I've fallen (off the wagon) and I need to get up

6 months. 6 months without buying any new clothes (other than a few misc belly dance items). But still, aside from that, nothing from the mall, nothing from the internet, no new cute clothes. Until this weekend. I went to New York City with my siblings to watch my brother run the NYC Marathon. And I shopped. Way too much. I bought a new jacket, a cute reversible hoodie, a pair of jeans, a pair of gloves and a scarf (that purchase was a necessity – it was cold!), a couple of tops…it was bad. I have learned something about myself. I have absolutely no willpower. The only way for me to avoid buying new clothes is to complete avoid the opportunity. If I’m presented a chance to buy something, I will take it. Much like my inability to just say no to chocolate, I have no control over my shopping impulse. It must be completely avoided.

All that being said, I love NYC. All the people, the public transportation – I mastered the subway and the New Jersey Transit system – the sights and sounds – that was all good. Traveling with siblings? Not so much. Suffice it to say, this was our last family vacation.

One of the highlights of the trip, aside from witnessing the marathon – that was cool! - was stumbling into this little burger joint with my brother. Appropriately named Brgr, it was seriously the best hamburger I ever had – gruyere cheese, avocado, herbed mayo, a side of sweet potato fries…and then I noticed the sign on the wall. It was grass-fed, all natural, hormone and anti-biotic-free, humanely-raised meat. All sauces were made on-site, using locally-sourced ingredients when possible. How cool is that! It was totally an accident, too. J

Another very cool aspect of the trip was meeting my mother’s friend’s future sister-in-law, Ally, who designs handbags. She has two lines – recycled-material bags (aGaiN NYC) and sustainable-material bags. Both sell for more money than I have to spend, but it was awesome to meet people who share that kind of passion about sustainable production. I am horrible jealous of her and her fiancé, though – they lived in a million $ apartment in the West Village and have artsy/creative jobs. So not fair. J

But I’m home now, and tired from all the walking that we don’t do enough of in Nebraska, tired from carrying my heavy carry-on bags everywhere because we didn’t plan that part very well, tired from arguing with my family, being generally bitchy and frustrated, and getting in rather late from the airport. I’m ready for a nap and getting back to my routine. I’m climbing back on the no-shopping bandwagon. It was a momentary slip and I’ll recover. Eventually.