I just finished my one-year shopping ban. I celebrated by buying new clogs from Funkis and then rewarded myself with a new SLR camera. Slightly ironic, but then when I think about it the whole thing was full of irony, anyways. The original purpose of it was to 1. remove my mental association of buying new clothes with happiness 2. refrain from mindless consumerism. I was a bit lenient though, and ended up buying some new underwear (because I actually needed it) and also borrowed clothes from everyone, from my brother to my mother to my housemates. So one year later I have acquired some new clothes. Even so, because I wasn't able to acquire them on a whim, I had to pay more attention to what I already owned. I've come to realise what looks good on me and what I can't live without, which I hope will help me be more selective when purchasing clothes in the future. (I've found that one method to distinguish between what I really like or need and what is just a passing fad or infatuation is to wait for a month, or at least 3 weeks. If I still am thinking about it, then it's worth it. If it's sold out or no longer available, then it just wasn't meant to be. If I no longer want it or I've completely forgotten about it, then it proves that you probably wouldn't have worn it if you bought it.) I've also become quite emotionally attached to some of my clothes which is slightly worrying, though. On a less superficial level, it has helped my step away from mindless consuming. It wasn't easy - the first couple of months I actually went through what felt like a complete mental readjustment. Sometimes I felt like a bit of a social outcast because I couldn't participate in this pervasive activity. But luckily most of my friends and family are not those SHOPPING IS MY FAVOURITE HOBBY kind of people so about six months in I got used to it and it just became almost like a background thing that I hardly noticed. Sort of like an allergy that one has had since birth and so you will avoid it out of habit, without even having to think. But even one year later, I still get urges to impulse buy. It really shows you how ingrained it is in each and every one of us.