Shopping Ban: An Update

When I first declared my shopping ban on September 16th, even I wasn't sure that I could actually make it for all 100 days without shopping! The 30 days seemed to pass by quickly. I was a lady on a mission, so to keep myself from shopping ( or thinking about shopping) I would fill my extra time with other things. After 30 days of making lists and reading books instead of shopping, I found my next month to be to busy to shop! I'm not sure that I would have been shopping even if I hadn't been on a ban! Now that things have settled back down and with the holidays on the horizon, I know that the last 33 days will be my hardest. The temptation is at it's highest. It's just been so long since I've shopped!

Shopping for me is rarely about filling needs, and instead about fulfilling wants. Two things I've spent the last few months wanting? The shoes you see below. It's no surprise that I've got a bit of a thing for shoes, and spending some time at my favorite shoe stores is the one thing I miss the most.

Payless $ 34.99 in Tan

Target $28.00 in Black and Olive Green

I've watched the prices on these two items go up and down with sales, and each time I've resisted buying them. I've even come up with every loop hole I can think of to make the purchase okay, ( I'll purchase them now but I won't wear them until after the ban has been lifted!) but I haven't made any purchases.

While at a conference last week, a fellow conference attendee said to me, ' I don't think you've worn the same shoes yet and we've been here for 4 days already! ' I was a bit surprised by his comment at first. I was so sure that plenty of people wouldn't repeat shoes in a stretch of 4 days, but after mentioning it to Johnny later that evening he seemed to agree instead with the conference attendee. ' No sweetie. Most people only own a couple of pairs of shoes, so of course they would wear the same pair more than once in a week.' Johnny and the attendee got me thinking. Not only have I not repeated shoes though-out the length of the conference, but I probably have only repeated shoes twice since deciding to go on the ban! The last thing I need is to add to my collection. I don't have any needs when it comes to shoes, and I'll spend the next 33 days reminding myself of just that. I'll probably visit the above shoes occasionally in the store, but I will be leaving them behind when it's time to leave. I've come to far to turn back now!