Confessions of a shopaholic: the New Year’s resolution
A reflection on things impulsively bought and buyer’s remorse
Dear readers, I have a confession. I am embarrassed to admit that I have spent a disgusting amount of money on things that once brought joy to my life and that now only bring guilt and confusion.
This year, my New Year’s resolution is to spend less money on shopping. I will not reveal the total sum of the consequences of my impulsive actions, but I hope to outline the scope of it for you.
Clothes
The love of my life and my wallet’s mortal enemy. My current wardrobe houses a variety of clothing pieces fit for all occasions. However, I realized that I have not worn a huge chunk of this collection.
Last year, I bought a total of three new dresses and three new tops that I wanted to save for special events. Spoiler alert! The events I anticipated never happened, which means I am stuck with a handful of new clothing with nowhere to wear it unless I feel like looking really fancy while getting groceries or attending my 8:30 a.m. class.
Collectibles
There is something about the thrill of not knowing what you’re getting, even if every uncertainty costs $16. If Issue 15 of the Carillon hasn’t made you aware of the cherub babies called Sonny Angel, I hope this alerts you that capitalism does hit sometimes and boy did it hit me hard!
Over the summer of 2023, I accumulated five of these cute angel babies that now collect dust and gaze permanently at me from the windowsill. I have decided that my collection of five will remain that way.
They are marketed to be a companion that will make you smile and while they still give me joy, I cannot justify spending money on more Sonny Angels.
Another collectible that I fell for stems from growing up being surrounded by advertisements, shows, and school supplies adorned with the face of Sanrio characters. I developed an obsession with a certain flying puppy and pastry chef named Cinnamoroll.
After the past year, I now own Cinnamoroll merchandise that ranges from stationary sets, keychains, plushies and bags. This might be the odd one out because I don’t completely regret having this collection, but it needed to be said that the majority of it was bought on impulse and that it has dented my savings account in ways which still bring up feelings of guilt.
Drinkware
Perhaps the most foolish purchase I’ve done is to get multiple drinking vessels. There is literally a cabinet in my house that stores numerous reusable mugs that barely ever witness the outside air.
I facepalm every time it is brought to my awareness that their whole function is to be reusable and I do not need more than one or two. Once again, I do not see myself buying more unless some of the existing ones magically set themselves on fire.
Skincare
My morning and bedtime routine in the past consisted of playing chemist with my serum pumps and creams. With a blemish prone skin and a concerning addiction to TikTok, I was bound to be heavily influenced by skincare gurus. Last month, I looked at what the ingredients were in my skincare products and their promise to regenerate damaged skin or even out the skin tone.
I found that half of my regimen isn’t actually helping my skin but were just unnecessary steps that cost an arm and a leg. After tossing out what I deemed to be useless, I was left with my cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and SPF lotion that I use daily.
It is clear that I fell into a pattern of impulsive buying last year, but this has been recurrent ever since I started earning my own money. Being an adult with a steady income can have its cons when you lack the discipline!
Even though I’m moving towards downsizing, I certainly will not be ending up with a minimalist life. However, I will make a promise to engage in more conscious consumerism.
