The Great No Shopping Experiment: When Cheating is OK

No, not that kind of cheating. Jeeze, who do you think I am? I’m talking about when it’s okay to break the budget a bit, or go off-script with your shopping. Not that I have! I can honestly say that my closet and drawers are still at the exact same level they were at in August when I began this crazy endeavor. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, however, and it is a pair of leather sneakers. But I digress.

Last weekend while my fiancee and I were filling our cart with a bunch of stuff from Costco that we may or may not have needed, he spotted the Great White Buffalo of Big Box stores: Name brand underwear. He jumped at the chance to buy 6 pairs of Calvin Klein boxers for $36 – far less than they would go for in any other store. He said that he felt the need to “refresh” his stash lately, and didn’t think there was a limit on the amount of undies a person can own (he didn’t use the word undies – that was all me). I agree. Underwear is not a frivolous purchase and one can never have enough. Ever. This got me thinking about the fact that I have not bought new underwear since beginning TGNSE, and about the fact that if I had to, I would – challenge be damned. It’s the kind of necessity that supersedes any self-imposed shopping ban.

While I didn’t feel the need to buy bulk undies, I did start to notice holes in some of my most important clothes – my gym gear. I call it “gear” to sound really cool and like I’m always at the gym. While that is certainly not the case, I do have a strong workout routine that sees me in my yoga pants a few times a week (Not to mention I throw on my too-long sweats every day after work). My favorite sports bra was ripping in the back and a few t-shirts have seen better days. You’d have to kill me before I gave up my U2 Vertigo Tour t-shirt, but the bra could easily be replaced.

Work out clothes, such as dry-fit shirts and yoga pants, are put through the ringer by us and they last longer than most jeans. When I replenish my supply I assume I will be wearing and tearing these razorback tanks for a while, so I always pick stuff that looks and feels like it’ll stand the test of time. But age catches us all eventually, and small tears in thread turn into massive holes in armpits.

It is more than okay to spend money on things you wear the most – your undies, your camisoles, your tights. It is also okay to throw away a shirt with holes (unless it’s from the greatest concert you’ve ever been to and you never want to let go of it, ever, and maybe one day you’ll go again but in case you don’t you keep that shirt to remember how Bono was only a few hundred feet away and how good is “City of Blinding Lights”?). It’s okay to spend a few extra dollars or cheat on your budget to be able to workout in something that you move in without worrying about flashing your gym. It’s okay to cheat on your budget, because you’re the one that has to deal with the consequences, and as long as you’re aware that you’ll see that Nike purchase next month. So go ahead, get your New Year’s Resolution on in some yoga pants that you’ll still be wearing for your New Year’s Resolution 2018.