THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM

This is it - the day before I do not shop for me for 186 days.  My initial response is to Run! Forrest! Run! to Woodbury Commons. If I am going to succeed in understanding the purpose of this journey - to find fulfillment in life without excessive material items, then I must show restraint.  I know that my impulse to shop is not dead, and I know I will need a little help from my friends to work this through.

My focus is:  What makes you fulfilled in life? What brings that smile to your face?  What makes your heart ache with shear joy?

When I take a look at my favorite, cherished memories, they are of being with family and friends that do not require money.  

It is funny that my last spree or two, Ted simply said, "Model them for me!"  Not, "You spent how much!??"  Ted has never questioned my spending - ever.  One time at dinner, between bites he asked, "Now why did we need to get a new refrigerator?"
I replied:  "The light bulb was out."  Ted continued eating, nodding his head.

This is not a bet or a dare;  this is a journey that I hope leads me to a better understanding of life in its simplest form of happiness.

I will still go to Broadway plays.  I will still go on vacation.  I will get manicures and pedicures.  I am excited to see how much money and time I save by not going on the HUNT OF A LIFETIME.  I am more excited to see what I know do with my time. 

HURRICANE SHMURRICANE!

I live in the middle of New York, sixty miles from NYC and I can't wrap my mind around this hurricane warning - at all.  As a matter of fact, I plan to run my five miles tomorrow morning and walk the dogs before snuggling up to my Kindle! 

What I am noting is that all the clothes and purses and shoes and THINGS will not be what a grab if I do need to leave.  I won't be upset if the house is flooded and all my belongings go down with the ship.  I am definitely on this journey for a reason and it makes sense.  I don't need a new anything.  I have 15 pair of black pants.  I could wear the same pair to work everyday and simply say they are different. 

My real no shopping start5s Sept 1 and no, it is not a never buy anything again!  It is personal shopping - cloths, purses, shoes, perfume, stuff!  I know what I want in my life and change in actions must occur.  NO, we are not broke.  Actually, Ted and I have never fought over money - ever!  We have never fought over my purchases.  He convinced me when we married never to have credit card debt, so I pay cash for everything.  It sucks, actually in that moment, but later on, I am glad there is no balance, no "I can't do that cuz we don't have the money."  I pay cash for everything - even the renovation of our bathroom!

My favorite things in life are relationships. And of course, my relationships with designers!  But with this warning upon us, I won't save any of them - not first.  So can not shopping remind me of life's real purpose?

I'M WEARING ALL MY FAVORITE BRANDS,Brands, brands...

Michael Kors - check. Coach - check. J.Crew - check. Kate Spade - check. Tory Birch - check. Cole Haan - check. Kenneth Cole - check. BR - check. Mission accomplished to add some quality pieces to my wardrobe that will not be enhanced after Sept. 30 - next Wednesday.

As I prepare for this One School Year of No Personal Shopping, I am having heart palpitations since I need a pair of shoes to go with my new MK pants! I honestly don't know what type of shoes to wear with this skinny wool blend pants!!! If I don't find the shoes before next Thursday, September 1, I may never wear the pants. The kicker is I bought them in two colors !

SKIRTING THE ISSUE

One of the reasons I am doing this no shopping is because I hope to retire in 6-7 years. I wear a lot skirts to work and when I retire, I most likely will never wear another dressy skirt again. I presently have 56 skirts that I do wear - now 59. I get bored wearing the same things for 186 days, so often, I will just go and buy something new. It is kinda like washing the bath towels - I geet sick of washing the same towels and have often just thrown them all out so I don't have to wash them again! I know, not logical since now I will be washing the new towels... but only until I get sick of washing them! On this journey, my real goal is bring new activities into my life or actually, revise some I have abandoned. With the money, I can travel more and that is what I want in my life now - not more stuff. I have 49 pair of pants, 76 sweaters, 115 shirts, 86 pair of shoes. I did not even bother to count my T-shirts, which is what I live in during the weekends and summers. All three of the skirts were also 40% off at BR, not my fav store, but a stopping place. The first skirt is actually a wool herring bone of grey and black. The secnd skirt is a navy blue strtch cotton blend that is easy to wear - not too tight, but I do not have to pin this skirt on like I do most of my skirts. The last skirt is again uncharacteristic of my style - but that seems to be underlying mission.

KATE SPADE SPREE!

So, this was actually the first stop of the LAST SHOPPING SPREE OR TWO... before I begin my journey of no personal shopping for one school year. Not only did I get three great pieces, but I got them at 60% off the sale price! There is no dressing rooming in Kate Spade Tangers Outlet, so Keith told me to just in the back store room and try it all on> Odd, but it turned out to be great. I actually tried on several pair of pants, the bain of my existence since they never fit, and not surprisingly, the pants did not fit at all. Keith then kept bringing me all these dresses to simply model - lmao - I told him I did not want a dress! He insisted since no one had ever asked to try on the clothes in the store - seriously?- so I did and we had a blast. They would not let me take photos, but what a hoot! The first shirt is again, unlike me to buy. Pok-a-dots in light colors. But it was so cute, I just could not resist it. The apple green sweater with the be-jeweled color is also something I would not wear normally, but I liked it, especially with the zebra-brown skirt. It screams Kate Spade. Finally, the embroidered brown cardighan is def me - it is lined and actually fits. I say that because most of the time, I buy clothes that are too big simply because I am so used to not finding clothes that fit. I spent the first hour of my spree just laughing with the workers, especially since I told them My Mission of the day - no one could believe me. Now other customers were asking me why I would give up personal shopping for a year. No one questioned the monetary value of it, but most wanted to know what I would do with my time. That is the journey - what will I do with my time.... only time will tell!

