But maybe I didn’t properly answer the question. My habits since 2008 have been to buy something almost every month. I am at my favourite mall almost every week because my favourite supermarket is also there, and I love looking at what’s around, I find it relaxing when for once no-one ( work, family) wants anything from me. Maybe it’s my favourite supermarket because it’s in that lovely smaller mall. So I have still looked in the shops a bit, but not felt the same drive to buy as before. I still browse on the internet too, mainly shoes on Styletread

Jenni, I can identify with much of what you write, having only recovered my love of clothes in my 50s and then (ahem) possibly going a bit overboard with my shopping for a while as well. But I've been happy to see that my over-buying has pretty much stopped and did so once the wardrobe was truly in working order (which it wasn't for a while because I really didn't plan well -- it took a few years on YLF for me to figure that part out). Anyway, I do understand the allure of shopping as relaxation and fun -- I definitely experience that as well. I have been trying to use consignment/ thrift stores or online browsing (as opposed to buying) for that little hit of pleasure lately. So far, so good.

I don’t have any firm timelines for shopping. My shopping is most often determined by the need to replace something, or opportunity. I live in an area where brick and mortar options are limited and my favorite boutiques are seasonal (open late May/ June - Oct.). I do like to shop local, so I will visit those places and choose a few new items for each summer season.
When I have the opportunity to travel and have multiple shopping options, I make a Do Not Even Go Near list and then fully enjoy seeing what steals my attention and begs to come home with me.

I’m not officially doing SYC, but am planning a long pause on buying work and casual clothes, likely through at least April. (I refreshed underwear, and bought ski boots in January, but I’m not counting those.) My main reason is that a significant climate change 5 years ago resulted in essentially a complete overhaul and rebuild of my high summer work and casual wardrobes. I’ve done a lot of buying (for me) over the past 3 years, but I now have that part of my wardrobe in good shape, and I wanted to not spend for a while. During this pause, I’m taking the time to assess my style direction, and how I’d like to build my wardrobe for the future. So, I’m certainly browsing, reading YLF, and occasionally trying things on, but I have no plans for any purchases until later spring, when I will be looking for a couple dresses, due to wear and tear on some older ones.

Suz, your question raises exactly the reason I have not participated in SYC. I shop twice a year--March and August--so there's not really any shopping going on the rest of the year. I do it primarily for budget reasons; I release some money to myself twice a year. But I find that the pause of the whole rest of the year is what allows me to really refine a wishlist/needlist so that when I release the kraken I'm buying things that will really be useful to my wardrobe and get me closer to my desired looks/replacing things that really need replacing, rather than just coming home with 9 pairs of fabulous shoes that are impractical for my lifestyle and climate.

Suz, I shop EARLY in the season. That way I get the best stuff and IN MY SIZE:

• Jan, Feb, Mar & April: Usually done by May.

• June: I don't shop.

• Jul: I always have a great NAS

• Aug: I don't shop.

• Sept, Oct, Nov: I shop a little in Nov - but sometimes not all all.

• Dec: Unless I travel, I don't shop in Dec at all! I am soooooo done!

Suz, like you, I found that once my wardrobe was fully functional for my current climate and lifestyle, my shopping tapered off significantly. I've been in maintenance mode for the past year or so. I don't take conscious SYC breaks, and when I buy a non-essential item it's usually secondhand, a "know it when you see it" type situation and often a long-standing HEWI.

My shopping "seasons" are very similar to Angie's. I don't shop much in the summer (June - Aug), or during the winter holidays (I sometimes make an exception for Black Friday if I need a big item like boots or coat and want to take advantage of the discount).

Starting on Boxing Day, I try to do any gear and basics replacements needed for the upcoming year. And making spring/summer additions in Jan/Feb/March helps me get through the depths of winter. I also still enjoy the "back to school" shop in early September, although I usually make some fall/winter additions in October as well.

