I've been on (mostly enforced) SYC for about two years now, give or take a few months. As in, there was no 'B' to SYB with!

Only things I've bought in this SYC phase have been strictly *necessary* replacements:
* a few underthings
* two pairs of Indian loose pants (salwars) to wear with tunics, to replace a couple that came apart in repeated washings or were ruined in the monsoon wading
* two pairs of replacement footwear: flat thong-style slip-ons and summer sandals
* replacement bag

A couple of months back, I tested the SYB waters with a couple of camisoles to de-orphan a bunch of tops and a dress. Felt good and purposeful. And I decided on a sustainable-seeming budget of $50 a month.

Since then, I've been window shopping for a while, making lists and prioritizing: What do I *really* need to replace or add; what do I *really* want? Well, I now have a shopping list, in order of priority, and it looks manageable. I feel good about identifying my top priorities and letting go of some fantasy 'wants'. BUT...

...I can't seem to act on it, now that it's time to get a move on! And I can't seem to get excited about shopping any more!

I'd already lined up a few online orders last month, and those arrived as expected. Pretty basic, though certainly on the list (#2) -- two coloured belts (blue and orange); two long scarves (the twists in red and cream); pair of red-orange leggings ruched at the ankles. But I had decided to end SYC with an actual *shopping day out* on my birthday (old tradition to wear something new that day) --- and for the first time ever, couldn't find something new to wear! I just felt unenthusiastic and uninspired.

Not because the shops were bereft of things I wanted to buy --- but because I kept second-guessing myself, and telling myself I can always decide/buy later! Finally, my SO told me next day to buy a knit top he'd selected as a gift. I still wasn't sure about it, but since it was his gift, I did. And yesterday, I went and got a couple of cheap, basic layering T-shirts. (All three in #3, the patterned top being the gift.)

Thing is, I haven't addressed my top-priority BIG and immediate seasonal wardrobe holes: summer tops and shoes! Sunglasses should have been on the list too, but I found my old aviators in my 'other closet' (different city) and decided I could live with them for a while. The only urgent hole I've filled is my travelling-by-train outfit (something of a messy affair and crazy-cold inside with high summer outside, so needing versatility as well as overnight, no-changing-room comfort) -- see 'jodhpur leggings' (leggpurs, perhaps??) in Pic #1, to wear with a tunic top.

So why the paralysis? Has it gotten to be that much of a force of habit to delay gratification? Or am I just queasy at the thought of spending on the, well, spendier items? Is shopping off a list and *only* off a list too regimented for me? (Odd, because I mostly love lists and crossing things off to a plan.) Have I window-shopped too much and gotten bored with seeing the same items on my wishlist once too often?

HOW do I get myself to move on and take the plunge with the big-ticket items? Any advice from veteran SYCers?

Meanwhile, just because pictures are mostly prettier than type, photos of the $50's worth this month. Apologies for the fierce frown in #1 -- I was looking up into the sun, and then happened to spot someone's kid jumping across rooftops! Not good. Downright scary, actually. But my photographer didn't have the patience for take 2 :-/