Is it just me or has December sped by more quickly than any other month this year?  Yes, we still have another week left in the month, but it will be filled with lots of holiday festivities for many of us.   A lot of my fellow bloggers are taking some time off this week and next, but I decided to still do a few posts.   Instead of sharing my useful links at the very end of the month as per usual, I opted to go live with this post today.  That way, if some of you want to take a bit of downtime later in the week or over the weekend, you’ll have some interesting things to read.

Today’s post includes links to articles I think you’ll enjoy related to shopping and shopping psychology, wardrobe management, personal style, and a few posts from the “Recovering Shopaholic” archives (you can view all previous articles HERE).  As a special addition this month, I also offer a few holiday-themed links.

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I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to all those who completed the reader survey I sent out last month.  I received 458 responses in total, which definitely exceeded my expectations!   Since I know that only a small fraction of readers comment on posts or send email, the survey was the best way for me to understand what you like about “Recovering Shopaholic” and what you’d like to see in the future.

Of course, I will never be able to fully please everyone, but receiving input from a large number of readers will help me in shaping the future of the blog.   In today’s post, I will share a summary of the survey responses, complete with some fun charts that were easily generated by the survey program.

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Since it’s almost the last day of the November (where did the time go?), it’s time for another installment of “useful links” on a variety of subjects.   A lot of my fellow bloggers are taking some time off this week, but since I enjoy having blog posts to read on holiday weekends, I figured some of you might feel the same way.  Plus, I know my useful links posts are both popular and appreciated.  Even those who have been extremely busy this week might want to take a few moments to relax and read some interesting and informative articles.

I hope all of my readers in the United States had a Happy Thanksgiving yesterday.  Mine was low-key but enjoyable.  My husband and I took his mom (who lives near us) out to a waterfront restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner.  The photo below was taken just before sunset with the San Diego skyline in the background.  Even though the temperature was in the low 80’s (apologies to my East Coast friends!), I tried my best to be festive with my outfit.   It’s kind of difficult to get into the holiday spirit in such summery weather, but I’m not exactly complaining…

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As the year draws to a close and I’m coming up on the two-year anniversary of this blog, I’m starting to ponder the future.  While I have no plans to end “Recovering Shopaholic” (so don’t worry about that!), I may want to change it in some way.   I have some thoughts about how I might want to do this, but it’s not only my opinion that matters!

A Brief History of this Blog

When I launched this blog back in January 2013, I had no idea how many people might read it.   As is true of all blogs, it started out small.   I was mostly writing for myself at first and chronicling my own personal journey.   Before too long, I had a handful of readers and was thrilled to get my first comment towards the end of my first month.  Things grew steadily from there, with a few bursts along the way as a result of guest posts on more established blogs like “Project 333” and “Be More with Less.”

Fast-forward to today and I have a relatively large following.  There are now hundreds of readers who are receiving my posts via email and through feed readers and social media.   I feel blessed that my words have been able to reach and touch so many people and I am thankful to all of you for tuning in.

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