A strict ban would be stressful for me because I'm such a list-driven shopper and also like to take advantage of thrift stores and clearance sales. It's very rare for me to make a truly spontaneous purchase (that would also be stressful!), so I think the SYC challenge suits a different type of shopper. I do like to challenge myself to wear languishing items, but it's hard to do that in midwinter, as low-wear pieces for me are usually the ones that require elusive transitional weather.

LaPed -- that's really interesting -- I think my own reasons for failing to wear some pieces often must be similar to yours -- all weather related, really. Well, except if it is occasion wear. (And even then, it's often weather driven, i.e. I might have had two occasions for dressy wear but the item in question would not have worked for the weather so I pick something else.)

Anyway -- it makes sense you don't need/ don't want a SYC challenge.

But your note about early shopping for spring season along with Angie's make me wonder if I could move my own spring shopping up a bit earlier. I'll consider that. I do have a longer spring season than I used to and more need for transitional items than in the past. Hmmm. Good thoughts, both of you.

Lesley, it sounds as if you are a super-organized shopper! Way to go!

Kathie, it sounds as if a pause is a great idea in your situation -- you've done the purchasing work and now it's time to reconsider and prune where necessary while getting ready to add what is also needed.

Mainelady, this also makes sense. When there are few opportunities for B&M shopping you take the ones you can get! I can understand that, having lived in a similar situation for many years. You also get a huge boost from your shopping sprees with your sister, and those probably keep you going for a while afterwards!

I'm not on any strict SYC, just like I don't do strict diets. Deprivation makes me nuts. My hat is off to those who have that kind of discipline, but I know myself better than that.

I'm working on simply being more mindful, in many areas of my life. Not letting momentary whims drive my behavior. I'm trying to be pickier about what clothes I buy, so I spend less, add fewer things to my closet, and I spend on more thoughtful choices that are useful to me at this phase of my life.

I shop throughout the year, but a few times a year, I seem to go a month without buying much of anything, and then have a bit of a surge as seasons turn over and new merchandise comes out. And sometimes I just cruise through the retailers and stumble upon something that I fall in love with, that will play well with my wardrobe and be useful to me. I find that fun and don't want to stop doing that, but again, I don't want to do that too often.

I didn't participate in the SYC challenge, but I'll add my own info as a data point. These days I shop mostly secondhand and mostly online at that, so I shop more or less constantly.

I do see this as a downside of my shopping strategy: the fact that shopping -- and chasing the next thing -- is always taking up headspace. For now, the tradeoff feels acceptable; all shopping strategies have their pros and cons. But I would to get to the point where I felt confident pressing "pause" for some period of time. (I haven't thought about it enough to say how long that period of time would be.)

A couple of changes that I would like to make in the near future:

-When I find something, stop looking. Saved searches on Ebay etc. make it easy to just keep browsing by default. I need to be more mindful about deleting a search once I've filled a wardrobe hole.

-Be more deliberate about outfit labs. I know that finding new ways to wear what's already in my closet is really satisfying, and probably more so than adding more. But it's hard to make time and space for outfit labs. Much easier to browse online during a moment or two of downtime...

So, uh, I guess where I've come round to after all that is that I would like to do more shopping (or styling) my closet!

I'm glad you asked this. Reading this weekend while I was logged out & thus couldn't comment, I came across someone's comment that it was really "style your closet". That made sense to me, because just wearing what I have and not buying anything new is what I generally do. Synne's recent challenge to wear everything in her closet would be a new thing for me--but not one I'm planning to take up, because I keep things that don't fit or that otherwise are not "of the moment". The comments here explain a lot more to more about what people get out of it.

I sometimes take breaks from browsing/looking, but if I am browsing it’s because I’m open to buying if the conditions are right. It’s pretty rare that I find something I like, that doesn’t duplicate anything else, suits me, fits well, and is in my budget, so the vast majority of my looking doesn’t turn into buying.

I actually wish I could be more of a strategic once a quarter or similar shopper like you and Angie and others here, but I’ve tried it and I just end up buying things that aren’t a 10 because of the time constraints and then a month or two later finding the perfect thing I should have waited for.

