In July 2024, I visited my niece in San Diego for a week and forgot to pack bras. We went hiking, running, or to the beach every day, and every day I washed the bra I wore the day I flew into San Diego. If the bra was still wet, I went bra-less.
Three months later, in October, I traveled to Spain for ten days to walk the Camino de Santiago, packing six pairs of underwear and washing them along the way.
Why didn’t I go to a store in San Diego to buy myself a couple of new bras?
Why the heck did I only pack six underwear for a ten-day trip?
Simple: My New Year’s resolution last year was not to buy any new clothes — including shoes and accessories— all year. By October, I only had six pairs of underwear (long story).
I’m keen on resolutions, yearly themes, birthday goals, and all manner of challenges. My favorite kind is straightforward, attainable, saves me time and money, and produces some sort of wider societal benefit.
My shopping fast was the perfect resolution.
Straightforward:  Refrain from buying new clothes, shoes or accessories. It can’t get more straightforward than that.
Attainable: Especially since buying used clothing or renting garments for a special occasion was allowed.
Time and money: Less shopping, more time and money.
Wider benefit: The environment, since the fashion industry is responsible for high amounts of wastewater and greenhouse gas emissions.
After over a year of no shopping, here are four things I can tell you, unequivocally:
1. A year without buying new clothes is no hardship.
Believe me, unless you’re getting married in 2025 and need a wedding gown, no one will notice if you buy nothing this year.
It’s a little sad, actually, that, according to my mother, I was better dressed in 2024 than ever before. And she might be right, seeing as I wore more of what’s in my closet, particularly outfits I tend to view as too fancy for the occasion but really aren’t. My impulse has always been to underdress.
Even though I like to think of myself as frugal, my shopping fast made it obvious that I have way more than I need in the way of clothing. You see, I’m in the habit of quickly getting rid of clothes I don’t like anymore, which is why, every year, I shove about two bags of clothing into a collection bin near my home. Well, the same amount of clothing came out of my closet in 2024, even though nothing new replaced the old.
If I’m honest, I bet I would still manage to fill one bag with unwanted clothing if I extended my shopping fast another year.
As an American citizen with friends and acquaintances ranging the socioeconomic spectrum, I assure you that you too have more clothes than you need.
2. Having fewer choices is liberating.
The past twelve months felt a bit like when I was pregnant, in that one of my happy memories from that time was foregoing fashion and having a total of eight possible outfits to wear.
It might not be the same today, what with fast fashion even having entered the maternity space. But back in the 1990s when I was pregnant, maternity clothing stores were few and far between and a pair of maternity pants cost five times more than a regular brand-name pair of jeans. So I bought myself a couple of outfits and wore my sister’s maternity hand-me-downs. Those were my only choices when getting dressed every day and I loved it.
Also, much like when I was pregnant, last year there was no debating with myself: Should I get this top that goes great with black pants, or that jacket that’s sixty percent off? There was no stress that I was missing out on all the bargains during my town’s eagerly awaited annual sidewalk sale. It was freeing.
3. Fixing stuff is fun.
Most shoes and attire can have a longer life, and it felt good to be the giver of that longer life to stuff I would’ve gotten rid of were it not for my shopping fast.
For instance, I got untold satisfaction out of sewing the frayed fabric on my sneakers and gluing the soles of hiking shoes. My resourcefulness surprised me, even though all that was involved was ten minutes of internet research, a bit of sewing, and ordering shoe glue.
4. Exercising willpower is, well, empowering.
Everyone, not only masochists like me, benefits from strengthening their willpower.
Willpower is a transferable and buildable skill a person needs even when engaged in ultimately rewarding endeavors. I’m looking to transfer any ounce of willpower I gained from my shopping fast to my writing, an endeavor that, for me, is as rewarding as it is difficult.
In Sum
I’m giving myself an A+ on my shopping fast resolution. Not only did I keep it, but I went above and beyond. For one, although my resolution allowed buying used clothes, I got none. As to renting, I did it once only.
Heck, it’s January 20 as I write this and I haven’t hit the mall or online shops yet. I’ll get to it next week for sure, as I’m done having to wash my underwear every five days.
From now on, however, whether it’s underwear or an evening gown, my shopping attitude will be different. If I’ve learned anything from my shopping fast, it’s that I overestimated the satisfaction new clothes bring: buying nothing for over twelve months made me no less happy.
If you don’t believe me, try going on a shopping fast and let me know how it goes.