An experiment with my nature....

On the Today show this morning I was intrigued by a group of guests who had formed a compact on the premise that none of it’s members would shop for one year. They said they had come up with the idea after discussing the fact that they all felt they had just too much "stuff". Their goal in less shopping was to ultimately reduce their impact on the planet, but in my mind I could see this going in a different direction.

What if you decided not to shop for one year and instead banked the money you saved. Every time you wanted something but decided it wasn’t necessary you would take that amount of money and put it in a savings account. I wonder how much money you would have at the end of the year.

In their compact they agreed not to spend on anything other than food and medicine. I am assuming they also included cleaning supplies and body/hair care products as acceptable items although one of the men did say they could buy shampoo but not new mousse. They had other rules like they could purchase things as long as they weren’t new (buying from second hand stores) and as long as they weren’t buying to fulfill their "need" to shop.


On the one hand this whole idea fascinates me on the other I’m terrified to try it. It is exactly this ambiguity that has me troubled. "Stuff", or the accumulation of it, has been a topic of conversation in our family (see Nutella’s post) for quite some time. While she fears being overcome by it, I’ve already come to the conclusion it’s too late for me. I’m not a big fan of clutter myself but HH’s family has, over the years, acquired and then passed on to us a tremendous amount of said "stuff".

HH's mom is an avid collector of antiques as well as a garage sale junkie. It was only in recent years that I got the courage to "just say NO" and explain there was no more room at the inn. Most things are easily gotten rid of but we find ourselves with a plethora of family heirlooms....chief among them being antiques, which cannot be disposed of without creating a family rift of gargantuan proportions.

SO....it seems that acquiring any more "stuff" would be pointless and quite possibly painful. I believe my main weakness lies in the area of "shopping for pleasure" . I enjoy buying things for my children who live away from home, I like to buy new clothes both for myself and Daughter #3, especially when I find tremendous bargains. I love to buy plants, flowers, and candles. Could I give this up for one year? Heck, could I give it up for a month? If the answer is no then I feel like I should get myself to the nearest shopaholics anonymous.

Somewhere inside my head a plan is forming....I’d like to try this experiment. I’d be interested to see how much money I could save....BUT, there’s that little voice in the back of my head saying...

"You’re never going to be able to do it." ,

"The girls will be disappointed when you stop sending "stuff",

"How will you feel when someone else buys all the "stuff" and there’s none left for you cause you missed all the sales, hmmm?"

Okay, enough, I’m going to try this....I give myself three months (not absolutely necessary to go the whole year is it?)....and to make it easy on myself, I’m going to be lenient....instead of saying NO shopping, I’m going to go the route of ....save whatever you would have spent on that "stuff" and see how much you can accumulate in three months time.

Here goes nothing, I’m starting tomorrow!

(Well,..... I still have my birthday money to spend, sheesh!)

Take this Quiz: Are you a compulsive shopper?
True or False? Evaluate the following statements:
1. When I am feeling depressed, I usually go shopping.
2. I spend a lot of money that I do not have on things that I do not need.
3. I get a rush when I make a purchase, but I “crash” soon afterwards.
4. I have closets full of clothes that I have never worn, and countless gadgets that I have never used.
5. I often feel reckless and out of control when I shop.
6. I lie to my friends and family about how much money I spend.
7. Even though I feel very distraught about my debt, I still shop.
8. I feel emotionally upset and disturbed by my own shopping habits.
9. After a big shopping trip, I sometimes feel disoriented and depressed.
10. My shopping has caused problems in my personal relationships in one way or another.

Did you answer “True” for four or more of the above statements? If so, it is possible that you have a real problem with compulsive shopping, if so you're in good company....

Famous shopaholics in history include Marie Antoinette, Mary Todd Lincoln, William Randolph Hearst, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Imelda Marcos and Princess Diana. Their addictions ranged from clothing (Jackie O, Diana) to art and antiques (Hearst) to shoes (the heralded Marcos collection) to gloves (Mrs. Lincoln owned 84 pairs of them).