This has been fascinating reading, and I'm sorry for being late seeing this post! Working in the fashion and related areas for much of my adult life has meant that I'm in stores literally every day . It's been in turns ironic, a bad thing, a good thing, and frustrating, as I shop for many different reasons. All discussed before ad nauseam here on the forum

This all means that my shopping is not strategic, rarely planned, can often surprise me with great finds, but also brings out the impulsive side of me. That said, I almost NEVER shop end of season sales; and rarely bring home new merchandise in February , March, much of April , and August. January is often a non-buying month too - as I'm deep into wearing what I have at that point and losing interest in constant acquisition .2019 was my first real foray into NAS , and one I won't repeat as getting those pieces so early in the season didn't work out for me. I was a lemming during NAS - which never serves we well. I buy stuff I normally wouldn't. As you mentioned Suz, I often don't really know what I want or need until I have access to that season's clothes and have had a chance to sift through my usual resources to decide what look I'm after.

Ideally - I'd do it the way you do. Shop in a couple of major blow-outs, and then get back to life.

I definitely think that some jobs make it harder to shop seasonally (if you are in retail or the fashion industry, like you, Lisa, or Kkards, or Angie -- or if you are always walking past stores, like Christina or those who work inside terrific malls. I would be very tempted to shop all the time in that situation. Though I might still separate "shopping" (i.e. thinking about it, planning, making my lists) from buying. Even for someone who's regularly on the floor of the stores, it can take a few try-ons to decide, yes, this is the item I really want to take home with me.

Also, I want to reiterate -- when I was building a wardrobe, I shopped ALL. The. TIME. And while it wasn't great for my finances it was really the only way I could build up my wardrobe, and even then it took about 3 or 4 years.

Laura, this is where I really "get" what you are saying. Until I had a great set of essentials in my main neutrals, I was forever buying stuff that was "less than" ideal. Now, it's much less frequent because I don't have as many wardrobe holes. So even if I develop one, I can cover it with another item for a while.

Fashintern, yes -- style your closet has an entirely different connotation to me -- it is not a shopping ban but an invitation to wear what you have in new ways and rediscover things that you might have allowed to languish. Which many of us do, even with the best intentions!

SarahDB -- it's the headspace issue that is really important to me. I want to love my wardrobe and have fun with it and wear my clothes -- and I actually enjoy shopping now (never thought I'd say that) and find it somewhat therapeutic and fun! -- but I also want energy to devote to other areas of my life -- so I want to be able to get on with it.

Yes, totally understand wanting energy to devote to other areas of life. I do find it hard to know exactly where to draw the line. In the best case scenario clothing (albeit not shopping, exactly) can be a creative outlet, and can even feed other aspects of creativity for me. It can definitely tip over into a time suck and an excuse not to focus on other work.

Still, this kind of thing doesn't happen by accident, you know:
https://porochista.substack.co.....rs-edition

For a while there, I never get what does SYC means? After clicking thru a lot of post, I was still lost. Your post sort of clarify that for me, but I am still not sure what does the letter C means in this case, but I’m guessing it’s either closet or clothes.

Hi Ropeball, you are right, it means Shop Your Closet. One of our members Nemosmom did a challenge for us for the month of January and a lot of us decided to join in.
I think it was already a thing elsewhere?!

Jenni is right-- it's shop your closet or could be style your closet, and ropeball, it sounds as if you are doing exactly that, which is great!

Also, Jenni, I think you are right that it was a thing outside this forum. I'm not much on other fashion sites but I have definitely heard the term elsewhere. As someone who likes to repeat outfits / items, I always wondered what made it different from just wearing the heck out of your clothes, but I guess for those who only wear something once or twice and then go shopping for something new, it might be a novel idea!

I didn't participate in syc for January, since I did buy a couple things early in the month, but I will be through the rest of winter. Normally I shop a little each month, instead of a lot at once, to space it out in my budget. This year I want to change to 2 main shops though, as the wearing season is beginning- so May and October (as long as finances allow in those months).