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HOW DOES A SHOP-STOP WORK

I’ve got a shop-stop. It was definitely necessary because I shop(ped) way to much. What I mean is that I never had anything left over at the end of the month and my closet was filled with clothes that still had their price tags attached to it. It sometimes made me feel uncomfortable every time a package would show up at the office (you should know I only shop online).

I’m glad I am a woman and that simple things (like clothing) can really make me happy and that an item, incase necessary, can really put you in a good mood. But it was too much so I decided: I don’t need anything new for the next few months. I really don’t. My closet is already full of off-shoulder tops for the summer, alongside date night clothes that my lover has never even seen me wear. Wedding season has started and I have so many friends “shopping around” in my closet for things they can borrow and that’s when I realize how much I already really have. So. SHOP-STOP.

What’s it going to give me?

  • Well, when done right I’ll have a nice amount of money saved over at the end of the month. If the number ends up being a really high one, it’s a bad sign (read: shopping addict), but also a nice change.
  • I’m forced to work with everything in my closet. I have a certain pile of clothes I prefer wearing and any time I have an event, I would buy something new. But now I’ve realized (I’ve just completed my first shop-stop month) that I’ve been starting to wear things I’ve never worn before and how many cool things I really already have.
  • I’ve learnt to appreciate what I have. It’s starting to even be fun to pull something on that’s been hanging in there for an eternity but has never been worn before. I make sure that everything is hung up nicely and ironed and that alone also gives me plenty of satisfaction.

”But it was too much so I decided: I don’t need anything new for the next few months’

How do you go about it?

  • Call me childish, but I love the evenings. Why? Because I get to mark off each day that I haven’t shopped. I made a calendar with 93 squares that I get to check off. Yes guys, that’s THREE MONTHS.
  • I’m an online shopper so very sensitive to newsletters with headlines like: ‘Hey, the new collection is in.’ I turned off all those notifications. J Crew and The Outnet won’t be making their way into my mailbox for a while.
  • I unfollowed The Outnet on Instagram (temporarily).
  • What I wrote before: your wardrobe is going to look so clean and organized, and if everything is nice and ironed, everything looks more inviting. I’ve discovered plenty of pieces I had forgotten about.
  • Don’t keep it a secret, let everyone know. That way everyone (in my case my friends, Amayzine and my boy) can keep an eye on you.
  • Keep telling yourself: you don’t need anything new. It’s the truth.
  • And lastly: you’ve got to bite you way through it. I know you’ll be happier in the long run. The money you end up saving at the end of those months can be used to book a holiday. Or just keep saving.