At the beginning of the year, I made a bold proclamation: for the year of 2026, I would buy no more than two articles of clothing per month.

Now, I know that still sounds like a lot of clothes to some, but I made the mistake of adding up how much I spent on apparel in 2025 and let’s just say the number was big. Like, the GDP of a small island nation big. And I’m not even a designer label girl.

So here we are in November, and people still ask me how that particular resolution has gone. Naturally, they expect me to admit abject failure. But no. I am nothing if not resolutely stubborn. And I am here to tell you that I have actually stuck to it. I can’t believe it either.

I kept a detailed record of every garment I purchased, and while there were some months where I bought four items, there were others where I bought none and when I average it out across the year so far, I have the opportunity to purchase three more things this year. Yes, I’m technically BEHIND SCHEDULE.

Of course, there has been a very obvious consequence of my limited clothing consumption, namely that David Jones has entered administration. I can’t help but feel responsible. Sure, all the experts blamed a consumer shift away from bricks and mortar to online shopping, but I’m pretty certain the timing isn’t a coincidence. Sorry about that.

Another consequence has been the fact that I’ve actually trawled through the enormous pile of clothes that I already own and have rediscovered some lovely pieces. Quite frequently, someone has said to me “Oh, I love your top” (OK, once. Someone said it once) and I have gleefully responded “Oh, this old thing? I bought it four years ago.” I probably should have added “and I wore it once and chucked it in a drawer and haven’t looked at it since. Anyhoo. Thank you” because that would be more accurate.

Going through a low-spend period has actually made me examine my purchasing habits. Mostly, I have been very considered in my shopping. I have really thought through when I wanted to acquire something, rather than just blithely clicking add to cart. What a new feeling for me! In fact, for most of the items I bought this year, I thought about the purchase for a few days before buying. Can you imagine? I pondered whether I already owned something similar. I mulled over whether I could wear it in a multitude of ways. I even examined the cleaning instructions to determine whether it might be a bit too high maintenance for me.

And here’s the surprising turn of events: often, after a few days of careful consideration, I DIDN’T EVEN WANT IT ANYMORE. Where I had been abuzz with excitement initially, I found myself feeling indifferent after just a short period of time. It turns out that if I can just hold my horses for about 48 hours, I can survive without the dopamine hit after all.

I’m not a saint, though. There have been times where I’ve had an inexplicable urge to go on a bit of a shopping spree. Not because I needed anything, but just because I needed the hit of unbridled consumerism. I resisted the urge, but I found it intriguing. Was it driven by the change of seasons? Had I succumbed to persuasive advertising? Or did I just think I deserved a little treat? Probably all of the above, but luckily, my obstinacy kicked in and I managed to resist temptation.

Whenever I felt the urge to shop, I would go into my wardrobe which is a term I loosely throw at the spare bedroom which is filled with ramshackle hanging paraphernalia and mismatched drawers and — if my distant memory serves me correctly — an upholstered bench, long since obscured by laundry and other sundry items. Then I would select a random assortment of garments and try them all on. Basically, I would get the same emotional satisfaction as I would if I went shopping, because I would find a bunch of things that I had forgotten I owned, some still with their David Jones tags on.

This process also encouraged me to purge a bunch of garments that didn’t fit, were out of fashion or were so ugly I couldn’t believe I bought them in the first place. I donated so much stuff that almost all the charity shops withing a 10km radius are no longer accepting donations.

Yep. That’s my fault too.

Will I keep it going when this year is over? Somebody needs to double-dare me.