july is when i buy nothing new (for myself) \\ last day today!

so, today's the last day of july which means from tomorrow onwards, i can shop again!

even though i had a slip up 2 weeks ago with a $10 purchase from Kmart and i do feel guilty about it. but overall i think i did quite well.

i was going to log onto ASOS to "find" something to buy tomorrow as a reward but that kinda defeat the purpose of my challenge.

this challenge really tested my self-regulation. according to an online character assessment quiz i took at the beginning of the year for a work team offsite, self-regulation is one of my top five attribute.

online shopping or any form of shopping is like an addiction i think. i'm not that much of an addict compared to others but i do feel that it is an addiction i can do without.

my past time used to be online shopping, browsing through internet shopping sites, looking for bargains and buying things i don't really need. buying things just because they are cheap and i also look forward to receiving them when they are delivered. it became a habit for me, a habit i can certainly do without. 

after not doing any internet shopping for the past 31 days, i hope i have gotten rid of this bad habit. like any challenge, the beginning was hard but it got easier as time goes by. by the third week, the urge to do any online shopping is pretty much gone.

i will start shopping again but i will be smarter about it. i will not buy something pointlessly just because they are cheap. i think i might adopt a new approach - buy less, not more. buy quality, not quantity.

in the mean time, i shall continue with my new past time that doesn't cost me anything - blogging!

ps: i wonder how long i'll keep to my new approach?!?

july is when i buy nothing new (for myself) \\ week three

it's been 18 days since i bought something new for myself. 

it hasn't been easy. especially the first week. straight after i made my pledge, i received an email from ASOS telling me there is a further 10% off already reduced items, my work colleague tells me about the online sale Wittner is offering - two pairs of leather boots for $200!!! various internet sites are offering free shipping with no minimum spend on the last day of the month. 

arghh...why did i make this pledge to myself? most importantly, why did i tell Jim about it and publish it on the blog?!? 

a part of me tells me i'm not far from the finishing line and i should keep to my pledge but a part of me is telling me to just give up. what difference does it make if i stick to my pledge and go crazy and buy like there is no tomorrow on the first day of August?!? 

i said to Jim last night i've bookmarked two items from this site offering free shipping and i'll put through the order on the last day of the month before the promotion finishes...he thought it was such a silly idea and told me to just put the order through already!

in case you are wondering, no, i haven't logged onto ASOS. 

july is when i buy nothing new (for myself) \\ week one

first of july is the beginning of a new financial year. i made a pledge to myself that i will not buy anything new for myself this month. i don’t know how well i will go but time will tell.

i had really bad self-regulation last month. i literally bought something for myself, be it a new pair of shoes or a new blouse every time I go into the shops. or if i didn’t go into the shops, i’d buy something online.  everytime we go to kmart or big w, i felt oblige to buy new daycare clothes for boo, or we’d walk out with a toy truck or a toy car for him. even though my purchases are not very expensive but i feel like such a greedy person because i really don’t need another pair of shoes or another blouse. mind you, some of the expenditures such as the two birthday presents for two boys who are turning two in july were unavoidable.

i subscribed to a number of online shopping sites such as ozsale, buy invite, brands exclusive, ASOS, our deals. every morning, i would receive promo emails from these sites and i would delete them before i have a chance to read them. i hope i haven’t missed out on some super duper good deals!

normally when i need to take a break from work, i would “window shop” on ASOS to check out what’s new or on sale and i would often save items i like to my “bag” so that i can keep an eye on them. so far this week, i have not been on ASOS (yet) but i can hear it calling me…..