Tag: shopping

Back in ATL – No-Shopping update III

I still haven’t bought myself any clothes and as of now there’s only one unworn piece of clothing in my wardrobe. So long story short, my no-shopping rule has been a success.

I have also started air-drying some of my nicer clothes since I realized the dryer is not too good for them.

On the other hand, over the past few weeks I’ve been obsessing over buying a used typewriter. Before that I was slouched over endless open tabs of couches and accent chairs until I got them for my living room. So I’m not sure if I simply found different sources for the dopamine from an arriving package.

But I have thought of getting a typewriter before, so maybe this is just convenient timing. Currently I’m eyeing Smith Corona 250 which is fondly known as the Toyota Corolla of typewriters 😀 I’ll let you know if I get one.

(Feel free share your thoughts on manual/electric, SC/other brands and models, I’m still learning!)

Back in ATL – No-Shopping update II

This is turning out to be more interesting than I thought. First things first, I still haven’t bought any clothes and as the days go by I’m progressively more convinced I don’t need any more, and can absolutely go without shopping the rest of this year. (Today I took a never-before-worn corduroy blazer to work, ended up not wearing it cos it wasn’t cold enough).

But I did accessorize differently today. I usually wear gold jewelry or long earrings when I wear shirts to office, but today I wore an oxidized silver choker that I brought back to Atlanta in June. I realize this is of course partly cos I own new jewelry and love accessorizing, but partly because I have to mix and match if I’m going to reuse the pieces in my wardrobe.

Three people at work complimented my necklace today, and so I now have three new acquaintances in my office building (only one of them I had a long conversation with). I’m often told that I have good taste – not a humblebrag but a true brag 😛 – and that’s cos a lot of what I wear is chosen with care cos I enjoy it so, but the novelty of a compliment never wears off.

Apparently this one decision I made is a gift that keeps on giving!

Back in ATL – No-Shopping update

The other day I finally dropped off a bag of clothes (mine and Uma’s) at Goodwill. It was my first time at a thrift store and I was impressed by $6 t-shirts and $4 skirts, similar to ones I’ve paid anywhere from $15 up to $40 for. I scanned the hangers for around 10 minutes but soon fended off all desire to shop, and was out of there with my hands empty.

It’s been exactly a month since I returned from my India trip and since I decided to go no-shopping for clothes and accessories. It feels like a lot longer than 4 weeks due to the sheer volume of ads I’ve seen and scrolled past, exercising the “Nope, can’t do it, won’t do it”. To think all it took was me deciding to do it, who knew we held such freedom or power?

I still have at least 5-6 tops/dresses in my wardrobe I’ve never worn, and I look forward every day to when I would wear them, rather than about another item to add to my shopping list. And it feels so good, to shower that fondness on something I already own.

I don’t know if I’m necessarily saving any or enough creative energy from this decision to redirect to other hobbies, but I do realize how much more time and energy I could be saving if I went the having a clothing schedule route. But I enjoy dressing up according to my mood so that won’t be happening for now!

Back in ATL – No-Shopping Rule

Thou shalt not shop. Or click.

Towards the last days of my India trip a few weeks ago, I read this article on NYTimes about how the author followed a no-shopping rule for a year on clothes. Two of her motivations for it resonated way too loudly with me. A. You are less grateful for gifts when you are already gratifying all of your own wants and more. B. I spend an atrocious amount of time on shopping, online and in-store, at this point. Perusing long aisles and scrolling through 15-page catalogues. If there was an upcoming event, I’d obsess over just what to wear, accumulate days and days in finding it.

Over the last few years, with very few dressy events for me to plan for, I’d simply pursue things I want in my closet. To be worn to office or a date or on a day out. The perfect white eyelet top, the neck not too low, the length not too cropped. I’d spend hours and hours on Zara and Macy’s, Mango and Target. Online and then in-store. (I’m not rich, Zara and Mango are considered fast-fashion in US and have sale deals often).
The issue is, the things I want in my closet is a trap and ever-refilling.

I’m sure the American consumerism is to blame too, but more so my abandoning of healthy hobbies in the recent few years, although I’ve generally obsessed over what I’ll wear since my undergrad days. At this point I must also acknowledge my brother’s noble, persistent efforts to push me into reading newspapers regularly, among other things, most of which haven’t borne fruit but I shall try soon. Harder this time. :’)

Anyway, during this India trip, I still indulged a little bit. I brought back new finds of the same old flavors I’ve always loved – almost all of them printed kurtas or stitched dresses, both gifts from family and gifts to myself. I then vowed to not get myself any clothing in the next six months unless I absolutely must. Over the past week I’ve done my best to not click on BR factory ads that are, apparently, everywhere. I’ve not added anything new to any carts and I’m not waiting on any brand sales.
This evening I realized that instead I’ve been frequenting Dunkin and Trader Joe’s every other day, for the dopamine hit or whatever they call it..

It’s too early (I think) to say if these are withdrawal symptoms. But I’m still going to get back to and inculcate some healthier pastimes.

(Nevertheless I’m proud of some of my finds. If you’re in the US and looking for ideas – I’ m guessing you’re not but I badly want to share!- try these bangles. They were the last thing on my list and hopefully there won’t be many to follow.)

Shopping with Shoplifters

Self-explanatory featured images/titles ruin blogs.

I was at EasyDay today – the store I visit only when I cannot find stuff on BigBasket/ZopNow/at the corner shop that sells Parachute Oil and JimJam cream biscuits, because the queue at their counter kills the last bit of shopping glee. I am not a shopaholic – every time I come across something, I tend to check my bag’s compartment into which I’ve shoved all my notes and coins, my Maestro & metro cards, my Apollo Pharmacy card and Pious Achan’s visiting card, subtracting and summing prices in my tiny brain that slowly shuts down as it plays toils with numbers.

I sift through every shelf, spending a significant amount of time on the Bathing Bars rack to read and compare the prices, making economic decisions and reveling in the grownup-ness of it. I’ve been doing this since I was in Class 12 and I’m not yet sure if there’s anything grownupy about it or maybe I just like reading labels.

Especially creative one-liners like ‘Enjoy the biscuity flavor of this biscuit.’

I whiff at every offer, every Save Rs.5/Buy 1 Get 1 Free, before picking my Laundry Freshener and Shower Gel and Toothpaste and Real/Tropicana and Sugar, because you can’t compromise on other stuff in the grocery list.

So I was near the toothbrush rack when I noticed that a couple next to me had been fiddling with some thing for sometime, considerable whisper exchanges and giggles included. I glanced to see it was condoms. Perhaps they were uncomfortable in a stranger’s presence, who was most certainly only concerned about the 14 rupees she’d be saving by picking a Colgate toothbrush instead of Sensodyne and not with the flavor of the condom they were choosing, but how’d they know that?

Being the considerate co-shopper, I slowly shifted to the Shampoo and Conditioners rack and spent quality time with the tubes and bottles (I’m a very engrossed kinda person, don’t ask me to do things for fun or to wait until a condom-picking couple leaves, I’ll end up doing it seriously), making my way through NEW YEAR BONANZA OFFERS.

Which is when the girl shuffled, and into her jeans’ tight front pocket (the struggle is real) she squeezed what looked like tiny condom sachets and brisked out of the shop, the guy following closely after.

After mindboggling questions of Why would anybody steal condoms which come at like Rs.5 (I’m told, of course), and the more surprising realization of OH YOU CAN ACTUALLY STEAL STUFF HERE, I went back to my modest economics.

Guilty of not reporting the crime I’d witnessed.

Or maybe it was foreplay. I’ll never know.

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