I

I like to call these pieces my odds and ends. The first, a MaxMara long dress shirt has a cute pair of black leggings that accompanies it. I just had to have this shirt - it is unlike what I normally wear, but a chic little outfit that I wore in the city. The second item - a white collar dress shirt and long blue sweater is what started the extension of the last spree to the last two sprees! I went to Michael Kors with the intent of buying a purse - end of issue. Unfortunately, I saw this sweater along with two pair of pants and a two shirts - and had to have them! So love this sweater - and thanks Emily for helping me with all of it! The RED DRESS is a slinky little dress that I can wear to work since it is not tight and can wear out on the town. Again, even Ted marveled at many of my new items since they are not what I usually buy. Finally, the grey wool MK skinny pant - in grey here - but umm.... they ordered me a pair in black since they did not have my size. I did tell Emily that I have a very tight deadline of September first - and I can not go beyond it - so they better arrive soon!

PART ONE: THE LAST SPREE OR TWO!

I did not intend on purchasing more flip flops on this last Shopping Spree - which turned into the last Two Shopping Sprees before I quit personal shopping for a school year - but as would have it, I just could not resist. Kenneth Cole has the funkiest flip flops in all these bright colors! The old me would have bought a pair in every color, but I practiced restraint, which I will have to call on for the 186 days I do not shop. So love these funky flips!

Tory Birch - my fav in flips flops! They have little cherries on them - too cute. TB flip flops are my to go to flops - six in all! Not only were these a Bonus Find - lol - but they were on sale.
These pale pink Col Haan sandals - fancy for leather flip flops - are my to- die- for bargain! Just under a hundred dollars, I so love them that when it began pouring on us at a Pub Crawl, I quickly removed them and wandered around barefoot rathre than risk them getting ruined!
Ellen Tracy - the look I always return to- classic and basic. They go with any outfit that is more classic in structure than modern.

MICHAEL, KENNETH AND ANNE - OH MY!

In one day I leave for Tangers Outlet where I will embark on my last shopping spree for the school year. I am nervous - not about getting to the airport on time or losing my luggage ( I can always by more), but about not shopping again after September 1, 2011. It is beginning to sink in that I won't resume shopping until after June 25, 2012. This is not all shopping, but personal retail shopping for me.

The luggage is light, much to Ted's surprise. Usually I pack enough to last three weeks, despite the duration of my stay anywhere. This time I have to consider purchases, which, I do know Ted is thinking won't occur since we are not driving. See, we do think alike - I need room to get my new purchases home!

I am going into this journey with an open mind. It will be like Lent all year long! Yeah, that is not really helping. In order to succeed, I need to remain focused on why I chose this journey - Ted has no idea. Between texting, tweeting, FB, Blogging, surfing, Online shopping and the antiquated emailing, I feel a connection to the here and now is actually being lost not gained. I just want to experience life a bit differently. So why shopping?

I go shopping all the time; it is on my To Do lists every week! Seriously? I need to remind myself to go shopping? NO, I need to make sure that with everything else that needs to be done, I leave a chunk of the day open to shop. I am not very good shopping with others; I used to embark upon the girl's sprees when I was young, but now that I am older, I enjoy the hunt and kill solo. Get in, get out. Done. The hours I have lost to purchasing - driving there, hunting items down, searching for more, driving elsewhere - could be better spent just living. It is even more than that; do I need more of anything? NO, I can't think of any material thang I need that will make my life more fulfilled.

And that is this journey - a more fulfilled life, not a more filled life.

EXACTLY ONE MONTH!

In exactly one month, my obsessive shopping behavior is coming to a halt. I know what you are thinking- just cut back, just limit your spending, just.... I did that this year. I barely shopped. Okay, in my eyes, I barely shopped.

I am really interested in what I am going to do. Maybe I will do the yoga rather than sit on the couch drinking wine while I watch it - aka - couch yoga - because I am too tired from walking around Woodbury Commons. Shopping is exhausting! Maybe I will take an extra walk or read another book. Maybe I will surprise Ted and clean the house before he gets home! Yeah, maybe not that last one!

August 9 is our 15 year anniversary, and we are headed to South Carolina for a week of sun and fun AND MY LAST SHOPPING SPREE before I go back to work. I am salivating, I must admit it, especially since Michael - yes THAT MICHAEL KORS - is now opened in Tangers (17 not 501 - I am an outlet snob). On that note, I don't even know the highway numbers by me or the exit number I take everyday, yet, I know the two highway numbers of Tangers!

Next week, I will post pictures of me with all my friends, I mean all the stores.