Shopping, a Propah Weakness

I have to say that shopping is my weakness and here I am in the midst of everyone talking about "tidying up" and organizing all of their belongings and getting rid of things that don't spark joy... and now I am facing something head on, that I suppose that I've known for a long time. I love to shop and when I am sad, upset, looking for purpose or bored, my first instinct is to pull up a website and shop, or go to a store and shop... and I actually think that now that I am acknowledging it, I can channel this energy better and more mindfully.

This isn't a new venture for me and it's something that I still struggle with. Now I am not saying that I will avoid all those sweet Spring dresses  when it comes time or I won't pick up a men's blazer for my husband but I am going to make an effort to be a better, more thoughtful shopper. Picking up only the items I need, maybe for a special occasion or when the kids are outgrowing the clothes that seem to only fit for a few days before it's too small. I am going to make shopping an experience, not a throw away exercise in spending money and time on things that won't "spark joy". If I am going to spend money, it will be a good use of all of those things.

I have been working on a low spend January, which is going OK, not great but not horrible. December was like a free for all and I sort of felt like I was hemorrhaging money in the goal to make our holiday more excellent. Now curbing those urges is proving to be a challenge. So moving forward this month, I am keeping to that low spend, avoiding places like Target (where I just buy so much we don't need), creating a solid food and household budget and then going no spend for February, much like I did last year. I need to do a detox of sorts, find different ways to fill time and find happiness... I want to make shopping fun again, not a weakness that I have to fight.

Any tips and tricks on curbing a mild shopping urge when the weather is cold and we're all hibernating?