My Year of No Shopping. October 2023.
My daughter’s fall break landed in October, as it does every year, and she and I headed up for some much-needed grandma/mom time. While there, my mom - a grade-A Activity Planner - wanted to take us to her favorite antique store. I had my misgivings. Shall I remind you all that I am - wait for it - not shopping this year? But going with the flow felt more on brand for fall break than opposing a leisurely way to while away an hour. So off we went, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t delighted at every turn. The rugs; the enamelware; the serving dishes; the quilts. There was even a rack of flannel shirts so soft and cozy, that they alone readied me for the cooler months. At the exit, I eyed a nice pair of J. Crew sunglasses.
Did I buy anything? No. Did I want to? Maybe. But the overarching feeling I had was that this place felt like a great place to shop. Everything was used but in great condition. There were treasures around each corner, and buying something here wouldn’t add clutter so much as it would give old objects a new home. This is no great epiphany as that statement is exactly what antiquers already know. But since I’m not one to actively shop - i.e. get in the car and end up in a location expressly for the reason to buy something I didn’t know I needed - it felt like an epiphany to me.
Upon return from days spent enjoying grandma’s meals, a new local bookshop opened in our neighborhood. The fambam made an afternoon of it, excited to support local and support reading al at the same time. I bought my daughter a sketchbook and a card to send my mom (no one loves a home-cooked meal more than a person who did not cook it). In this instance, I proclaim that supporting local small businesses trumped no shopping. I want this bookshop to stick around. I want it to thrive. I want to give it money.
The bookshop stands at a nearby corner that is also home to a family restaurant (that feeds my family often on Friday nights), a music shop (to feed my husband’s vinyl addiction), a coffee shop (that is often the locale where I meet a friend to discuss all things writing, and therefore it feeds my soul), and a Mexican restaurant (that feeds my guac habit).
Essentially, this is our culture corner, and the gratitude that it’s in walking distance from where I lay my head knows no bounds.
But back to the bookshop. I foresee years of gift-giving happening there. What’s more, upon checkout I learned from the new owners that their warehouse is a mere 2 hours away, and books not in-house can be ordered and arrive in 24 hours. Dare a small business offer better service than certain conglomerates that shall remain nameless? This one dares.
Book shops and antiquing are fun but let’s dive deep into toiletries.
I have gotten down to one shampoo bottle in my shower. Praise be. I am elated. The crap I bought to wash out my ‘temporary’ dye has been used. I made myself use it instead of ditching it. I will be able to purchase the shampoo bars made of rice milk very soon. I never thought I’d get to this point, guys. But by not allowing myself to throw the shampoo out when it was no longer what I wanted re-taught myself a powerful lesson. That lesson is called Pause. I talk about it in my TEDx Talk. The Power of Pause, I believe I called it then. Mama loves alliteration. Let us hope I pause more and longer before each purchase, no matter how minute, shampoo included.
I am using up lotion that I bought for my face. I do not use lotion in my face. I use oils and serums. I thought that by purchasing it, I’d start using lotion on my face. I did not. So now, I am using it on my feet, feet that have had a hard life, and now help me balance, however wobbly, in yoga every morning. They deserve it. I’ll never purchase this lotion again, but I am also not wasting it.
I am going through some sample serums a friend handed off to me. (I think a few of you readers are my friends who feel bad for me, not shopping this year. And when we get together, you find a way to give me something. I see you. I love you. I love this for me.) They are awesome, fancy products! Will I bug more come my annual skincare purchase on Black Friday? Maybe! But for now, they are negating the need to purchase/refill certain serums that I’ve used up.
I couldn’t squeeze any more eye serum (sick of the word serum yet?) out of a bottle. So I cut said bottle in half and discovered a bunch of serum in the crevices that I couldn’t have accessed otherwise. It’ll last me weeks longer than I would have thought.
While I moisturized my skin this past month, my husband decidedly hung up his hat for the No Shopping Year. He is just done. Derailed and wildly spending? No. Finding smart solutions? Yes. For instance: his fave jeans tore for a final time and he found a used pair on eBay. Bravo, good sir.
But he also bought a TV. Did I mention to him that at some point I’d like one in the office/guest/spare room? I did. Did his daily deal email - that he never unsubscribed from - slide a TV (just the right size, just the right price) into his inbox? It did. Did I turn a blind eye? I did. Then I ‘helped’ him find a roller stand to mount it on.
He bought 2 Bag Buddies. Allow me to explain. Bag buddies hold leaf bags so you can bag leaves solo. Friends, we fill 48-480 massive bags a year with leaves. Our wee stucco bungalow may have a smallish backyard, but it’s surrounded by massive trees. Bagging leaves is a JOB. He believes these Bag Buddies will allow us to bag twice as fast.
I cannot and will not say no when one offers efficiency improvements.
We are nearing the end of the year. But I have about 380 more bags of leaves to stuff, I’m wildly busy creating some really exciting albums for some really special clients, and frankly, I could care less about shopping or wishing I was shopping, so let’s wrap this up.
My life and my time are filled with other activities that are far more fun than shopping for more stuff for my home.
That, my friends, is the promise of the premise.
