The Shopping Diet by Jaana

My name is Jaana, wife to Paul and mama to Stevie. My blog is This Mom’s Gonna Snap! – a play on words between my love for photography and the days that motherhood drives me nuts! I don’t consider myself a fashion blogger by any means. I’m a girl who always took an interest in fashion, and tried desperately to hang onto that once I became a mom. It’s hard! Your time and body are not your own anymore. So a uniform kind of came into play, and that meant baggy jeans, a v-neck and sneakers (or some version of that outfit) pretty much every day. And when I actually had a chance to go shopping, I bought more v-necks!

Tired of the same old routine, I wanted to utilize my once-cool wardrobe. I started reading tons of style blogs to keep myself in the know. Then all of a sudden, I found myself not wanting to just look better, but wanting to look good. And then great. That meant I needed more stuff! Before I knew it, shopping became part of my daily routine. It doesn't help that the mall is like 3 blocks from my house. I would always tell myself, "I’m just going for a walk. Getting my cardio in. It’s good to take the baby out." But I always found myself in the shops and there always seemed to be something that I needed.

After several months of this, I had to take a good look at what was happening. Why did I feel this need to shop so much? What was I really accomplishing? I realized that the temporary thrill of filling my closets with awesomeness was just that – temporary. And I was using that temporary excitement to fill the gaps in my self-esteem too. I realized the more I struggled with different areas of my life, the more I wanted to buy.

Starting in January, I knew what had to be done. I needed to go on a diet. A shopping diet. Sadly, I made a goal to give up clothes shopping for A WHOLE YEAR. It wasn't an easy decision. Saying it out loud made me anxious. But I’m only a month into the challenge, and I've already found myself spending time in such different ways – from cooking to home improvements and even crocheting again (mostly so I could make scarves.) When I “shop my closet,” I enjoy trying to remix what I have to make new looks. It really seems like the possibilities are endless. Do I dress fabulously every day? No. Not even. But when I do have time, it’s a different kind of fun. And there are still days when my self-esteem flounders. Of course! I just can’t cover that up with a new pair of jeans anymore.

I’m not suggesting that this is for everyone. But maybe if we could stop for second and realize that we are beautiful without all the stuff, there wouldn't be such a desperate need for it. We can simplify our lives. Work with what we have. Labels or no labels. And, at the risk of sounding like Bridget Jones’ Diary, have faith in ourselves that we are good enough… just as we are.

You should also read this post on how one blogger survived a whole year without shopping.