Growing up my family and our good friends shared a saying my god brother, Nathan, coined when he was seven, “Dad, it’s not that I want it, I need it.” I certainly used that line on my parents for many years and now I find I am giving it to myself. ”It’s not that I want that new draped , super cute, I know it would hang on me flawlessly and transform my body into the perfect one I have always wanted dress, but that I NEED that dress!!!”
In the recent movie, Shopaholic, Isla Fisher’s character Rebecca has this same internal conversation when trying to curb her outrageous spending habits and consumption. Except she is going the opposite direction- “Only buy what you need,” she tells herself in the middle of a massive sample sale, exercising one of her learned rules of self control. Aside from its sheer entertaining value, the movie hit on something deeper for me. In economically unrest times and a heightened need for creating a sustainable world, I do think we need to employ a bit of Rebecca’s Shopaholics Anonymous techniques to our daily lives. Turn that inner dialogue on, and up!
I am not saying that because you already have ten dresses in your closet, you can’t buy the new one from this season which is in its own right different- especially if you feel that it is a piece that will have a long life in your wardrobe. I am, however, telling you to have this conversation with yourself first:
“Is this a piece I can see myself wearing in 2 months, 6, … a year?” The longer you see it being an essential part of your wardrobe, the more justified you are in buying it and spending a fair amount of money on it. However, if you can clearly identify the piece as a fashion fad, decide how much you are willing to spend on the high-street version to update your look, or if you really need it at all. Once you’ve worked your way through all of that, you should have a clearer idea about what you want and what you need. And then you are on your way from being a mindless shopper, sometimes full of regret over impulse purchases, to a discerning one who is confident in her purchases- largely because they are backed with the extra money you have been saving!
Okay, okay- so I bought the dress. The good news is, I can take it back, and that is exactly what I am going to do- it is an addition that I don’t need. Hi. My name is Greta and I am on my way to becoming a conscious consumer.
