From the Opinion section in today's New York Times:
Intuitively, we know that the best stuff in life isn’t stuff at all, and that relationships, experiences and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life.
In light of my ongoing Adventure Challenge, it's probably not surprising that I felt like this article was written just for me. Ok, the author is a crusading anti-hoarder who lives an ascetic existence in a 420-square-foot Manhattan apartment. That goes way beyond the scope of my challenge. But I do agree with his message that over-consumption can crowd out the most satisfying parts of life, and that once your basic needs are met, each new item you purchase does not commensurately increase your happiness. It is possible--and worthwhile--to live with less, to edit your existence to a point where you are not expending time and energy constantly acquiring, maintaining, storing, sorting, and discarding stuff. To live a considered, simplified, and more rewarding life.
So that's swell, but let's just say I'm not there yet. I miss shopping. A lot. I have had a few meltdowns that were nominally triggered by something else ("I don't like the book I am reading") but in reality I think I am reaching my psychological limit from all this self-improvement.
I've looked to cosmetics, gifts, books, and home goods as a shopping crutch. But in addition to being unsatisfying, I always kind of feel like I am cheating on the challenge with these purchases. I do try to ask whether I really need something before I buy it and I am taking a critical look at my wardrobe to identify where I want to "rebuild" next year.
As for relationships, experiences, and meaningful work, I know this year is going to be filled with all three. That means I already have everything I need!
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Adventure Challenge: 2 Months In
Ok, so it's March, and I've gone more than two months without shopping.* As I predicted in January, it's gotten a lot harder. I've realized that I used to shop out of boredom--buying things online was always a nice pick-me-up and the thrill of coming home to a stack of UPS boxes was even better. Of course, the high was fleeting. Rarely did I love or need whatever I had bought, and most of the time these items would simply find a home in my closet until I decided to purge my wardrobe to make way for new merchandise. In contrast, most of my favorite items--the ones I still look forward to wearing and have had for years--have been well-considered purchases, things that I bought with a purpose, knew worked with my taste and body type, and maybe even saved up for. I want this to be my post-2013 paradigm.
But for now, I am bored. Work is slow and I am in the tortuous applicant-limbo stage as I wait to hear about new positions. The weather's still cold, I'm sick of my winter clothes, and there's tons of cute spring stuff in the stores. In the old days, a shot of new stuff would have been just the thing to boost my mood. I've found myself wistfully browsing my old favorite sites, agonizing over the fact that it will be nine months before I can buy that cute patterned dress, which will be inevitably out of stock, out of season, or just no longer cool by then. However, I've discovered that I the urge to buy quickly dissipates after I close the page, and by the next day I don't even remember what that patterned dress looked like.
Research shows that too much self-improvement at once can take a psychological toll. Apparently it's not a good idea to try to diet and save money at the same time. Although it's a bit dramatic to characterize my shopping-free year as deprivation, it kind of feels like it. Add in my new workout regimen, and I think I am at the limits of my self-discipline. So when the doctor told me last week that women should not have more than one alcoholic drink per day AND that my cholesterol had gone up (perhaps from a month of steak dinners in Argentina?), I almost had a nervous breakdown. I'm going to ride out the cholesterol thing and hope that it stabilizes on its own. As for the alcohol intake? Not tackling that until at least 2014.
*To date, I have made the following purchases in 2013:
-A Goyard tote in NYC (pre-planned purchase, as previously noted in this forum)
-4 pairs of non-slip socks, mandatory for Lava Barre classes
-2 sportsbras from Target, also for Lava Barre classes
But for now, I am bored. Work is slow and I am in the tortuous applicant-limbo stage as I wait to hear about new positions. The weather's still cold, I'm sick of my winter clothes, and there's tons of cute spring stuff in the stores. In the old days, a shot of new stuff would have been just the thing to boost my mood. I've found myself wistfully browsing my old favorite sites, agonizing over the fact that it will be nine months before I can buy that cute patterned dress, which will be inevitably out of stock, out of season, or just no longer cool by then. However, I've discovered that I the urge to buy quickly dissipates after I close the page, and by the next day I don't even remember what that patterned dress looked like.
Research shows that too much self-improvement at once can take a psychological toll. Apparently it's not a good idea to try to diet and save money at the same time. Although it's a bit dramatic to characterize my shopping-free year as deprivation, it kind of feels like it. Add in my new workout regimen, and I think I am at the limits of my self-discipline. So when the doctor told me last week that women should not have more than one alcoholic drink per day AND that my cholesterol had gone up (perhaps from a month of steak dinners in Argentina?), I almost had a nervous breakdown. I'm going to ride out the cholesterol thing and hope that it stabilizes on its own. As for the alcohol intake? Not tackling that until at least 2014.
*To date, I have made the following purchases in 2013:
-A Goyard tote in NYC (pre-planned purchase, as previously noted in this forum)
-4 pairs of non-slip socks, mandatory for Lava Barre classes
-2 sportsbras from Target, also for Lava Barre classes
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