for the term “Nordstrom Anniversary Sale.”  In a nutshell, the post outlines the five reasons why I decided to sit out what had been my favorite sale for many years.  My decision to avoid that “holy grail” of sales was a big turning point in my recovery process, although I’ve clearly experienced a number of ups and downs since that time.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

So I shopped the sale this year…. (image: Nordstrom.com)

Fast forward a year…  I have a confession to make.  This year, I did shop the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, or NAS for short.  While that may seem like a bit of a “backslide,” so to speak, it’s not necessarily that black and white.  In today’s post, I outline why I shopped the NAS this year, what was different about how I approached it this time around, and what I still need to learn and improve before I revisit this sale next time. Continue reading

The Dark Side of Style Redefinition

In some of my recent posts, I’ve shared that I have been redefining my style as of late.   Cutting back on my shopping has led me to more thoroughly evaluate what’s in my closet.  It’s also given me more time and space to consider how I want to dress and how I’d like to be perceived by others.  While this sounds like a very positive shift – and it mostly has been – there have been a few negative side effects.

In today’s post, I offer my thoughts on what I’ve termed “the dark side of style redefinition.”  I don’t necessarily think this dark side applies to everyone, but it’s definitely affecting me and likely affects fellow shopaholics in similar ways.

Style redefinition's dark side

Redefining our personal style can have an unforeseen “dark side.”

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How a Shopping Hiatus Can Help

The following is a guest post from Jill Chivers.  Jill is a former shopaholic who completed a major challenge – a full year without clothes shopping!  She later went on to create the first online membership site for women who want to stop overshopping and learn to shop consciously.  Read on as Jill shares her wisdom on the value of taking a shopping hiatus.


Taking a break from shopping, whether it’s a week, a month or longer (anyone for a year without shopping? More on that soon) can be an extremely effective way of getting on top of a shopping problem that has spiralled out of control.

Woman with shopping bags and credit cards

Is your shopping out of control? Perhaps a hiatus can help…

I know first hand how effective a shopping hiatus can be, as my own path to healing from an unhealthy shopping habit started with an extreme personal challenge: a year without clothes shopping. Continue reading

Do You Have a Closet Set Point?

On Monday, I shared my most recent closet inventory.  I revealed that I have approximately half the number of clothes as I did when I started my blog in January 2013.  While that represents amazing progress, I know there are others who have pared down their wardrobes far more rapidly.  In truth, I have also purged things from my closet more quickly in the past, but my smaller wardrobe never seemed to last very long.

I’ve come to understand that I have a sort of closet “set point,” a wardrobe size with which I’m comfortable and come back to time and time again.  In today’s post, I share my closet set point theory and the insights that have enabled me to reduce the size of my wardrobe over time. I also offer some tips to help you lower your closet set point.

Closet Set Point

Closet creep setting in?  Maybe you’re going back to your set point.

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