Ironic as it may sound, I bought "Not Buying It" at the right time of the year, the Great Singapore Sale. Not Buying It - My Year Without Shopping by Judith Levine is a hilarious and down-to-earth account of one woman's year-long journey of no shopping. You feel her pain, her anxieties, her diconnection with the world and then a sense of purpose, silence and acceptance[second part I'm assuming what eventually happens cause I'm just one-third into it, haha].
It did remind me of the 3 months that I was bumming. When you have no income, that's the best time to minimise and simplify. But I barely lasted 1.5 months. I plunged too deep, too fast and ended up deprived. Middle path is important - the combination of acceptance, awareness, surrender and not being too hard on myself is better for long term sustainability. Anyway, it's fun to experiment. I'm going to minimise and simplify in small doses. I'm going to avoid shopping centres. Amos has been tasked to police my shopping. He's not going to leave me in a shopping centre alone. No bookshops, no fashion magazines. No Mango, Isetan, Baylene, Zara, Tangs, Calvin Klein, GG<5, Island Shop, MAC, Bugis Village, etc. Everytime I get the urge to buy, I will ask, do I need this and go for a yoga class. [I've been doing so many yin classes I swear my hips just expanded lah]
My grand plan must start grandly right? So here it is: No shopping during the Great Singapore Sale! There. I've published it. I'm committed to it. Hahaha. I'll just leech on Mel's clothes. Ok first confession, I already bought something from the Great Singapore Sale, but that was before I made this declaration. So yep, from this minute on. Nothing from GSS! Go... die, be gone! Shoo!