One of my eternal New Year’s resolutions for the past few years has been to ditch the deeply ingrained habits of consumerism that our capitalist society has instilled in me. Needless to say, this is much easier said than done. Much like an addict, I’d go for fairly long periods of time without making any unnecessary purchases—only to relapse a few months later.
Back in July, the New York Times ran an article about shopping diets.
They detailed two different projects, one that dared participants to wear only six articles of clothing for a month, while another asked participants to commit abstaining from making any clothing purchases for an entire year. After going abroad for a year (note: I went to London—not exactly a place that is prone to making one rethink the entire capitalist system), I realized that I had managed to survive on about 35% of my wardrobe, without even missing the rest of it. What was even better was coming back to the long lost friends in my closet; it felt just as exciting as buying something new.
So when I got back to Tulane for fall semester, I decided to try out the yearlong version of the shopping diet, but allowing myself one item per season. Initially my endeavor went quite well and I was feeling quite liberated by the experience—until I tagged along with friends on a trip to the mall. Big mistake. Not only was I breaking my promise to myself, I also had guttural pangs of guilt knowing that through my purchases at stores like Forever 21 I was not supporting ethical and sustainable production practices.
With that said, I intend to go back on the shopping diet—starting now. Shopping can definitely be a lot of fun, but not shopping (or at least making smart consumer decisions) is ultimately more rewarding. I’ll be the first to admit that I am prone to impulse buys and endless justifications, but this year I am hoping to make some long lasting changes. I plan to appreciate the freer things in life. I strongly encourage you to try the shopping diet. It’s certainly no cakewalk, but you’ve got nothing to lose, and a lot to save!
Suggestions for starting a shopping diet:
• This may seem obvious, but don’t go into stores where you’re likely to shop. Even if you think you’re ‘just looking,’ it’s very easy to get carried away and feel like you ‘need’ something you didn’t even know existed ten minutes ago.
• Unsubscribe from sample sale website mailing lists:
Websites such as Gilt, Ideeli, and Ruelala are full of tempting offers at discount prices. Moreover, the element of competition (it’s only reserved in your cart for 15 minutes! buy it before it’s sold out!) makes it ridiculously easy to get caught up in the moment.
• Spend time, not money:
Instead of going out shopping, try to find fun (often free) things to do around the city, noladiy.org is one good resource. Or, if you feel like treating yourself, spend your money on an experience rather than on a commodity.
• Support local businesses:
If you do need something, do your best to shop locally. Staylocal.org has a directory of local shops all around the city. New Orleans is a city thriving with small businesses—support them, and keep money in the community!