I am in for No Buy July as long as HEWIs are exempt. I have quite a few HEWIs on my list.

MuseumGal, I'm laughing so hard! My bank has never called, but my credit card company has. Eek!

Mo, you wrote: "I'd like to get more in sync with my instinctual purchasing patterns and work with them, not against." Aha, the circadian shopping rhythm. Got it.

Liz, you're hilarious!

Should I try to shop (at least looking on-line) every day?

Any other tips for staying-shopping?

Oh, Amy K, come visit me, and I will keep you on the "staying shopping" track!

For the first time in years, our market is still going strong, so I am finding myself seriously short on work tops that work for 90+ degree weather. I'll be trying to find more asap. Then, later this month I'm going to visit my "outlet shopping" girlfriend, so although the focus will be on helping her update her wardrobe, her husband feels much better about our excursions when I come back with a haul as well;-). Maybe there's some catchy title for a no-shopping August...Austere August? August Abstinence?

I wish I could commit to this. But I want to refresh my undies at NAS. Other than THAT, I'm in! Will try to resist NAS boots and jackets and clearance summer stuff.

I am in, 2 kids leaving for college in August so will probably do two months

I'm in for No Buy July! I have 2 exceptions - if it's a gift or if it's using my credit at Modcloth. But nothing else.

Let's see if I can stick with it.

Well, I'm out, already. I've realized that I just don't have enough hot weather options and so pulled the trigger on two orders of various shorts to try, from Ann Taylor and Nordstrom. Hopefully I won't keep all of it or I'll be over budget, but I just couldn't take going out in my few pair of horribly outdated shorts anymore.

It appears that I am joining you after all. I reviewed my closet and there is absolutely nothing I need. Nothing.

There are some things I really, really desire such as a white or off-white bag. But after looking at tens of bags, I seem to be frozen with indecision. The more bags I look at on the web and in person, the more confused I become. It is not that the perfect white bag is not out there, I just don't know what it is I am looking for.

I know I used the upcoming Nordstrom sale as a shopping excuse, but I am not certain I need anything for my fall/winter capsules either. Again, a new bag or tote would be wonderful, but I expect the same indecision here as I have with the white bag.

So it goes.

alright, well, welcome aboard Sterling! What a great place to be in, to not need any summer or fall items. And maybe a cooling off period will allow you to really cement what it is you want in that perfect white bag.

Thin White Duchess, I bet Mo would include basics as an exception along with HEWIs. Right, Mo?

I have not done any shopping today. Should look on-line to atone. Carter, any suggestions of sites you like?

Amy, Angie just listed a dozen summer items on sale on the blog!
And, undies are necessities. They go beyond just basics! I was going to allow myself some from Target but realized I've held off all year, and four more weeks is not going to make or break me. I don't need them now, in July specifically. I was just looking for an out to allow a purchase. Sneaky sneaky. That said, if I really needed socks, or bras or whatever I wouldn't hesitate a moment.

Count me in for sure. I went on a "no buy" ten days ago, when I sat down and tallied all the things I have bought in 2014. It isn't about the money I spent - although I could have put that money towards other things - it is the number of things (clothing, shoes, bags) I purchased. Too many things, really, when I am already feeling like there are too many things in my home altogether!

I was doing great, and feeling amazing... until today. I was at a tech store getting my cracked iPad screen replaced. I had studiously avoided the high-end consignment shop downstairs - the one I didn't know existed until today - but the tech guy had to take my iPad back to fix something else.

Three guesses what I did while he was fixing the glitch?

Yeeeeeeeeeeeah. I bought two pairs of shoes.

One is a brand new pair of nude/light tan Lucky Brand wedges that are replacing my poor Nine Wests that I have worn the heck out of this past year. In all fairness, I have been thinking that it is time to have the next pair of all-purpose summer sandals ready to go, because the Nine Wests are starting to come apart, I have loved them that much!

The other is a long-sought-after HEWI, a pair of minimalist grey-beige (greige?) high-heeled sandals that I have been eyeballing and reeeeeally wanting on style forums everywhere for the past year and a half. These are new as well. Together, both pairs came to $35 including tax for two new pairs of beautiful shoes. So I guess it wasn't too bad.

