By Katrice

So ... by now you realize that my 90-Day Shopping Hiatus is over. And I made it through! The last day was Sunday. I tweeted yesterday that I'm off challenges for a bit. Not being able to shop all summer took every little bit of strength I had. Dramatic but so serious. I've had a Day 91 list of things I wanted to purchase since Day 31. Flowers, translucent powder, shoes, candles ... Randomness. Everyone has been asking what I'd buy first. I said it would be flowers. It was a blouse. And by the way, I thought for a moment that my disposition was a little more pleasant afterward. {Ha!}


Why I did it
More than anything, I needed to do it. Unpacking during my recent move was extremely involved as I lined the wall with pair after pair of sandals that were just slightly different in color or design. It was ridiculous. And I thought, something needs to change. Even before I began blogging, my taste for variety was insatiable. But, the reality is — I have my favorites and even with all of the choices I have stocked, I always go back to the few pieces I love. I needed time {and space} to sort and donate. This was impetus. From there it became an exercise in capacity building. If I could give up shopping for 3 months, I could do almost anything.

How I made it work
I only stepped foot into a mall twice between July 12th and September 9th. There were occasional jaunts to houseware stores with my mom who's redecorating. I knew anything more than that would be torture. I also stopped trolling my favorite fashion blogs daily — only visiting like once every couple weeks. And fashion/lifestyle magazines were completely out. I did keep up my Tumblr and IG pages, however, which was likely what inspired the Day 91 list. 

The money saved
I didn't save bundles of money because I'm a frugal shopper. I did re-purpose the money that I would have spent on trinkets here and there, and it seemed that things were so much more possible. I didn't realize how much priority a pair of shoes had in my life {and budget}. I got work done on my car, started a travel savings account, took a quick trip home and the biggie: traveled to New York for a few Fashion Week events. 

Revelation
I must spend more of my money on experiences than things. I've known it for a while, but actually putting it into practice was refreshing. While in New York, I spent a day in Central Park, sought out good food and discovered that I could take the free Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty for photos. During Fashion's Night Out, I absorbed the sites and sounds of fashion love from the distance — taking photos, getting a sketch of myself drawn and chatting with others in passing. My experience was robust.


One of the main themes that I hope jumps out at you in your experience with MVL is the message that you can decide how you'll live your life. There have been many times when I wasn't able to shop because of hardship and in those times I felt a measure of helplessness. I had to fight defining myself by the things I could afford and circles I could blend into according to my "haves." These days, I realize that while many things will happen upon us that we can't control, our response to those things is what's most important. It's the reason I'm all about building my capacity. I don't want to be in the habit of doing {certain things} and being {a certain way} simply because it's what's happening around me. 

I want to be decided and thoughtful about all of my pursuits ... even when it comes to something as simple as shopping. Because after all, I am more than what I wear.