I finally reclaimed my title as a shopper last night. After work yesterday I decided to venture to a place I hadn’t been in a while: the mall. On the way, I was giddy with excitement. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t breathe. I broke out into a cold sweat and started shaking all over. Just the prospect of going to Macy’s was enough to make me channel a 16-year old on prom night.

After browsing the contemporary apparel and talking myself out of the most gorgeous Trina Turk color block dress I’ve ever seen, I ended up with a modern, hip and trendy BCBG number that (if I must say so myself) makes me look like a supermodel and a Herve Leger-inspired bandage dress (because it made me feel like Bethenny Frankel…just not as “naturally skinny”). And then I topped it all off with a pair of leopard-print heels I found on the clearance rack. Because let’s be honest, if you find a pair of leopard print heels that look like the other 15 pairs you’ve worn out in the past 3 years, and they just so happen to be 75% off, then you just have to buy them. (Leopard print heels actually go with just about anything. And if you don’t believe me, read this.)

So, world, I’m back in the game! My shopping abstinence was a good exercise to go through. But at the end of the day, it’s just not me. I’m good at shopping. And I like it. And it gives me stuff to blog about (and you stuff to read about). Shopping inspires me and keeps me on my toes—it helps me be me.

Will I ever take a month off shopping again? Perhaps. If I’m broke. But let’s not assume the worst.

Hi. I’m Emily, and I’m a shopaholic. And I’m totally okay with that.

This is just not fun. I don’t need to shop, but I sure like doing it! I’m going nuts. It’s like I’ve hit rock bottom. And I’m certainly not saving any money. The money I’m saving on shoes, purses and clothing is going towards expensive cocktails and elaborate dinners. So is this little experiment saving me money? Not at all.

Yesterday, I picked up three books so I could use some of my spare time to read. Plus, I find that reading’s a good escape for me…but not as good of an escape as spending money. Right now, I find that if I’ve learned anything from this little experiment, it’s that shopping isn’t all that bad. It’s a habit…but it’s not the worst habit I could have. And I’m responsible in my shopping: sometimes I splurge, sometimes I shop on sale, sometimes I shop vintage. It all evens out. And I give stuff to charity. I’m not a hoarder or anything.

March 1st can’t come soon enough! This week is packed with fun activities to keep me busy so it’s sure to breeze by! But when the new month of March comes rolling in, I’ll be rolling out to Nordstrom.

I’m at a point where I just need to get over the whole not shopping thing. It’s been 16 days! That’s more than half a month. And yeah, I’m pretty much over it! And in 13 sweet days I’ll be able to hit the mall a happy woman. So far, the most surprising thing to come out of this whole experiment is the fact that I’ve been able to entertain myself for days…weekends, even… without shopping. And I haven’t really missed it. I’ve replaced most instances of shopping with purely social activities such as eating out and drinking out. But I’ve also managed to contribute a large part of my weekends to helping with some community-based activities (such as helping a high school speech team at their weekend tournaments) and using my social media knowledge to help not-for-profit organizations reach their fundraising goals. As long as I’m keeping my brain busy, I don’t miss the retail therapy.

But I know that Godiva missed my business last Sunday.

Here’s to another two weeks of abstaining from my shopping habits!

So what’s new with me? Absolutely nothing. I’ve bought nothing. Shopped for nothing. My life has been reduced to a pile full of nothing.

That’s quite the exaggeration—I’ve actually got a lot going for me. But I’m finding that shopping really helps me channel my creative energy. I like the constant discovery that I embark on when I shop. I like learning about new things. I like exploring. Shopping inspires me! And right about now, I’m feeling terribly uninspired.

I’ve made it over a week without buying shoes, clothing, beauty products or an accessory. For some that might be protocol, but for me it’s a real testament to self-control. Now, you might think I cheated when I bought that pair of tights at Walgreens last week. But even then, one measly pair of tights is nothing for me.

So as I roll into the weekend I have some obvious concerns.

#1: Valentine’s Day. This holiday is usually marked by me visiting the Godiva store, loading up on high-end chocolates, and buying myself some shoes and maybe some new lip-gloss. This year, however, I’ll be buying no such things. I guess I’ll be making my own fun. Or keeping my fingers crossed for a really nice gift from someone else.

#2: Valentine’s Day. The perpetually single girl celebrates this holiday by buying herself stuff. If I can’t buy anything, this could be the most agonizing Valentine’s Day ever.

#3: Valentine’s Day. I’m sure that 90% of my friends will post things on Facebook that say, “Just received the most beautiful flowers from my wonderful boyfriend/husband/fiancé/secret lover.” While I would like to post something along the lines of, “Just received the most beautiful Prada clutch from my wonderful self,” I guess I’ll be biting the bullet and selecting the “like” button when I see their status updates this year.

Here’s to a month with no shopping. And absolutely no fun!

Monday and Tuesday of this week were interesting. And its days like Monday and Tuesday that lead me to believe this shopping thing could get interesting. Monday was fine: I worked, went home and watched The Bachelor. But I passed a Target on my drive home and thought to myself, “Gosh, how much fun would it be to go to Target and buy some random stuff I don’t need?” I got giddy at the thought of it, but since it was snowing and the roads were in shambles, I maintained a straight course and arrived home without breaking my vow to not shop.

