STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Metric · Gucci

shopping ban?

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

I'm on a shopping ban...sigh. Technically, I am reserving the ban to clothes, shoes, and accessories, because I just moved and had to get some things for my new place. But it is hard, esp. when all the cute new spring clothes are coming out. One thing that helps me is to look at my Visa balance on line every day and remind myself of how much I really do spend and that it does add up even when I'm not "shopping" (i.e., I still need to buy food, or get a new rug). Why can't we all be millionaires?

ico · Dooney & Bourke

here, here. I am here with you.

Let's do that girl. I have spent so much money while I was on vacation to my parents', that I seriously need to stop spending money! Well, I might get a new vacuum machine sometimes, the old one broke, but that doesn't count b/c if I could I'd avoid cleaning completely, right?

Suggestion: when you are dying to go shopping, call a friend and go out for coffee (NOT shopping). Or, even cheaper: have her come to your place and make coffee and offer something like fruit, chocolate or cookies. And get through mags together (I find this fun, I am a nerd), listen to music, talk about everything.

Other option: alone or with friends, take all your clothes out and check what you have that you forgot. Then create outfits out of your stuff. You'll feel like you have new clothes!
Other suggestion: take care of your shoes: clean and polish them. They'll look new!

hth, and stay strong!

ico · Dooney & Bourke

scarlett wrote:

I'm on a shopping ban...sigh. Technically, I am reserving the ban to clothes, shoes, and accessories, because I just moved and had to get some things for my new place. But it is hard, esp. when all the cute new spring clothes are coming out. One thing that helps me is to look at my Visa balance on line every day and remind myself of how much I really do spend and that it does add up even when I'm not "shopping" (i.e., I still need to buy food, or get a new rug). Why can't we all be millionaires?

scarlett, where do you leave?

I find that living in a cold climate (Buffalo, NY) is very helpful for saving the money I'd spend on spring stuff. I am not going to wear it anyway until May, when it'll be on sale, and the colors are kinda "innappropriate" for the snow, even for accessories, so I am all set!

What I find useful is look at old mags (or catalogs, I keep JCrew catalogs for this purpose!)and see all the winter stuff I liked. I feel rally like a nerd now...

NCshopper · Hermes

Yeah, I'm still technically on it. I got a Nordies GC for my b-day, so that's what I've been using. But if it's not from Nordstrom, I haven't bought it and I'm not planning on it.

Can you give yourself a little allowance so that you can at least buy something? That's what I'm doing. $100 a month for me to spend on fun stuff, that way I don't feel like I'm totally depriving myself. I can still go to Starbucks or buy something small, but I just can't go buck wild.

blubirde · Chanel

I'm on it. Although, technically, I've been on it for ages now. I got some gift cards for xmas, so I'm saving those to buy some spring stuff. Plus there's nothing really good right now (for me). I live in Texas and it's not really that cold and I'm not certain what I want for spring yet (and I'm trying to lose a bit of weight) sooooo... it's not too terribly hard to resist right now.

When I stopped shopping at Target (for political reasons), I went through SERIOUS withdrawal. But I guess it's just like any other thing you decide to stop doing (or do in the case of the gym!), it gets easier with time.

I find that shopping at Saks and places like that help me because there's no way I'm going to break my ban by spending $200+. It's when I'm in the less expensive, cheapie places that I get all twitchy to buy something.

Mandy · Kate Spade

i just started a ban and you guys had some great ideas. i haven't decided how long im on the ban. i'd like to say 6 months but thats not realistic. im thinking that i will not buy anything for a month and after that i will have to really need something to get it.

*sigh* wish me luck.

-- Edited by Mandy at 14:53, 2006-01-26

luckylily · Gucci

I'm still going strong. I've only spent $35 on clothes/shoes since Thanksgiving! Can you believe it?

I'm actually taking a planned break from the ban tomorrow tho. However, I have a list of things I need/want for Spring and price limits on how much I'm willing to spend for each, which I'm determined to stick too. I'll be back on the ban after a one day break tho.

BargainQueen · Marc Jacobs

I totally dived. I won SM Phyton Pumps on Ebay for $25. I went to Marshall's w/my BFF to *look around* and walked out w/3 tops. I felt so bad I'm going back and returning 2 of them. The 3rd top was only $13 so I'll let that one slide. BUT I made $100 during my yard sale last Sat. so that makes up for it.

