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Anyone who knows me knows that I’m an avid shopper.

After getting a job some two years ago, my shopping frenzy skyrocketed because I now have my own money to spend. Like Carrie Bradshaw, shopping was my cardio and reaching for those jeans on the top shelf was my Pilates.  

And I still love shopping and the thrill of brushing shoulders with strangers down clothing isles during a sample sale, fuelled with the spirit of a roman soldier trying to get my hands on the best pieces, but after sifting through my closet, I think I’ve probably done too much of this. 

My closet is brimming with clothes. You know that saying skeletons in the closet? Yeah well, you couldn’t even wedge a femur in mine – that’s how crowded it is. To top it off, as I was cleaning my room last summer, I found two trunks filled with more clothes that I haven’t worn in the last year or two. I needed to stop this frenzy, especially with inflation on the rise, so an intervention was ordered: I put myself on a buying ban.

Now don’t expect much, I’m not the strongest of soldiers out there – I still shopped but it was significantly less than before. I’ve gotten really good at ignoring all those sale signs like Isla Fisher in that one scene in Confessions of a Shopaholic when she walked past all the boutiques and ignored the mannequins who beckoned her to make the next purchase. Before this, I took those 30% offs and EOFY sales as a sign to spend. Justifying my purchases because “I was not paying full price” but really, I was just another victim of mass consumption.

And that wasn’t great. Not for me, not for my pocket, not for the environment. Since my buying ban, I think I’ve been more of a conscious shopper. I no longer buy for the sake of buying, instead I make thorough decisions before heading to the till. The changing room also doubles as my audit office as I try to remember if I have anything similar in my closet and decide if I will end up wearing these items more than once or twice. 

I shop with a purpose now. My last purchase was a simple buttoned-down blouse and a pair of mary janes because I needed more professional pieces in my closet as I ease into the workforce. I’m also trying to fall in love again with my old clothes because some of them are still so good and wearable, so why should I buy more?

Anyway, the buying ban has been promising thus far. We still have about 6 months into the year, so I don’t wish to speak to soon. Let us hope I’m strong enough to resist the urge to reach for another pair of jeans.