Monday, 08 February 2010

• The Shopping Diet

  
  

  
  As a person who has successfully quit smoking and semi-successfully dieted, I can say with authority that the best way to ditch a bad habit is to go cold turkey. No cigarettes, no ice cream, etc.
  
  Apparently this works with spending habits as well—as of September, 97 women took cold turkey to the next level in a year-long event called The Great American Apparel Diet, which challenges participants to not buy any new items of clothing for a full calendar year.
  
  When I first heard about this, I assumed all of the participants were in it to save money, but a Time blog post on GAAD featured "dieters" with all sorts of motivations. Some wanted to be friendlier to the environment. Some were sick of their closets overflowing with clothes. Some wanted to learn how to repair tears and holes instead of immediately replacing garments. Some just wanted a challenge.
  
  All I know is—wow—I'd quit smoking one hundred times before I ever tried to quit shopping.
  
  But maybe that's because quitting smoking was easier. Reading about GAAD has got me wondering about my own "dieting" habits. Like I said, when I quit smoking, I told myself I couldn't have any more cigarettes. And the last time I was on a diet, I eliminated certain known problem areas like ice cream.
  
  On the other hand, when I try to control my spending habits, I tell myself things like "I should go out to dinner less," or "I should order fewer clothes online." This is like the financial equivalent of walking around with a pack of cigarettes in your pocket and telling yourself you'll try to light up fewer times than yesterday. Uh-huh.
  
  The fact is, it's easier to reach your goals when you establish tangible markers for yourself. "I can order X items of clothing every month." "I can spend Y on food per paycheck." Goals like these would be a lot easier to follow then "fewer" and "less."
  
  In short, I've got some goals to think about.
  
  What do you think about The Great American Apparel Diet? Am I right in comparing personal finance to dieting/quitting smoking?
  
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