But really, I want to get a handle on my shopping, and cut down a little on the time I spend looking at style blogs, and obsessing about what I am going to wear - so that I can get out there and enjoy life

So absolutely count me in for No-Buy (for the rest of) July! And if you feel yourself weakening, message me on these forums and I will talk you down off the shopping ledge

I barely made it through June, but I did. There is no way I'm sitting out July too. NAS is coming up and I have a pair of shoes that need replacing for my summer wardrobe. But if there will be a no buy August, I'll probably need to join that after shopping in July. What helped me get through June was telling myself that I could shop in July. Knowing I could shop soon, just not at that moment, worked for me.

Lisa, makes sense. I was going to start just listing my temptations as they came up. Kind of acknowledge that they are out there but that I don't have to snap them up right now. But I also wonder just how effective simply delaying the inevitable one month is. Does it alter the overall purchase amount or simply bottleneck 2 months worth into 1? I dunno. It does provide the pause to think about whether we really need the items we are wanting. So for impulse control it's good I suppose.
I have about 6 items left on my yearly shopping list. Yeah, I blew through almost 30 in the first half. OOPS. But I have mostly fall/winter things already lined up and waiting at home. So I'm confident that I really don't need more than the half dozen left. It will be the curtailing the habit of shopping itself, more than anything, for the rest of the year for me. So, for that I think this No Buy July will be good practice.

I'm in as well. Luckily I'm ignorant as to the temptations of NAS, so I really really hope I can make it through that... (is it summer stuff or new fall stuff that's on sale?)

I've discovered that by online shopping, it's MUCH easier to shop for the season you're in, rather than having to project ahead several months. So I can now say I'm in good shape for summer, and buying fall clothes right now doesn't seem appealing at all. I may even make it through August with no spending, as we will be on vacation for two weeks (with no internet ) And the only thing I know I need for fall is new black booties.

I think my bank account would prefer I didn't shop until 2020...

I was thinking about triggers: I usually have a feeling of excitement, knowing something is coming in the mail. Recently, I have been able to offset that feeling, by reminding myself that it isn't 'making do', but that I am forcing creativity by using what I already have in my closet - which I find almost equally exciting to getting something in the mail.

Yesterday's shopping trigger was different. I considered leaving the shop without making any purchases, but I got caught on several things: I am inevitably going to have to replace my current casual summer sandals, probably in the next few weeks (Gorilla Glue and leather wipes can only take a pair of shoes so far). And a HEWI! that I have searched for for at least 18 months.

But what really got me were the sales associates. They were all just lovely. Any thought I had to leaving without buying two pairs of shoes flew out the window when I thought of how helpful they had been.

What are your triggers?

I know mine - FOMO. Fear of Missing Out. Missing out on a trend, missing out literally on the item itself selling out if I don't buy RIGHT NOW. Otherwise, I'm sure I'd have no issue with waiting until the proper season/time to purchase what I'm looking for. For instance, I know what brand/type of undies I want. They have been around for years. I still need to upgrade for the year, and it's been on the list since Jan. 1. But there's no rush. I won't miss out. They will be there next month.

Mine is definitely FOMO.

Nope! I am planning on using my July budget for NAS. If I find things that I LOVE, I am fine with the Aug $ going toward those too.

I am most interested in cognac shoes and bag. But I will be checking out other shoes as well and will also consider a replacement black bag. I wouldn't mind adding a few sweaters because I know that I wear them very frequently.

That's really my whole wish list for fall I think so I'm sure some of the items will come from places other than the sale.

Last year I ordered a bunch of stuff from NAS but I think I ended up only keeping 2 sweaters.

Mine is FOMO too. But in my case, a lot of times my size *is* sold out if I wait too long! So if I really need or want an item, I have to pounce at full price.

Although I'm signed up for No Buy July, I did exempt myself as far as HEWIs go. And I did order three HEWIs yesterday from Nordstrom Rack. There was one top that I was debating getting but that wasn't a HEWI, and so I left that one alone.

I'm out. It's NAS in July. Soooooooo fun for Seattleites especially. Talk to me again in August.