Money Monday: Buying Again

I didn't buy anything in 2011.

Yesterday, I did this -



Sort of.

To recap my year of not buying, I have to say it was surprisingly easy. I cracked a few times to buy wedding or baby shower gifts and professional tokens of thanks, but otherwise I didn't buy any new stuff in 2011. There were a few moments of really hating everything in my closet, but a few clothing swaps healed the desire to shop.

So even though I had that momentary epiphany about retail therapy, all in all, it felt good to save money and time by taking this one year break from shopping.

And that feeling continues into 2012. A few friends and I headed to Santa Monica Place yesterday, with the intent of celebrating the new year in the spirit of Parks and Recreation:



It was a fun day, and while I treated myself to a decadent Fingerling Potato Pizza from The Curious Palate, I didn't buy these:

Or this:

Or anything, for that matter. Buying brand new things (that are all disturbingly made in China) has officially lost it's appeal for me. Instead, I headed for my favorite mega-thrift store:

For only $20, I got a black skirt from Banana Republic, a Liz Clairborne bag, two blank books for writing (made from recycled paper!), and a cute pair of brown wedges:

Now that's what I call treating myself.