mindful consumption

do you ever buy something that you are on the fence about, and then it sits in your closet unworn for a long, long time?  i have done that more times than i care to remember. this usually happens for me when i buy mindlessly.  you know, on a whim, because i feel i deserve it, to update something that still looks fine, because buying is self-soothing. i don’t want to regret any of my purchases anymore. i guess the lesson for me is that if i am not completely in love with something, don’t buy it. 

there is much“muchness” out there and I try to be thoughtful – mostly I succeed but not always. every so often i go on a spending hiatus to help with my shopping habits. my goal this time is to buy a few things i love each year. and those things must last me a very long time – decades even. i want to be fully aware of the choices that i make. the result? less clutter, more joy, and more money in my wallet!

i love it when i purchase something, like these lovely boots, that i wore immediately after i purchased them and have many, many times since.  this tells me that i truly love them and well worth the price tag. no guilt.  i feel like i will have these boots forever - they are well made, they bring me joy, and i don't have to settle on another pair of black boots again.   no matter the cost of something, i think mindful consumption is the key and keeps us me from impulse purchases. 

i love this quote about how a french woman shops.  so true. “if she can’t afford it, she won’t buy it. if it doesn’t fit (or make her feel good, or flaunt what she’s got), she won’t wear it. if she can’t find it, she won’t compromise. if she loves it, she won’t toss it. she reuses it, rethinks it, lets it age.  when a french girl shops, it isn’t a solitary act of buying something new. it’s part of a lifelong process of editing her environment, making small but meaningful additions to her home, her closet, her life. when you shop like a french girl, you buy only one of anything – and make sure it’s the best quality you can afford.”