Check out this email I got from a fan who’s gonna stop shopping for a month. This is what I call passion! :) You put that much energy into what you do, and you will go sooooooo far. Especially when it comes to motivation and money. Hope this email inspires you, like it did me:
I just want to say that last year I created a budget by using your template and I totally love it! I made a great plan on how to kill my debt and save money and I have totally BLEW IT! I am so ashamed. My spending has been out of control completely and I have finally made the decision to just FAST – I am out of control.
I made a new budget and a plan to take on a 30 for 30 challenge of choosing 30 items of clothing and shoes already in my closet and not spending any money on clothes for 30 days. This is a challenge for me — I LOVE SHOPPING for items that depreciate in time! After reading your post – 7 Items in 7 days – totally inspired me to just do what I know to do — BUDGET, 30 for 30 and of course FINALLY WEAR THE CLOTHES IN MY CLOSET THAT STILL HAS TAGS ON THEM! I am not just doing 7 items in 7 days, I am going to do the month! I guess I can let you in on my progress next month — but I know that not spending on clothes and shoes and omgaaaaaaa MAKEUP is a BIG issue for me! but I really want to be apart of your CLUB and I looooooooove your blog–I just need to jump start what I know to do!!
I stopped shopping once. Lasted 40 days and was one of the best things I ever did for my finances! It totally BROKE my bad habits, and I couldn’t recommend anything more. It wasn’t until week 2 when I realized just how much I used to shop and go out w/out even thinking about it! I’d catch myself driving to Target or TJ Maxx just for the fun of it … that’s literally what I did when I was bored – pretty crazy. I def. miss it at times, but now whenever I walk into stores I’m not nearly as tempted to spend just for the hell of it. Fasting for all those days shook me from the devil! ;)
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If you ever want to try it yourself, read this post first: 4 Stages you’ll encounter during a “No Spend” challenge. I wrote it right after I had that “aha” moment :) In the very beginning of my blogging!
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She sure sounds pumped, I hope she does good and learns a lot. At least she knows where her weak points are and realizes that there’s a problem. Once we fully understand there’s a problem and the consequences we’re facing/dealing with it makes it easier to act on (assuming people even want to, some don’t). Recently I’ve been trying to eat out less, but was only able to make it 23 days. :-(
Awww well that was close!! You didn’t binge the next day, did you? ;) Maybe you can try in different chunks? Like, 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, etc? For me 40 days of not shopping was enough to really get me in gear, but with other things I have to take smaller steps and build up. But the good thing here is that you, and the girl who emailed me, are TRYING! And that’s fabulous, so keep it up!! :)
I really don’t get it: Why are people so obsessed with buying clothes?
I have not purchased a clothing item in over a year. All of my shirts, pants, and shoes are all still in great condition!
Haha that would be a record for me, even though I’ve cut back a lot myself ;) I don’t know about others, but I know I personally like wearing brand new fresh clothes cuz it changes it up a bit and just makes me FEEL better. Especially Tees. I could rock a new one every day and would love it if there were no costs involved. Better to be addicted to clothes than other more expensive things. *ahem* crack.
I stopped shopping but it was to force myself to sew more of my clothes… I have gotten really creative with mixing and matching plus it has been really helpful with my finances. I used to shop whenever I got bored and it was bad. I find now whenever I go into a store for something I am totally drawn to the clothing section… it’s like a drug. I have to resist considering I don’t need more clothing or I can sew the article for a fraction of the cost.
Thanks for sharing this success story! Love it!
I had a debt awakening back in May after I returned home from an expensive vacation I knew I couldn’t afford. It’s been over 6 weeks since I’ve bought anything for myself other than bare essentials, and it hasn’t been too difficult, and I rather enjoy a new outfit. I am day 4 into my 30 for 30 challenge, so I’ll have abstained from shopping for well over 2 months by the end of July. It feels good to break bad habits and use what I already have. I wish the emailer luck in achieving her goals!
@Ban Clothing – Hey, that’s cool! I bet that feeling is AWESOME putting your own clothes together like that – what a great hobby! Maybe you can make me something for my birthday? A cool Budgets Are Sexy shirt if you will ;)
@Jenna, Adaptu Community Manager – I’m glad :)
@Heather – COOL!!! Congrats on doing so well yourself so far! :) That’s an amazing feeling, I know it very well myself. You can totally hit another 30 days!