Friday was more manageable than I thought it would be. I worked during the day and my lovely friends bought me flowers, a cake in the shape of a bag and an old lady shopping trolley which I have always wanted. You know, one of those pull along cart things that you can load up your shopping into? Boyfriend says he will refuse to go outside with me if I use it but it's so practical!
In the evening I just couldn't get my head around being able to shop again. When the time came I almost couldn't bring myself to do it. I got myself a bit worked up, decided to put it off for as long as possible. If I could stop shopping for a whole year then surely I could just tack another month onto the end? Eventually I realised I was just being ridiculous, giving myself a complex about shopping and putting off the inevitable.
I'd already picked out the first item that I wanted to buy after browsing
Etsy a couple of months ago. To me it just seemed like the perfect first buy. A real symbol of what I've achieved.
This nest-egg necklace is made by London based jewellery designer
allthosethrees and cost me $48.95 or £33.50 (all of Etsy's prices are in dollars, even if it's from a non US country) and I think it's just gorgeous. It will always serve as a reminder of what I have achieved and what I want to achieve from now on. I can't wait for it to arrive!
Shopping online was scarily easy. I just had to log in, click "commit to buy" then sign into PayPal and it was all over within a couple of minutes. Quite frightening actually. So many sites these days keep all your details meaning you don't even have to get your purse to buy something. I used to shop online a lot and expect that I will continue to do so every now and then but it's clearly dangerous territory when you can order things without even thinking.
Boyfriend and I had planned to spend yesterday afternoon in town looking around some shops but I felt really nervous about going in. We spent hours walking around but had obviously picked the worst time to go. Saturday afternoon everywhere was packed full of people, all the shops were in a state and I found myself getting really flustered. In H&M I bought a pair of trousers (£16.99) and a top (£12.99 - will post pictures later) and had a little cry outside afterwards. It was like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders but also strange being free from the rules that I've let govern me for the past year.
Aberdeen isn't exactly blessed when it comes to shops so before long I'd had enough. I bought a pair of canvas trainers (£10.80) in New Look (and remembered to get my student discount!) then that was it. I was done.
Shopping felt so different yesterday. I didn't hate it but I didn't exactly love it either. There was no buzz, I thought about the practicality of each item and found most of the shops so small and claustraphobic. My year without shopping has clearly changed my way of thinking and that can only be a good thing.
