November 4, 2013 by Debbie Roes

Wanting Less and More at the Same Time

As human beings, we can sometimes be walking contradictions. We often say one thing and act in a completely opposite manner. This is definitely true for me in terms of minimalism and simplicity. I say I want a simpler and less complicated life, yet my past “maximalism” still hasn’t been completely exorcised from my psyche.

Do you struggle with the less vs. more dichotomy?

Another Type of Excess Besides Clothes

I’ll tie this discussion in to clothing and wardrobe shortly, but allow me to start with another personal example… I subscribe to a lot of magazines; too many, in fact. This excess happened gradually, as I regularly received low-cost subscription offers from a number of publications. I’d see the offer and think, “Only $12 for a year? Of course I’ll subscribe!” And so it went, until piles and piles of magazines were delivered to me each month. Continue reading →

October 31, 2013 by Debbie Roes

What Are Your Shopping “Aftershocks”?

Shopping Triggers Were Discussed Last Week…

Last week, I explored the concept of “shopping triggers,” which are the various stimuli that propel us to want to shop. I outlined the five types of triggers – situational, cognitive, interpersonal, emotional, and physical – and gave several examples of each. I also shared some of the shopping triggers that have been personally troubling for me.

That post elicited quite a few comments and I thank those who commented for sharing your trigger experiences with me and your fellow readers. Some of you also shared your powerful tips for dealing with triggers, which was also much appreciated. I will revisit the subject of avoiding shopping triggers in future posts, but now I’d like to turn to another subject from Dr. Benson’s book, “To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop.”

“Aftershocks” Often Follow our Shopping Experiences

Let’s say you succumbed to one of your most difficult triggers and you overshopped. Your emotions were in the driver’s seat instead of your rational mind, and you bought things you didn’t really need – or even want. What happens next? According to Dr. Benson, what follows are “aftershocks,” her term for the undesirable consequences of overshopping.

Continue reading →

October 28, 2013 by Debbie Roes

Do You Save Your Clothes “For Good”?

Many of us have quite a few clothes in our closets that are rarely or never worn. The reasons these clothes are gathering dust are many… They may no longer fit our current bodies or suit our present day lifestyle, or we may simply not love them anymore. These are all good reasons for passing things along to friends, family members, charity, or consignment. There’s little sense in keeping things around that no longer work for who we are today.

Why We Save Our Clothes “For Good”

However, there’s another reason why our clothes don’t see much, if any, wear. Sometimes we’re simply saving them “for good.” What does that mean? Saving “for good” is when we don’t want to wear clothes we actually like – or even love – for one of the following reasons:

We think our everyday occasions aren’t good enough for wearing our “nice clothes.”
We’re afraid of wearing out our favorite clothes and having to replace them.
We’re afraid we may never be able to find such nice clothes again, so we should only wear them on “special occasions.”

Continue reading →

October 25, 2013 by Debbie Roes

A “Mixed Bag” of Useful Links

My “useful links” posts are generally centered around a particular theme, but I’m going to mix it up a bit today…

Today’s links are to articles I’ve read (and one video I watched) over the past week that I think will be of interest to my readers. While some of these articles are on popular blogs (so you may have already seen them), others are from newer or less well-known bloggers. I’m happy to introduce you not only to interesting and thought-provoking articles, but also to excellent blogs you might decide to follow.

Mixed bag of useful links Continue reading →

October 23, 2013 by Debbie Roes

What Triggers You to Shop?

In today’s post, I explore another one of the exercises in Dr. April Benson’s wonderful book, “To Buy or Not to Buy: Why We Overshop and How to Stop.” I previously shared my insights from Dr. Benson’s exercise, “Why Do You Overshop?” Today I delve into the various triggers that can propel us to shop and discuss some of the main triggers that have been problematic for me over the years.

What are “Triggers” and What Types of Triggers are There?

What triggers you to shop? A sale sign is a trigger for many!

Dr. Benson defines a “trigger” as anything that inclines you in particular toward shopping. A trigger can lead immediately toward shopping or it may set up a series of intermediate steps that culminate in the act of buying. There are five different types of shopping triggers: