This article has been syndicated from Hello, Her, an InfluenceHer Collective Member. Read the full post here.
I am *very* irresponsible with my money. Fingers crossed my future husband is good with his because if not, we’re royally screwed. I have always loved shopping, it gives me something to do when the weather is crappy and it gives me something to do when I sure has hell should be doing something a little more productive.
So, I decided to give up shopping for 30 days.
This isn’t the first time I attempted to go a full month without shopping; the first time I tried I broke down on day three. Pathetic. This time around it was a little easier because I had/have a couple big bills coming up (car insurance, car repairs, etc.) so not only would I be proving to myself that I could go without shopping for 30 days but I was also able to put a little extra money away to pay for said bills. I allowed myself to still purchase beauty items (only the necessities, no “fun” purchases) and my skin care products, along with any other items I needed on a day to day (coffee). What I couldn’t buy: clothing, shoes, accessories. So what did I learn over the last month?
I learned to shop my own closet.
How many times have you gone to get dressed for the day and said “ugh, I have nothing to wear”? More times than you can even remember, right? This is basically me all. the. time. With no new pieces entering my wardrobe I was basically forced to re-love older pieces that have found their way to the back of my closet and probably haven’t seen light in 6 months. I also realized which pieces I really never wear so now I can donate those! It’s a win-win.
I saved more money.
Duh. Clothes cost money, and the cost adds up pretty fast. Instead of spending that money on other things, I put what I typically spend on clothes into my savings account and guess what? It was an extra couple hundred dollars! Even though I am bound to shop again (hellllooo fall fashion!), I will definitely be making it a point to not shop every single pay check and put that extra money away into my savings account!
Spending money doesn’t make you happier.
This should be a no-brainer, but I had this horrible habit of buying myself something special on those harder days to cheer myself up. I’m sure I’ll do this in the future because, treat yo self, but I realized that just because you’re having a bad day and a little something cheered you up, doesn’t mean it was because you spent money. It’s because you did something for yourself. It’s because you took the time to appreciate yourself and your hard work. Whether you spent $100 or $0, it’s the self-appreciation that makes you happier.
Read the full post here.