Hard to believe I am 6 months into my ‘Year of No Shopping’ resolution. It went by SO fast and honestly (miraculously?) hasn’t seemed like the torture I thought it might be. Of course, blogging / Instagramming makes it slightly easier because I am still accepting PR / gifts that meet much stricter standards than they have in the past. In the spirit of transparency and so I don’t forget what my mission is, I will accept a reasonable number of gifts for review purposes if they meet the following criteria:
-A small-shop that is woman run that makes or sells something I would use and think you guys might love. Ex: Rowdy Sprout sent some kid’s clothes and I love sharing them with you guys because she is a local mama making AMAZINGLY soft and super hip clothes for our babes.
-Any company large or small that has charitable or social initiatives that I align with and products I love and that I think you all might love too. Ex: Diff Eyewear (worn here) gives one pair of sunglasses for every one purchased. That’s something awesome I think we’d all love to support.
-Note: some brands might meet these criteria, but still not be a good fit for a variety of reasons. I’ve had to be selective in accepting gifts because while I want to share every exciting new thing I come across, I can’t be true to my goal of having less stuff if I let everything in that’s ‘free’.
So far, one of the best pieces I’ve been able to accept is this AuRate gold and onyx necklace. I love how it’s low-key on its own and perfect for layering. I’ve been wearing it for a month straight (ever since I ripped it out of its box), I’ve even worn it in the pool and ocean and put sunscreen on which inevitably got on it and it’s stayed in great condition. It’s the low-maintenance kind of piece every mom/busy woman needs to add a little sparkle with little to no effort. Just put it on once and leave it on for like, ever. I wouldn’t recommend putting any pieces of jewelry through much more than the normal rigors of modern life because they are still precious metals and stones, but it’s nice to know that if you forget to take it off and hop in the ocean while covered in SPF 50 you won’t ruin these pieces.
As for their social standards, they insist on the highest human rights, environmental and social responsibility standards. It’s much bigger than just using ‘conflict-free’ materials for them, they also do a great job of providing decent working conditions and fair pay, respecting local communities and protecting the natural environment. That’s a company worth supporting and their pieces make doing so easy.
As for not shopping, it still feels really good. It’s transformed my life and that is not an exaggeration. I have more time and fewer unnecessary things taking up space in my heart and home. I know a lot of you probably don’t have a bad habit of consuming too much online, but for those that do – I’m working on a more cohesive post about how I’ve gotten through this 🙂 I’m excited to share with my fellow emotional shoppers. In the meantime, a friend just posted about this 90 day no shopping challenge I thought might be of interest. I haven’t done it (I actually can’t get behind having to pay for it — that’s shopping, no?) but it looks like it has made a huge impact on a lot of people, so might be worth checking out!
