My No-Shop Progress: Did I Curb My Spending?

     It's been ages since I vowed to spend less and cherish my current wardrobe more. To be honest, I've been putting off writing this post for the past month, because my results are less than spectacular. However, I'm now laying out my no-shop progress for all to see. Read on to find out if I was able to curb my spending habit.

Did I change my habits?

Short answer: nope.

Although I did spend slightly less overall, I did not decrease my shopping, and perhaps spent even longer browsing online shops than usual. One of my biggest reasons for cutting down on shopping was time-saving, but knowing I had less money budgeted to spend, I found myself dedicated to finding a great bargain to justify spending anything at all.

The beginning of my downfall was the reintroduction of the Weekly Wow deals at Sephora. I'm rarely a impressed by a sale, but oh my gosh. Things I'd been eyeing were down to half price. It was like losing money if I didn't snag the deal.

I quickly discovered a loophole: exchanging. It started off innocently enough. I needed to make a return on a product at Sephora, but could only have store credit. Not wanting to "waste my money", of course I had to pick out something nice. So when the Weekly Wow deals started, I figured maybe I had a few more things kicking around I wasn't using. Soon I was spending actual money again to make up the difference.

My folly highlights the importance of airtight, clear cut and specific rules. I suspected I was a bit vague with my rules, so I expected to find loopholes eventually. If you participate in a no-shop, I recommend making a plan for what you will do with store credits and gift cards. One great option is to decide beforehand that you will only use them to buy gifts (not for yourself).

So what will I do differently?

If you've tried a no-shop and made some purchases anyway, I totally think it's best not to just give up altogether! Long-term lifestyle changes take time; the only way to learn to act differently is to make consistent small efforts, again and again. 

Personally, I've already come up with a few tweaks for my no shop rules:

I already only buy items I have listed as "needs", but I've come to understand that "should buy eventually" doesn't necessarily mean need to purchase right now. I've also decided I have all the makeup I need for the time being, and won't be purchasing any more unless I run out.

I'm going to be using the clothing I have in my closet that I've never worn for some outfit posts coming up, and I'm really excited to wear these things.

Have you taken part in a shopping ban lately? Would you? Let me know below!