The obsessing, purchasing and discarding cycle

[splendidisolation]

Does anyone get this? So I'll focus on a thing that I will then obsess over for ages, admiring it, looking at photos, reading reviews, obsessing over how much I need and want it.

Then, I'll buy it - how exciting!

When it comes, the feeling evaporates: sometimes almost as soon as I have it, sometimes a few days later.

This thread is actually really eye opening for me. Thank you for starting it, OP.

YY to the multiples thing. I find something that fits and looks good and I MUST HAVE MORE THAN ONE. Immediately. It is utterly bizarre and illogical. Shirts, cardigans, scarves, boots. You name it. Sigh.

I must also agree with the thrill of the chase. And I absolutely CANNOT wait 3-4 working days for delivery of anything. It must be next day

I sometimes see the MN ‘No Spend’ threads and I’m like ‘are you insane???!’

Wow - Your clothing budget must be huge. I am in no danger of overbuying as my budget is tiny.

I am a sucker for sales and once bought three pairs of shoes for under £50 in Debenhams. I have also foolishly bought clothes because they were cheap rather than because I actually liked them.

Have just completed a Barbour lightweight quilted jacket research obsession. Lots of comparing between different styles and constantly looking for photos showing the jackets from different angles. FFS. Should arrive tomorrow 🤷🏼‍♀️🙄

Another stupid thing that I do after the obsessing and purchasing of clothes - if I really like it and keep it I get worried about wearing it and somehow spoiling it, so tend to leave my few nice clothes "for best" and never wear them anyway.

Aaah, the 'keeping it for best' syndrome. I have a wardrobe full of those items. In fact I bought an evening top from Monsoon in a vanilla coloured silky fabric and loved it so much I bought the same one again as I was worried I'd spill on the first one and ruin it so wanted a reserve one!! But guess what....I've still not worn either of them, 5 months later

Just read this blog post, which describes the shopping cycle well, and thought it might be relevant to this discussion/of interest: www.thewomensroomblog.com/2017/10/05/the-year-of-buying-nothing-how-its-changed-my-thoughts-on-clothes/

Ladies I have just found my tribe! I am guilty of all of the things everyone has said. I’ll buy anything- absolutely ANYTHING- in multiples or bulk. I have the ‘saving for best’ syndrome as well and then get bored of never wearing something and seeing it hung up in my wardrobe and so get rid of it. I have given suitcases and bags filled to bursting of good quality, high value clothes and shoes to various charity shops (I can’t do ebay- the listing, photographing, posting, etc. is too much for me). We live in a two bed flat and have 4 double and 1 big 3 door wardrobe. Don’t have kids but wouldn’t know where to put them atm if we did!

I know where my obsessive behaviour comes from though- I grew up in poverty-like conditions after the death of my mum when I was 12 and consequently wanted everything when it came to earning my own money. It makes me sick though when I think of how much money I’ve wasted on things. I’d love to change but when I’m bored or feeling down, I’ll spend.

I am hugely guilty of this with clothes, boots, coats and perfume.

With clothes it isn online shopping addiction, plain and simple. Ive actually got in to a bit of debt over it, so have nipped it in the bud and am currently going through a clear out and ebaying lots of stuff. How many black dresses does one woman need? (The answer is NOT 28 ).

With boots, its a slight OCD thing. I have always loved boots, but like having exactly the right pair of different outfits. So I have 10 pairs of slightly different black ankle boots that I wear with opaques and different pencil dresses to work. I'm under pressure from DH to declutter and get rid of a fair chunk of these, too, as they are taking over our bedroom....but I'm not quite ready for that, yet. Tackling the stuffed wardrobes first.

Coats are a different matter, as I hate them. Really dislike them. They are ever, ever quite right. So I go through a cycle every autumn of buying 3 or 4 (or sometimes more) and never really loving any of them. I really need to sort that out for next year, but am at a loss as to how you find the perfect fitting coat (I'm very tall with a shape thats awkward to dress - slim but big tits and bum).

Perfume obsessing and purchasing is a hobby . I tend to stick to samples and Ebay decants these days to keep the cost down, but I shall never give it up

I grew up broke, too, and never had nice things, so definitely an element of that in my wanting all this stuff.

I do this with jewellery I constantly obsess about buying it, look at it online endlessly, even dream about it. I will travel considerable distances to purchase something and Saturdays are often spent in the pursuit of something. 9 times out of 10 I end up returning it or selling it for scrap later on and I have credit card debt due to this. I feel sick when I think of the money I've wasted and feel guilt over it. Every time I purchase a piece I convince myself its the last time because this is the perfect piece. I also veer towards expensive stuff like Tiffany's to cheaply market stuff so its available everywhere. I want to stop!