This post is about shopping less, not that easy close to xmas but maybe something for the new year. You can read all about Dottie Angel’s Challenge of the Utmost Kind, she gave up shopping new for a whole year and promised to only buy handmade or secondhand for a year and asked people to join her. I stumbled upon this challenge of hers one day and thought I’d tell you about a new years resolution I made a few years ago. I decided to try to go 3 months and buy nothing, I just purchased the general stuff we need, like food, toiletries etc. I decided to go hardcore and ban clothes, knick nacks and even charity/thrift shopping, this was the biggest horror of all! After 3 months I lengthened it to 6 and in the end I tried a year. Now I made exceptions and throughout the year I did continue to buy other people birthday pressies (it was amazing how much fun this became) and i did buy 2 vests and some sunglasses. I certainly didn’t go frugal and still went out for tea and cake at my favourite cafe and when we went on holiday to France I gave myself a break for those 10 days but it is amazing how out of the habit of shopping you get. So I would say give it a go for 3 months and see how you do. I am now going to take a leaf from Dottie and try to buy more handmade items.

I have to add a foot note to this post, I now am back to car booting, flea market frequenting and fabric shopping but I think for a least 3 seconds before buying stuff and certainly am more discerning about my purchasing, although other half may well deny this! In fact I am not a goody two shoes (or is it too shoes) and am trying to expand my fabric stash, take a look at some pics of Dottie’s thrifted collection.