After dinner, Annabelle went outside and sat in her backyard. The sun was still out. It was quiet. One of those small, ordinary moments that feels strangely fulfilling. Something suddenly occurred to her... shopping was taking up zero space in that moment. No desire for anything new. Not a care in the world about what she was wearing. This, she realized, is what I’ve been looking for this whole time. I’ve been thinking about this story from a TSS student all week since she shared it in one of...
11 days ago • 3 min read
There's one thing that no personal finance guru is going to tell you: budgeting doesn't work to fix your overspending. That's not because you're bad at math, lack willpower, or haven’t found the right spreadsheet yet. It's because budgets solve money problems, but buying too many clothes is not a money problem. From the outside, overspending on clothes looks like a financial issue. I work with fashion-loving women every day who are spending more than they earn, not hitting their savings...
18 days ago • 4 min read
Tell me if this was you this morning: You stood in front of your closet feeling a little... meh. Not because you don't have enough clothes. But because something just feels off... no matter how many pieces you buy to "complete" your style it STILL doesn't feel satisfying (even though you have great taste). I've loved clothes & fashion since I was a little kid. I've always been the one my friends & family come to for outfit advice or store recommendations. Despite my style know-how and closet...
25 days ago • 4 min read
Every May, when shorts-and-sandals days finally arrive, something happens to me. The flowers bloom. The sun is warm. I start to see linen dresses & straw bags everywhere. And suddenly, I want to shop. Now, it's definitely not like it used to be. When I was a broke shopaholic completely out of control of my shopping habits, the changing of the seasons used to leave me absolutely convinced that I had nothing to wear. Although I squashed that illusion when I broke my shopping addiction 2 years...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
There's a reason "just stop buying things" doesn't work. For over 10 years, I tried budgets, No-Buy challenges, closet cleanouts that felt so good for about three weeks. And yet there I was, still reaching for my phone, still clicking add to cart, still feeling that familiar mix of excitement and guilt. The reason those tactics don't stick isn't because you don't have discipline. It's that they're treating the symptom, not the source. Because the main thing driving your shopping habits almost...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
If you're someone who wishes they spent less on clothes but can't seem to make it stick... you're not alone. Here's something I've noticed recently: women who struggle most with overshopping almost never describe it as something they want to do. They describe it as something that happens to them. It's almost like they're watching themselves from the outside. Like there's a gap between the person who knows better and the person who buys anyway. "Out of control" is the phrase I hear from women...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
Most women I work with come to me saying things like: “I just can’t stop browsing on my phone. I buy clothes knowing full well I don't need them. My closet is packed and I still feel like shopping." And somewhere in the back of their mind, there’s a quiet question they haven’t fully let themselves ask yet: Is this… normal? Or is something actually off? Here’s what I’ve come to understand after reflecting on how my own shopping addiction started & helping over 150 women take control too:...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
I want to talk about something that doesn't get discussed enough when it comes to shopping intentionally. Not the no-buys. Not the budgets. Not the closet cleanouts. Your feed. Specifically: the content you're consuming every single day that is quietly, constantly shaping what you want, what you buy, and how you feel about what you already own. I help women every day shift what they do when the impulse to buy hits. But a huge part of staying intentional is what you're feeding your brain...
2 months ago • 3 min read
When I was buying clothes every single week and knee-deep in credit card debt, there were certain phrases I said about shopping that sounded harmless, even witty. They made the habit feel "normal." They took the edge off my own discomfort and helped me ignore the harm that overspending was doing to my life. They are the same phrases I still see all over social media... on haul videos, cheeky shopping vlogs, and fitting room try-ons. You've heard them before, too... maybe even said them...
5 months ago • 2 min read