It's been almost a month into my "no clothing purchases for a year" challenge and I'm already seeing results.
I really had no idea how mindless my spending had become. I rarely shop in stores, but I do shop online, especially on eBay and Poshmark. I just didn't realize how much I did it. I never bought more than one thing at a time - the purchases somehow trickled in. Then there were the end of season sales at my favorite places like L. L. Bean, Orvis, etc. Not high ticket items, but small purchases do add up.
I also started a subscription to You Need A Budget last month. I had a budget years ago when we were struggling to get out of debt. Once we were debt free, I thought I had a firm handle on my spending. But I now see how much I was backsliding. We are still debt free but with not much money at the end of the month.
As the fall catalogs are coming in, I'm calling to get off the mailing lists. Yes, I do flip through them (I'm human after all), but so far I've resisted the urge to make a purchase. When I look at my YNAB budget and see my savings categories, I'm more interested in watching them grow than adding one more item to my closet.
So far, so good!