A Unique Opportunity to Be More Thoughtful About Shopping

As many of you know, I do most of my clothes shopping at thrift stores — specifically, Goodwill. And because thrift stores are considered a non-essential business, all Goodwill stores in our state are closed for the foreseeable future in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

I am thankful I have developed a habit — or a non-habit, really — of not shopping on a regular basis. In fact, I rarely go to a major retailer and I may go to a thrift store about one or two times per month. (You might have guessed I go there more, based on the number of times I tag @giveit2goodwill in my Instagram posts!) But alas, I can confidently say I no longer have an attachment to shopping, whether it’s at the mall, at thrift stores or online. This has taken years of weaning myself off the urge to buy something new out of boredom, as a result of comparison, or simply to chase that temporary 10-minute “high” after a purchase is made.

And on a larger scale, this unique situation has made me think: We all have an opportunity to be more thoughtful about our spending at this time, specifically in the form of shopping for clothing. Since most shopping destinations — whether it’s a thrift store or a mall — are currently closed, we have an opportunity to take a pause from our shopping routine. To be content and creative with whatever is already in our closet. To fight the urge to accumulate more. To detox our minds from craving more, more, more. To save the money typically reserved for clothing or use it to support local businesses instead.

On the subject of small local businesses, I am not advising we ignore our neighborhood boutiques or online secondhand sellers struggling to get by during this time! In fact, there are many ways to support them creatively, including buying a gift card, gifting a piece of clothing or accessory to a friend, or purchasing a home decor piece online.

But as a whole, I challenge us all (including myself!) to be extremely intentional about how we spend during the coronavirus pandemic. This may mean: no non-essential shopping whatsoever, no clothing shopping, no fast fashion shopping (so you can support your local shops!), or some other form of a shopping “fast” — whatever is most feasible for you.

In a practical way, this is an excellent way to save more money when so many of us have found ourselves in particularly stressful financial situations. When money is tight, clothing is a no-brainer line item to eliminate from the budget.

It also challenges us to remain content with whatever our closet contains at the moment. For me, as we enter the warmer (and eventually hot) days ahead in Nashville, I am realizing I have very few options in the shorts and tank top departments (I’m talking: one or two pairs of shorts that aren’t for sleeping in) — but that’s okay! No one is going to see me anyway. I’m challenging myself to completely ignore this perceived “lack” in my closet (and it is definitely not lacking, in the grand scheme of things). And it’s forcing me to appreciate what I have, spend less time stressing about options, and more time enjoying the weather and the life in front of me.

I invite you to join me in this challenge — in whatever form makes sense for you. I’m hoping to exit this time spent at home with a renewed appreciation for the things we take for granted (including the ability to stop by the store any time we want!). And maybe an extra $50 to go on a thrifting spree...