An Update to My Previous Rant on Consumerism

The last time you were here, you probably witnessed my rant about the evils of "fast fashion" and my pledge to go clothing purchase-free for 6 months.  That was almost a month ago (forgive me, I am in 3 writing-intensive classes this semester, which leaves little motivation for blogging) so I thought it was about time to check-in and update you on how this little project is going.

For those of you that know me pretty well, I bet you're expecting me to tell you that it hasn't gone so well,  that I've bought ALL the clothes...

Well, WRONG-O.  It's actually been going quite swimmingly.  Since my initial reading of Overdressed, my interest peaked in the subject of American consumerism and sustainability (both from a human labor and environmental standpoint).  In fact, I've extended the challenge to not only include clothes but to include all "unnecessary" purchases... at my discretion of course.  Hey-- my game, my rules.  The point is, this is a practice in "conscious consumerism".  Sort of like a diet, it's not a quick-fix, but a learning platform to practice new habits for a healthier life.

So how have I been doing?

Well, in the past month, this is what I've bought:

-Groceries
-Postal stamps
-Nail polish remover
-Undies from VS (This one is questionable, but I had a giftcard, which I consider a sunk cost, and there was a spectacular sale going on- 7 for $24!)

So I didn't go 100% puritan and buy absolutely nothing frivolous, but I was able to receive daily emails from a few of my favorite retailers and practice self control.  I really can't believe I missed Target's boot sale.

Target Style FB page: "A great pair of boots can add polish to almost any Fall look."

Me: "Uh, I know. And I'm really missing my brown riding boots that fell apart after trekking through London that one rainy day." 

I'm not bitter.  I'm not bitter.  I'm not bitter.  But I do really want some boots.

Fortunately, knowledge is power.  And luckily, I was able to align a couple of my big research projects this semester with the topic of conscious consumption, so I've been doing a lot of preliminary reading and research for those classes.  Ah... Overlapping personal interest with education... it's a beautiful thing.  I think that this constant stream of information on the topic of living more simply has encouraged me to hold myself more accountable to this personal endeavor I'm on.

Some of the books I've read in the past few weeks include:

 

And now I feel like I know a little bit too much.  Maybe ignorance is bliss.  Will I ever be able to enjoy walking into Forever 21 and buying 10 shirts again?  Probably not.  It might be a phase, or it might be a paradigm shift in my outlook towards consumerism.  You know.. buy what you need.  Don't buy what you don't need.  It really does make sense.