Challenge complete - my year of not buying things is over!

My first purchase -
 a vintage shirt for my son bought from Oxfam

A year ago I challenged myself to a year of not buying unnecessary 'things' and that year is finally over.

It has been a challenge, as I do like shopping in general, and for clothes in particular.  The first six months didn't seem too bad, but not being able to browse round the shops with the possibility of buying something new and different has become harder as the year progressed. It has been interesting though, to see my attitude to shopping changing. A year ago I would have bought an item of clothing 'because it will be useful - and hey, it's a bargain anyway..'.  But a year of abstinence has focused my thoughts on what I really need and desire.

What I needed was not very much. During the course of the year, the only item of clothing I have needed was socks, which I finally succumbed to after spending too long in the mornings rooting around trying to find a pair when most of them were in the wash.  Not only did I stop buying new clothes, but I also sent a lot of clothes to Oxfam. Not buying anything new meant I dug deep into my wardrobe to pull out things that I hadn't worn for a while. Some things became new favourites, others I realised that if I wasn't going to wear them this year, that they might as well go. So at the end of the year, I have a much slimmed down wardrobe, but despite this, I have never once felt badly dressed.

What I desired though was a different matter. I did miss not having anything new and fresh to wear. I missed the creativity of putting a new outfit together as a way of expressing myself.  When my birthday was reached half way through the year, a compromise was reached as kind friends and family gave me 2 new dresses, a cardi and a lovely top which I really appreciated, and kept me going. I also missed not buying things for other people when I saw something that someone would like.

So now that I am released from my self imposed 'buying new stuff' ban, how am I going to proceed?

I hope that I will think carefully before I buy something and think whether I really need it if I am buying it to be useful.

I hope that if I am buying myself that I don't really need, that it really lifts my spirits and that it is beautiful, and not something that I am buying because I am bored, or fooling myself that I need it when I don't.

I will try to buy as ethically as I can. I will enjoy charity shop shopping once again - if you don't mind pre-loved it has so many benefits - you are recycling, supporting a charity and getting reasonably priced items all at the same time.  If I'm buying new, I'll think twice about where I'm buying it and the values of the company that I'm buying from.

Lastly, I will continue to declutter my house. One of the benefits of not bringing new stuff in was that I could seriously set to and try to reduce the amount of 'stuff' that I already had. I have made good progress, but I'm not done yet. I'm determined to get to a point where I can spend less time being bogged down by tidying, managing and processing 'stuff' and more time getting out and enjoying life!