Well hey there, long lost friends! After a brief hiatus on the blog while I was studying for and taking my social work clinical licensure exam (I passed!! Happy dance!), I am back at it with an update on how the Inside Out fair trade fashion challenge is going. Spoiler alert: pretty well.
My first experience shopping since I started the challenge occurred a mere two days into the new year. My sister, her boyfriend, and my parents came to visit hubs and I at our new house for New Year’s and my mom’s birthday. Naturally, we wanted to show everyone around a bit, and Mom had a few shops she wanted to check out. Me, Mom, and sis headed downtown and to Cameron Village to get our shopping fix.
I was a little worried that it was going to be difficult to stand by and watch while the others tried on and bought beautiful clothes (at some of my favorite stores, no less). However, I was pleasantly surprised at how freeing it was to not be able to shop. I didn’t have to sort through giant racks of clothes. I didn’t have to make difficult budgeting decisions. And I didn’t come home with a dent in my wallet!
The lack of fair trade clothing options in Raleigh actually gave me a sense of…relief? Rather than coming home with more clutter to add to my closet, I came home with an aura of peacefulness and a sense of having more than enough. Abstaining from shopping, though not necessarily the goal of this challenge, has given me clarity on the difference between needs and wants. I am finding that I am more grateful for the things that I do have when I’m not constantly buying more, more, more.
Stay tuned for more Inside Out updates coming soon to a blog near you! To take a peek at previous Inside Out posts, click here.
Xoxo Laura
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