The Shopping Embargo: My Annual, 8-Week Buying Fast
Andrea Tomkins as told to Alden Wicker
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From the article:
"The shopping embargo is about buying only essentials—food, fuel, soap—and leaving out the rest. One of the first things I did was unsubscribe from all retail newsletters. They’re a great way to save money, but they’re also irresistible invitations to buy. I stopped going to the mall, and switched to grocery stores that only sold food.

I also started asking myself a series of questions before I brought something to the register:

    Can I borrow one?
    Can I buy it secondhand?
    Can I reuse something I already have?
    Will I get a lot of use out of this?
    Can I wait a month before deciding to buy it?

We’re so used to whipping out our credit cards to buy something immediately–but when I waited a month, I could change my mind, find a better deal or decide I didn’t need it anymore.

It’s amazing how often I found myself with something in my hand, asking myself, “Do I really need this? The usual answer: No."...