No Shop October — Recap

October was a no shop month for Markdowns and Letdowns. And then life and the holidays took over. I am finally getting around to my recap.

As a self-proclaimed shop/saleaholic no shopping other than food/Halloween started off a nightmare for me.  Not adding items to my shopping cart in the store or online frivolously was harder than I thought it would be.

Four Weeks, 4 weeks of doing my best not to spend money that was not needed. 4 weeks, 31 days of trying my best to stick to my goal. Could I have picked a longer month to try such a hard task?

During no shop October, I allowed myself to buy needed food, Halloween customs/supplies, any clothes/shoes if the girls out-grew their clothes, and any emergencies like anything happening to the car, etc. we would fix them. Other than that I would stick to what we needed, only what we needed.  I also did my best to use what we had in the freezer so I would be able to buy less groceries.

I learned . . .

Lists: Make detailed lists, look at your pantry, fridge, freezer, anywhere you keep food/pet food. Stick to your list the best as possible. I learned . . . I am the worst at making lists. I used Wunderlist to make lists on my phone, that way I could add items when I ever I remembered. I could also easily share the list.

The letdown . . .

Need: Not on list, but it’s on sale . .  such a great price, it’s practically free, but DO YOU NEED IT?

Sales pull me in. I feel like I need that ugly sweater that is only $5. Doesn’t matter that it’s ugly, not my size, or I’ll never be seen in it. It’s $5.

I learned . . . .  to really think about the item. Will I wear it? Is it the right size? Do I like the color? Does it look nice on me/the girls, etc?

After a week or so, not shopping frivolously, became easier but still not as easy as I hoped. Before this began, Tab and I would go to the store, Walmart at least a few times a week. We found other activities to keep us busy like trips to the library, walks around the mall, Starbucks, etc.

Over the month, I don’t know how much I saved exactly but I know it was a good amount. I would say I easily $500-$1,000.

After no spend October, I was dying to shop, use a promo code and get ready for the holidays, I might have gone crazy. I certainly did not ease back into shopping.

Now that the holidays are over, I am heading back to not shopping, Wunderlist is my best friend and thinking before I buy.

Did you do no shop October with me? What were some of the challenges you found? If you didn’t, would you ever? Comment below! I would love to hear from you. More importantly I would love to know I am not the only crazy shopaholic out there who is looking to stop shopping.