Why I’m A Failure And Why That’s Okay

No, I didn’t already break down and shop. It’s only been 8 days. I have a little more self control than that…I think.

But I do have a little confession to make.

This is not the first time I have attempted the No Shopping Challenge. Or the second. Or even the third quite possibly if I’m being honest.  

For this post I wanted to share with you what I learned from the first time I failed at the NSC (no shopping challenge) and how I feel looking back on everything that went down.

The first time I attempted to only “shop my closet” was way back in 2015. I was determined to start off the year strong and stick to my resolutions of saving money, paying off credit card debt, and not adding to my wardrobe. You have to love the power and magic of New Years. It’s a clean slate, a new beginning, a chance to start over and give your entire life a makeover if you so choose. 

I started out pretty well that first go-around. I purchased extra socks and tights just to make sure I didn’t have to rebuy anything for the duration of my challenge. I picked out outfits for my work week every Sunday and started to uncover old pieces of clothing I had totally forgotten about. I even ventured outside of my comfort zone and matched up pieces together that I normally wouldn’t even think to walk out of the house in (purple tights with my little black dress and a funky scarf anyone?) And I was confident that it was going to be my year of stylishly saving a buttload. 

But then, HE happened. 

Who is HE you ask? Well for inquiring minds HE is my biggest supporter in finally completing my NSC. HE is my fiancé David.

Did David purposely made you break your shopping hiatus?! 

No, of course not! He didn’t even know about it! 

Let’s rewind a bit. David and I met on January 8, 2015, 8 days into my first attempt at the no shopping challenge. And for 23 more days I stuck to my guns. It had been a long time since I had felt swoony (is that a word?) over a gentleman. And like any girl with a new found romance, you want to put your best foot forward. I pulled out all of my favorite clothing items to wear on our dates, but quickly realized that my favorite pieces were becoming repeat date night offenders. How could a girl with so many clothes have so little variety in her closet? I didn’t want him to see me in the same thing I wore 3 dates ago! How embarrassing! Thank goodness it was the middle of winter because my trusty peacoat hid a couple choice outfits from being recognized as a repeat wear. 

As January came to a close and we became exclusive, it was dawning on me that Valentine’s Day was just around the corner. We weren’t planning anything extravagant for V-Day (since it had just been a little over a month ago that we had met) but I still wanted things to be special. We planned on Chinese food and movies (a yearly Valentine’s tradition now) and as February 14th crept closer and closer, I started to feel like everything I picked out to wear, well, had already been worn. 

My A-Team date outfits had been exhausted, and I really didn’t feel like my B-Team backups were special enough for our first Valentine’s together. So, I broke my no shopping pledge and bought a new outfit. A new outfit that I would wear to sit on a couch and eat Chinese food. Sounds kinda silly now, don’t you think? 

In my mind though, it wasn’t silly. How often do we shop for special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, weddings) because we feel it adds to the value of the occasion itself? And while I do not recall what the outfit I wore was, I am positive that it made the day feel more special at the time. 

Looking back on this failure I come to the realization that while I did not make it a full year, making it a month and a half is still pretty okay by me. Every little thing you do now becomes a building block in the foundation of your change. And knowing that I made it 1/12 of the year the first go around makes me want to push further and show 2015 Macy that we got this now.

This past Tuesday David and I celebrated 4 years together. And with 4 years in and soon-to-be 5 Valentine’s Days later…I’m perfectly okay with wearing my comfy pants to eat sesame chicken in front of my fiancé. No need for a fortune cookie this year however. The guy sitting next to me on the couch makes me the luckiest gal around.