So I officially entered a grey-area in my quest back in March (I can't believe its JUNE!!!) when I went to NYC and made special purchasing exceptions. I mean, really, NYC - I have no regrets. But other than that trip I've slipped quite nicely into a not-buying pattern. Its kind of become second nature and now I actually think about money on spend on everything, not just my garb.
I have missed my Yoga Jeans though, among other things. I've been making do with what I call my mom jeans (which makes me shudder). Its not that they are mom-jeans perse, its just that they are jeans that I feel are altogether too sensible and slightly ill-fitting. Too big, too long in the crotch etc. Not the kind of fit that one experiences with high-end designer jeans. Of which, I'm a big fan. You might recall my Yoga Jean post from earlier in the year. Some designer things are over-rated - like the ever-ghastly Ed Hardy anythings, but Yoga Jeans are not. I'm also a big fan of iT Jeans. These are things worth spending money on.
A couple weeks ago, I was able to close the Masters chapter of my life by "walking the stage" at convocation. The driving force behind this was my mum, but I'm really happy that I did it. Despite the fact I was stuck between two girls who knew each other and insisted on talking over me/through me or whatever through the ceremony on the stage for all to see (decorum is dead apparently), I enjoyed taking that time to celebrate me. So did the people I love. It was to my great delight when my partner surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of long stem roses (no baby's breath - ick) and a gift certificate to my favourite store: The Loop. When he gave it to me, I said "Only a month to go and I can use it". He quickly reminded me that not only was his gift appreciated, it was also genius! A gift certificate constituted guilt-free shopping because he had already spent the money and it was a gift. See the grey-area here. If I really wanted to ascetic about this, I could have waited. But lets be honest, I survived NYC without too much shopping...I definitely took my loop hole (pun intended).
This weekend, I celebrated me in a different way. We hired our friend to work the market for us and I took some time to go shopping. How glorious. Suffice to say, I replaced my long-mourned yoga jeans - good bye mom jeans - and bought some beautiful sundresses.
This experience made me realize how much this journey has made me grateful for what I have. I left the store with my purchases and felt truly spoiled and grateful. What would have been a run-of-the-mill shopping experience at previous points was totally satisfying to me. To appreciate the things I have is something that I've learned. Also, that I truly appreciate the people I have in my life, not just the things. This seems more important, no?
I have less than a month until the six months is up. I feel like the date will probably pass without me realizing. The absolute best thing to come from all of this is that I have changed my consumptive habits, which was the goal. I still like to buy stuff and I like a good outfit - that's just part of me - but now I feel in control of these things and I feel like I've removed myself from the constant want/need conveyor battle that our economic system wants us to be on. If I need or want something I can get it, but I won't want and therefore justify a need every second day. It makes my Type A personality smile to be in control of it.
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