For the first time in my life, I have put myself through a diet. But not any diet… a diet of no new clothes and accessories. Ok, I am not the only one putting myself through this challenge.  

There are a growing number of women, primarily in the US and in Australia, who have banished shopping for clothes and sometimes accessories for an entire month or even year, mainly because their shopping addiction was taking a toll on their finances or relationships.  Although I didn’t fit the exact profile, I felt compelled to try something similar on my own.

The inspiration actually came from my clients. One facet of my job is to help individuals de-clutter and organise their wardrobes. Many of my clients let go of a lot of clothes, shoes, handbags, etc., during the de-cluttering process. Yet a lot of them feel they still have a lot left in their wardrobe and often joke that they could do without shopping for a while.  And that’s what got me started in November 2014.

My husband and friends were quite surprised at first that I was even giving some thoughts to this idea. After all, I am known for not being a big spender when it comes to clothes and accessories and for having a wardrobe neatly contained and organised.

At first, I couldn’t figure out what exactly I wanted to do – whether having a complete year without shopping or just a few months or every other month – so I decided that I would stop shopping from the next day onward and see where this would take me. I can’t believe it, but it’s been more than a year now!

No-Shopping Diet Results

Have I resisted temptation so far? Well, truth to be told, not exactly. I’ve bought a dress that I needed for a very specific occasion – I guess I could have worn something from my own wardrobe instead, but I really wanted to make an impression on that specific occasion. The other purchase was a cardigan that I bought after doing some research on how to maximise my wardrobe to allow me to wear some of my dresses several different ways. Honestly, I could have delayed this purchase, but I am not going to beat myself up with this, overall I feel pretty satisfied with what I’ve achieved so far.

So what have I learned?

Well this experience has made me realise that I was buying clothes out of boredom for my wardrobe due to several factors:

• A tendency to wear clothes in the same way over and over again
• A tendency to save some clothes for special occasions as such limiting the contents of my day-to-day wardrobe
• The absence of seasons, hence clothes’ rotation

No-Shopping Solution

This realisation pushed me to do some research on how to mix and match a wardrobe. I started combining colours differently using the colour pallet concept and accessorising the same outfit in different ways. It also made me change my mindset towards the clothes I was saving for special occasions. If I wanted to be honest with myself, these special occasions were not always materialising. So I decided that there was no better time than now to enjoy the clothes I liked.  After all, fashion trends change, fabrics deteriorate and colours fade.  I also took the time to get clothes that were not fitting perfectly altered so I had no more excuses not to wear them.

All these initiatives contributed to making the items in my wardrobe work harder for me than before without making me feel deprived. In fact, not only did I not shop, but I also let go of clothes.  Instead of focusing on getting rid of stuff I didn’t use, like or was no longer in good condition, I decided to focus on keeping stuff that I really loved.

I haven’t felt compelled to shop since my one-year milestone but I’ll certainly be putting an end to this experience very soon. In the meantime, I’m delighted to know that I’ve inspired other women to embark on a similar journey – congratulations in particular to Audrey who is now on her 7-month diet!

If You Can’t Quit “Cold Turkey”

If the idea of not shopping sounds too drastic to you, there is still a lot of value in de-cluttering and organising your wardrobe. Just keep what you use and makes you feel good, the rest just takes up space. You will be amazed at how a streamlined and organised wardrobe will save you time and money and make you feel more confident.  And I am sure that you will find items of clothing you had completely forgotten about!  And if you need help, get in touch, I LOVE de-cluttering and organising wardrobes!

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