Breaking an Addiction to Shopping

I've self-imposed a moratorium on shopping.

Well, there is, of course, an exception to this rule, because we have this silly thing at work where we can't go around without something on the lower half of our bodies. This means that I should invest in pants or a skirt or something other than my seven-year-old Club Monaco sweats with the crotch ripped out.

The "no shopping" decree was issued approximately nine days ago, during a shopping trip at the nearby mall. I was with several friends, all of whom know that I cannot resist a good sale at Banana Republic and... really, I don't know what happened.

My best friend was shopping, while I kept browsing, for the first time not compelled to buy anything. When the only thing I ended up purchasing was a book from Borders, my friends looked at me like I had sprouted wings. It was then that I decided that maybe this was a good thing, and that I wouldn't shop for a full 30 days.

Simply put, I don't know if I need anything, because I don't know what I have. I just moved and have several suitcases crammed with apparel from The Gap and Tupperware bins full of sweaters, skirts and pants I had long forgotten. These clothing vessels have taken up my entire bedroom and each time I put away a sweater, another seems to spring up in its place. What I really need to do is a thorough sweep of my current clothing situation and decide what fits and what doesn't, and then go from there.

I don't need seven more cute, trendy shirts from H&M. I need clothing that I can wear to work, like a dress perhaps, or a button-down shirt that doesn't present a gaping hole so that everyone can see the exact hue of my bra.

I have a habit of doing this thing called retail therapy. Everyone does it, whether it is with clothing or gadgets or troll dolls. Whatever the case, each of us has our little thing that we turn to purchase in times of crisis, and this does not bode well for the wallet.

My 'thing' is shoes, bags and a Pavlovian reaction to the Anthropologie store, none of which are cheap. It all makes me antsy and feeling only slightly better than before I went on my retail rampage. Half of the time I end up buying stuff that I only feel so-so about, and then comes regret and looking at my bank statement, only to realize that my rent might have to be a few days late. So it's less retail therapy and more retail trauma, with me starring as the unwilling victim. I really believe that the moratorium will be a good thing. Thus far, I've done well. I successfully avoided buying out Banana Republic a few days ago and only left with a skirt (for work) and a dress (I really wanted it!). When I left the store I did a little victory fist pump to show the retail gods just who's in charge... and almost fell in the process. But still, victory is mine!

I can practically feel the joy that is having a credit card that doesn't whimper in pain every time I take a casual glance at it. I feel happier knowing that I will soon be buying things that I need and will get some real use out of. There are bigger and better things than clothing that I'd rather buy, like a new vehicle with four-wheel drive for those nasty upstate NY winters and a bookshelf to store the pile of books on my bedroom floor.

Not only will my psyche and credit card feel better after this, but also my toes, which keep getting stubbed on the massive piles of books. Everybody wins.