Mindful Shopping

Giving up all pleasure shopping for one year proved to be an impossible feat for me.  However, it certainly has me thinking a lot more with the way I shop, and why I shop.  With all the spare time I had from not hanging out in my favorite stores, I began to do a bit of a “psychosocial analysis” on myself.  While colour coordinating my closet one day, I began to see I had several pieces of clothing which I  paid more than a pretty penny for,  yet had barely worn..  What was I thinking?  Hemming and hawing over what I should keep and be rid of, I noticed that a lot of the threads I was keeping had some sentimental attachment to it, or a logical attachment such as “I paid over $100 for this, I better wear it soon!” (as I brushed dust off the sleeve).

Where was the joy in my pleasure shopping?  I was shopping mindlessly.  Bingo!!!!  I have been fully engaged in the North American idea of having more is better.  Ideas such as if it is on sale and a deal then you “need” to have it; variety is the spice of life and more is better.

Just as we have stuffed our faces full of empty calories as our waistlines expand, we have been buying into the idea of “having more is better” as our closets burst at the seams and our bank balances dwindle.  It doesn’t help that we are exposed to so called “reality tv” where wealthier than normal families don a new ensemble by the hour.  Wake up call!!!!  I am not a celebrity nor do I have the money of an elitist.

Lots of variety is what you want is what we have been taught, but as our debits increase our accounts shrink, our debt increases and we are left with a closet full of clothes we feel “meh” about, and you realize you have been bamboozled by an “idea” and awesome marketing (kudos to North America’s marketing gurus, Canada is broke right along with the US now!).

Now is the time to jump on the” Mindful Shopping” band wagon.   Shopping with purpose plays a huge role in the “5 Piece French Wardrobe”, because you will be working with basics you already have; those items you wear all the time which you replace immediately once they are worn out.  The basics are the pieces of clothing you can coordinate with other items in your closet and create a variety of looks.  It isn’t a bunch of trendy stuff you wear once and have decaying in your closet.

Basics are the classics which never go out of style.  There is a focus on quality and not quantity.  We need to get away from this bigger is better American thinking.  You’ll feel more at peace with what you own, as less clutter means less chaos, and you’ll have more money to save, or use at your discretion.  You will create your own sense of style as you work with your basics.

You will no longer experience dissonance when you shop, as you will be shopping mindfully, methodically and you’ll be asking yourself “will this work with what I currently own now?” .  No more shopping because we see the word SALE.  It is okay to ask if something comes in black, and poo poo on your friends who say you wear too much black!  Look at style icon Coco Chanel, her whole world was black and white, and she looked fabulous for it.

Now is the time to declutter, and share those unwanted, unloved items of clothing with friends, family and good charities as there are plenty of women or men who would love to have 1% of the clothing you own.  Let’s join the revolution in Mindful Shopping, simplify our closets and our lives and watch our bank accounts expand!  Soon to come are the deets on how to join the “5 Piece French Wardrobe” club.  Obtain the look of “je ne sais quoi”.  A bientot!