Reflections on a One Year Shift of My Shopping Habits

Around this time of the year, I am normally shopping for many things. Some of these things are normal things that I need, but wear out over time. They include clothing, shoes, and a new purse. I also try to shop for home decor and seasonal decorations. Yet, for almost a year, my shopping habits have changed dramatically.

I noticed it near the end of last year, but it wasn’t until January of this year when I really began to notice. At first, I didn’t know why this happened, but over the past few months I began to realize the reason why my shopping habits have changed.

The first, and most obvious, reason is because I don’t want to buy anything I don’t need. Do I want things? Yes, I do, but do I need them? No, I don’t.

Last year, I began to realize many of the things I’ve been seeing while shopping are not things I need, but kind of want. Yes, that’s right. I kind of want them. I would think some of the home decor is cute, but I really didn’t like them enough to purchase them and decorate my home with them. The clothes, shoes, and accessories made me feel the same way as well. The more I searched, the more I didn’t like what I saw. So, I decided to stick to what I normally wear, repurchase those items if they are still available, and not bother buying anything more than that.

The second reason is because I wanted to be careful with my money. Like everyone, I am worried about the economy and how much things cost. So, I decided to focus on saving my money for the things I need and not waste my money on things I sort of like.

The third and final reason is because I had a need to spend my money elsewhere. The home I live in needs work. Last year, the work on the house began. So far half the windows have been replaced, new lights installed in areas where lights never existed (And it was really dark in that area of the house!), and changing out the bath tub (Which was falling apart) for a shower. There are other things in the process of getting worked on, but it will either take time to work on or it is part of bigger projects around the house.

There are other things that make me pull back on shopping as well. These things include needing to stay close to home due to car problems and not liking the quality or the materials the things I was browsing looked at were made out of. Yet, all of this gave me a new perspective of the things I own and why I own them. I enjoy what I own more and am happy with what I have collected over the years.

At this point of time I am not interested in shopping like I used to. Times have changed. Trends have changed. And I have changed. Even when the day comes when I go shopping like I once did again, I don’t know if I will feel comfortable shopping for the same things I once had been. I want to focus on the essentials and that’s all.

That’s all for now! Thank you for reading!

Featured Image is from Pexels.com. Edited for use on this blog by me.