Shopping ban – a month on..



Karen Walker dress, Glassons cardigan, Topshop heels, Marc by Marc Jacobs bow bracelet, Karen Walker sunglasses

Having been on this self-imposed shopping ban for a little over a month now, I can say that I’ve found it both easier, and more difficult than I expected. I did allow myself a couple of small concessions, such as a Lover dress I had been waiting to come in stores, a blouse off eBay that I had been hunting down for the better part of this year along with a few other things, but I don’t consider this to make the ban a complete failure.

Picking up a couple of layby’s during the month of the shopping ban, as well as the arrival of a couple of pre-shopping ban purchases, made it feel almost as though I had been shopping – the second reward as you would of buying online.

I wasn’t able to abstain completely from all the online stores I usually love to frequent, letting myself add items to my eBay watchlist, and check out what’s new from my favourite designers on Shopbop, which admittedly provided for temptation that I could have done without. The Shopbop 20% off sale could not have come at a worse time, and I came away with a few jewellery pieces that I had patiently had my eye on – probably no surprises there.

So, while not a complete success, the one thing I did notice was that I spent substantially less time looking at clothing online, which in combination with the fact that I have been doing the thirty x thirty challenge that has limited my wardrobe choices, has meant that I became far more selective of what I would be potentially inclined to purchase. I’ve made the decision to keep this up for a while longer, until Christmas if I can, although I think the impending pre-Christmas sales will probably catch me out. I’ve always had a bit of a soft spot for Net-a-Porter come sale time of year.

Follow:
Share:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

24 Comments

  1. sophie
    October 24, 2012 / 6:47 am

    I love your cardigan!

    xoxo

  2. PICK ME AN OUTFIT
    October 24, 2012 / 8:17 am

    What a lovely cardigan!!
    You’ve got a great style girl 😉

    Besides thanks for checking out my website PICK ME AN OUTFIT !

    Wanna follow each other?

    xoxo
    PICK ME AN OUTFIT

  3. October 24, 2012 / 5:33 am

    Shopping bans don’t often work for me. I think they just make me want to shop even more!

    Love your dress darling and that gorgeous cardigan!

  4. October 24, 2012 / 5:34 am

    I think it’s incredibly cool that you even started this challenge and of course it’s pretty tricky to totally abstain from picking up a goodie here or there with the temptations from a good sale or code. 🙂

    I absolutely love that dress on you and like how you let the red standout while keeping the rest of the colors subtle. You look beautiful!

    xTheresa

  5. October 24, 2012 / 5:50 am

    Well at least it was a partial success. Don’t feel the need to justify to yourself why you failed in parts though because really you should just enjoy this time in your life because it must simply mean that you can afford not to be on a ban! Having three mortgages to repay is working for my shopping ban splendidly… LOL. Although I don’t recommend this course of action I do recommend adopting my method of thinking when browsing and shopping at present if you do want to curb your shopping – I’m writing a post 🙂

  6. October 24, 2012 / 7:01 am

    sounds like you did pretty well on the shopping ban, if it made you browse stores less and buy less than you normally would have it can’t be considered a failure, as you’ve still improved.

    I’ve fallen way off the wagon with my spending ban too, but I’m just going to dust myself off and keep going, that’s all we can do! xx

  7. October 24, 2012 / 7:16 am

    Yay congrats on (almost) finishing your shopping ban haha! Wow that month went fast – especially when it wasn’t ME on the shopping ban 🙂

    Life etc

  8. October 24, 2012 / 9:12 am

    this looks great on you! i’m still looking for ways to wear my red dress so thank you 😀

  9. October 24, 2012 / 11:50 am

    That dress is lovely, I go through phases with buying clothes etc and right now I am in a spend phase, oops!

    Maria xxx

  10. October 24, 2012 / 3:03 pm

    That’s better than any shopping ban I’ve tried – I think the word “ban” plays tricks on my mind and makes me want things more! BTW, when does the Net-a-Porter sale usually occur? I always miss the start of it, and the best stuff!

    • jamie-lee
      Author
      October 25, 2012 / 5:10 am

      The US one I think starts around 15 December, the UK one is always JUST after Christmas 🙂

  11. October 24, 2012 / 4:22 pm

    thanks girl! love that slouchy cardigan on you 🙂

    happyleeliving.blogspot.com

  12. October 24, 2012 / 9:07 pm

    Well done on taking on a shopping ban! I think its a brave move for any fashion lover and even if it it was challenging, you’ve still done great! Love your dress, I can imagine there are so many ways to style it. The knit looks so lovely and vintagey with it.

  13. October 25, 2012 / 4:20 am

    I’m considering a shopping ban next month. I need to save up for a few trips. I love your red dress. It’s such a pretty color on you.

  14. MattieMo
    October 25, 2012 / 8:41 pm

    Well done with shopping ban! I should consider it myself, I don’t know what’s gotten into me, I’m shopping like crazy for the past two months 🙁

    I have to say it again, love the dress 🙂

  15. October 25, 2012 / 9:41 am

    Sounds like you are doing pretty well. I think I have nt actually bought anything in the last month or more. Not for myself anyway. I think I’m going to crack soon, bring on the sales. And Japan, yay!

  16. October 25, 2012 / 11:22 am

    I’ve learnt not to do anything with the word ban in it – I know I will fail and there’s no point beating myself up to add insult to injury. So I don’t diet, I don’t do 30 for 30 and I don’t do shopping bans. Then I never fail! But I love readiing blogs about people who do ;o)

  17. October 25, 2012 / 11:58 am

    Good effort on the shopping ban. I to find it hard to stop with the online shopping. I have just become so used to browsing online stores as a way to relax after work. Sounds like you were very controlled though this month.
    Cheers,
    Kayleigh

  18. October 25, 2012 / 12:28 pm

    Love your red dress! 🙂

    Sounds like you are doing very well on yoru shopping ban! I’ve been trying to do “buy nothing new month” this month and I’m not very good at sticking to it! It’s nice to try though 🙂

    AwayFromTheBlue.blogspot.com.au

  19. October 25, 2012 / 2:47 pm

    great job on the shopping ban! i always want to do it but somehow never last more than a week! looking gorgeous in this dress 🙂

    xoxo,

    Fashion Fractions

  20. October 25, 2012 / 7:40 pm

    Have to say that you’ve done pretty well on your shopping ban! I need to follow your lead! Looking lovely.

NEW IN MY WARDROBE

Please note that some of the links on this site are affiliate links. If you choose to click through and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission.