Not buying new things for a year - a few weeks to go!

Birthday present!

11 months ago I decided to challenge myself to a year of not buying unnecessary things, and I started on 1st September. Now that I have a few more weeks of shopping abstinence left, it seems like a good time to review how it has gone and answer the question that all my girl friends have asked - have I missed buying new clothes? 

I think the answer to that is that I have missed the fun of shopping and the novelty of something new, but I haven't really felt like I've missed out.

As I stated at the start of this blog - I am a happy shopper. I like browsing round the shops looking for clothes, presents, bargains, useful stuff. And I have missed that a bit. For the first six months it didn't seem so bad, but by April I was fed up with my wardrobe and really missed not having anything new. Salvation came in the form of my birthday, and a couple of new dresses and a new top from friends and family. One of the things I have learnt is not buying things myself made me far more appreciative of presents from other people. 

Also I have found not buying new things has made me dig deeper into my existing wardrobe. I have pulled out things that I haven't worn for a while, and either started wearing them, or given them to Oxfam. It's also made me think about the versatility of what I have - when my husband bought me a plain blue dress from White Stuff for my birthday I was delighted - normally I am drawn to colourful patterned dresses and tops, but I had realised that something plain was much more versatile, and I could change the look by adding a different cardigan or necklace.

As time has gone on, the weather has got warmer, and I have been able to dig out my summer clothes which has given my wardrobe a new lease of life. Again, I have become more ruthless with what I have - if I'm not going to wear it now, then I never will, so more clothes have gone to Oxfam.

So with a few weeks to go, I'm wondering what my response will be when I do allow myself to go shopping again. I don't feel like I'm going to rush out and buy a load of new things - after all I have really had pretty much everything I've needed, and I've felt pretty well dressed all year.  I am looking forward to the possibility of buying something though - the ability to browse round a charity shop with the thought that I could buy a necklace or scarf, or browsing round White Stuff or John Lewis. But I rather suspect I won't be buying much for a while, apart from replacing some leggings and cardigans that are a bit holey. After all I think I've proved something to myself over the last year - that I don't really need much in the way of new clothes, do I?