I knew my challenge was probably going to change my shopping habits but even so I was quite taken aback when it provoked a lot of internal contemplation and reflection. It really made me think about what I spend my money on and how much more contented I feel now when I spend my money on something worthwhile. I have become more generous with what I do have because I realise just how much I’ve got compared to others. I am less attached to ‘things’ and think more about people.
Funny enough in a bit of a bizarre twist, I think I will be a better shopper now, as I have discovered just how many ‘mistakes’ I had in my wardrobe. You would think that I would have worn everything in my wardrobe during the last year but no, that wasn’t the case. I found that I had 3 categories of clothes that I never wore. Category 1 is, the ‘last minute because I’m going out and I’ve nothing to wear’ clothes, the ones bought during a frantic lunch hour or on the way home from work. I maybe wore them once or twice. Then there’s Category 2, the ‘sales clothes’. These were the clothes that I bought just because they were in the sale and it would have been madness not to buy them. Most of these clothes still had the sales stickers on, reminding me of just how much money I had saved by buying them. Doh! Finally there is Category 3 the ‘I love it, I’ll buy it and then I’ll look for something to go with it’ clothes. You know the ones, they probably still have the labels on and you’ll still be looking for something to go with them two years from now.
What I also learned though is that there is absolutely no point saving good clothes for special occasions. These are usually the clothes that cost more than anything else in your wardrobe but you wear them the least.
The best and most unexpected bit about my challenge is how liberating it has been. I have found a wonderful freedom in going barefaced more often, wearing clothing combinations that I never would have worn before, dissolving the boundaries between my work/going out/weekend wardrobe, so that I just have one wardrobe and I use it to the max. I have also enjoyed rereading many of my books but in all honesty I’m really looking forward to buying some new ones.
Doing this challenge has been a real struggle at times but it’s been worth it. Apart from books, my new motto is Less is More. I will never go back to the way I was. I just don’t need all the things I used to think were necessary to make me happy.
Living without ..... 