I bought 3 super cute belts for $0.50 at a yard sale, but that doesn't count.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

ico wrote:

scarlett, where do you leave?
I find that living in a cold climate (Buffalo, NY) is very helpful for saving the money I'd spend on spring stuff. I am not going to wear it anyway until May, when it'll be on sale, and the colors are kinda "innappropriate" for the snow, even for accessories, so I am all set!
What I find useful is look at old mags (or catalogs, I keep JCrew catalogs for this purpose!)and see all the winter stuff I liked. I feel rally like a nerd now...

hey, we live in the same state! i'm in nyc. you're right, we won't be able to wear any spring clothes until may, and it really is pointless to buy any now just to watch them sit in the closet until then. that is a very good reminder.

i do the same thing as you, looking at catalogs and magazines -- it also helps me to look at the new catalogs a number of times until i'm not as excited about everything in them. then when it's really time to buy things, i don't want as many things as i originally did.

Bastet · Kate Spade

I bought a sweater at the beginning of the month and then I managed to stay good until a week ago when I bought some tops on sale at J. Crew. My goal now is to not buy anything till 3/1. But, there are so many cute things that I want! I'm coping by pasting pics of the stuff in a word document and then weeding them out until I have a list of a few things I want to get.

Hubby said that I shouldn't buy any spring or summer clothes this year because I bought new spring clothes last spring.

-- Edited by Bastet at 15:42, 2006-01-26

zeitgeist4 · Gucci

I'm on the ban still. Although last weekend the final sales got the best of me. I spent about $90 total (at Banana Republic and Old Navy), but I got a dress, two skirts, a pair of jeans, and a pair of slacks. So it's not like I blew it on one thing.

Then I was a bad girl and spent $$ on a handbag. I have been lusting after it for several weeks now, and it was 49% off at Bluefly, so I couldn't help it!

But at least I bought it by clicking the add on ST, so really it's for the good of us all.

I don't anticipate any fashion cravings in the near future. I like my winter clothes better than my spring/summer ones, so that will come in handy. Hopefully I will make it through February being good.

ico · Dooney & Bourke

scarlett wrote:

. i do the same thing as you, looking at catalogs and magazines -- it also helps me to look at the new catalogs a number of times until i'm not as excited about everything in them. then when it's really time to buy things, i don't want as many things as i originally did.

OMG, that's the same for me! I kinda try to "get sick" of the stuff I like, so that I don't buy it.

I feel less weird now, but don't you think it's alittle crazy?

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

yeah, i'm trying to "get sick of" the stuff i like too!

i dunno -- maybe we are crazy! but whatever works.

laken1 · Hermes

I am especially this week but mainly because i only have $170 left til payday & i still have to buy groceries. I hate that. I haven't bought any clothes or shoes, I did buy cleanser & moisturizer, but I don't count that as being against my ban because I don't have issues with beauty products.

Elle · Hermes

zeitgeist4 wrote:

Then I was a bad girl and spent $$ on a handbag. I have been lusting after it for several weeks now, and it was 49% off at Bluefly, so I couldn't help it! But at least I bought it by clicking the add on ST, so really it's for the good of us all.

Silly girl! That's not called 'shopping', that's called 'donating to a worthy cause'

!

jj · Kate Spade

BC, I'm impressed that you and some others have gone cold turkey. But I agree that to save your sanity, you have to buy something to treat yourself, even if it's really small.

I'm not on an official ban - I am just sticking to a very small and specific list of purchases, and it's going surprisingly well. But I think it's because I have been so busy on the weekends, I haven't been able to go into a store or browse online. And (drumroll please), we went to NYC last weekend for my husband's birthday, and I didn't buy a THING. I told him it was his weekend, so no shopping for me. I am still in shock that I wasn't tempted.

This weekend, I am treating myself to a $15 manicure, and that's it.

lsubatgirl · Gucci

Oh it has been sooo hard to stay on this ban. I am just dying with all the new pretty spring stuff. The only thing that is keeping me on it is the thought that by March/April some of the early stuff may already be on sale or I will have saved enough money for them. I was tempted earlier by $60 sevens on shopbop with my size only left. But I'm trying to lose weight so I rationalized passing them up because I wouldn't be able to wear them in a few months and there is another pair I really like better so I'd rather have them. I did cave a little at Marshalls last weekend. I bought stationary but it was under $12 so I guess that's ok. No clothes though.

Hedvig · Coach

I haven't been totally strict with the ban; I made a planned purchase last weekend to be able to use a coupon code at a store I love. I'm also planning a trip to an outlet mall and will probably get a few things there.

Other than that, I'm going to stay on a partial ban and resist any impulse buys until the spring stuff I want goes on sale. That's really the best incentive I can think of - the glorious spring sales ahead!

Metric · Gucci

jj wrote:

BC, I'm impressed that you and some others have gone cold turkey. But I agree that to save your sanity, you have to buy something to treat yourself, even if it's really small.

Really small, like a new snowboard maybe?