Then there was yesterday. I was seriously under the weather and not feeling so hot. I rested and worked from home to help preserve energy (maybe my soul is withering and dying because it can’t do what it was meant to do: shop). At one point I called my mom and had the following conversation.

“Mom. Hi. It’s Emily. I just thought of something that I might need your help with.”

“Okay,” my mom replied. “What’s up?”

“Well, you know how I’m not shopping for the month…” I asked.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Well, I’m going on a ski trip at the end of the month and I just remembered that I need new snow pants. But I can’t necessarily just go buy new snow pants. So maybe you could go do the act of buying me a pair and I’ll pay you back and stuff but I won’t actually be shopping…it will be like an exchange of money for snow pants.”

“Emily,” she snapped back in her sharp southern accent. “You are unbelievable! Surely you don’t think I have time to go find you a pair of snow pants.”

“Oh come on, mother. You’re always going to places that sell snow pants. Just buy me a pair for snowboarding. Please. I need help.”

You would have thought I’d asked my own mother to get me a bag of cocaine. By the end of the conversation I had at least convinced her to keep her eyes open. I’m currently deciding how to solve this dilemma in my head. I can’t just go snowboarding without snow pants. And I’m not canceling a ski trip just because I decided I wasn’t shopping for the month. But maybe, just maybe I can slip my little brother a nice, crisp Benjamin Franklin and see if he can smuggle me some snow pants…after all, he’s young and impressionable.

It was the weekend. And what do I normally do on the weekend? I shop. Like it’s my job. But this weekend was oh-so different.

First, I’d like to reveal the shocking conclusion to the black tights dilemma I posted about on Friday. I ended up going to Walgreens after work to pick up a prescription (FYI: buying medicine is so not shopping). However, Walgreens just so happened to have black tights. So I picked up a pair. It was medicine and tights. Simple purchase. Not shopping. Here’s why: the tights were a necessary purchase that I bought at a drug store. I didn’t get to sift through racks of fabulous designer tights. These were $2.99. And did I enjoy buying them? Don’t think so. I don’t think this is cheating. Let me remind you again that the goal here is not to purge spending from my life—the goal is to see if I can go a month without any frivolous shopping (i.e. those after work trips to Neiman Marcus).

My roomie was very concerned about my tights, though. When I arrived home and started getting ready to go out on Friday night, she said, “Oh, Emily, I see that you found some black tights. What did you end up doing?”

“Well,” I replied. “I had to go to Walgreens for meds. While I was there, I just bought a pair of black tights.”

“Yeah,” she said. “I was gonna’ say they look absolutely fine.”

“Well they’re no Betsey Johnsons!” I dramatically screamed as I tugged at the waistline.

But I can’t complain, because my problem was solved. Thanks to everyone who suggested I mend my tights—that was funny. Mend is practically my middle name. Not. Me + Needle + Thread = Disaster. But, it was a worthwhile, very thrifty suggestion and I appreciate all the comments.

On Saturday I went to the grocery store with my mom, then I went out for margaritas and Mexican food. I passed out around 10. No shopping—just tequila.

Then, on Sunday I decided to drive to Iowa to keep from shopping. And it worked. I actually went to Iowa on a mini road trip with my family. But nonetheless, if you want to get away from consumerism you might as well just drive to Iowa (sorry to all my Iowa readers…but I think we can both admit that your state isn’t the forerunner in shopping).

In this race against shopping I think I’m winning. It isn’t fun. And I really want a new pair of jeans. But I’m being tough, I’m being brave and I’m bringing it.

It’s Friday. And I went an entire workweek without shopping, which is pretty astonishing. However, today I am faced with a dilemma. Here it goes.

Tonight I am going out. I have the perfect accessories, shoes, dress—everything I need is right there in my closet. The thing is, I have successfully ripped all of my black tights (I’m very uncoordinated, we have established this). I have to wear tights. Going without them is not an option—I live in Minnesota. It’s snowing here today and my skin would literally peel off my legs if I wandered into the night without tights on my legs. So, would it be considered shopping if I wandered into Target, bought myself a two-pack of tights and left? I promise I wouldn’t look at anything else. And this purchase isn’t necessarily a fun purchase, it’s a purchase that’s needed to survive the temperatures. Or am I completely delusional?

I don’t want anyone thinking I’ve broken the rules or buckled—I just want to make sure my legs don’t freeze off. This is quite the conundrum. I don’t know what to do! I play by the rules. So I’m asking you, what’s a girl to do? What are your thoughts?

I almost messed up today. While driving home this evening I thought to myself, “Hmm, what will I wear for all my social activities this weekend?” I immediately started thinking of my wardrobe. Then I thought, “I should stop and pick up a cool new necklace or some standout earrings to jazz up some of my favorite dresses. There’s a great jewelry boutique on my way home.” Then, I turned up my radio and carried on. It wasn’t until ten minutes later that I realized what I was thinking was totally off limits. And then, for the first time since I banned shopping from my life, I felt a pang of anger shoot through my body.

I drove home instead of going to get myself a cool new necklace or pair of earrings. And that was the end of that. We’re four days in and I’m starting to believe that this could get genuinely interesting.