Good luck with your shopping hiatus. I started my year with a plan to cut my shopping down by a large amount, I think it was an 80% cut. I set up some fairly strict parameters to help and they have worked well. I knew that I could easily refrain from shopping, but my problem was with moderation. My plan involved multiple steps but no break in shopping because I wanted to exercise my ability to moderate myself. I call my plan Minfulness and Moderation, and it provides the structure I need for success.
Here are my strategies which may or may not be useful to you:
1. I set a strict budget, and will not stray from it.
2. I set up a separate bank/debit account where the money for my clothes is put each month. Once the money is gone, no more shopping....if that happens.
3. I have a defined color palette.
4. I have a well defined sense of my style and I know what works for me.
5. I included room in my budget for replacement of items that get ruined.
6. Gear, coats, basics, essentials and shoes do not count in my budget because these items have a low CPW in my closet. I keep them a long time and generally wear them out. (Although since I injured my foot, I have found my feet have changed and I need a different type of shoe for comfort.). This may seem like a large chunk of money not included in my budget, but all these items generally make up a small proportion of my budget. DH and I did some serious number crunching when I put this together.
7. I set higher priority goals for myself for the money I am saving by cutting my clothing budget. These serve as strong motivators and I keep these goals very visible.
8. Before I make any purchase I check my closet to be sure I don't have something there that can serve the same purpose.
9. I only allow myself to browse online for limited periods of time and on limited days of the week.
10. I am choosing only a few items from the current trends to add a fresh edge to my wardrobe each season. I do not need everything to be the most current and trendy.
At first, with this plan, I still had a strong tendency towards my previous habits, and I made more purchases than I wanted to, but I stuck with it and returned items when they didn't fit my well defined rules. I have come to a point where I truly feel like I have achieved some "mindfulness and moderation" which were my goals. My last purchase was in early March, a pair of Ecco Soft 7 sneakers. I don't recall making any clothing purchases in March.
I'm thinking about switching over to the French 5 item wardrobe idea for my summer refresh. I love the concept of picking only a few very nice items to round out what I already have. I am planning to work out some summer capsules to see what items I might want to purchase and think it through in advance. This will be a very new strategy for me because I have always been a "see it, like it, buy it" person. I think my new plan calls for more thoughtfulness. This means I would add a capsule evaluation and development component to the process. It's a work in progress.
