While my colleague has had a great deal of success in the early state of the No Shopping Summer, I remain lukewarm about my own progress. This is for two reasons:

1. I was able to stall the effects due to some SERIOUS binge-shopping over Memorial Day weekend. I haven’t yet finished receiving boxes in the mail, thanks to Loft‘s “ship as they’re available” policy. [Sidebar: Loft has been KILLING it lately for the petite curvy gals. I had a raging success with a pair of white jeans – an item I never thought I’d be able to pull off – and still await the following items, which are both styles I’ve been anxious to try out:

Petite Julie Fit Stretch Cotton Sailor Pants | Petite Julie Fit Fluid Stretch Twill Ankle Pants

Reviews forthcoming once the pants are in my possession, but these are two trends I’ve been simultaneously interested in and leery of for ages. After the success of the white jeans (also the Julie fit), I’m excited to see how these guys work out. End sidebar.] I haven’t fully experienced the “I can’t get new pretty things” emotion, because there are more new pretty things still coming my way.

2. I’ve been substituting buying clothes for buying other things deemed necessary. Since the kick-off of the No Shopping Summer challenge, here are some things I’ve procured: underwear and bras aplenty (exempt from the challenge), a Fitbit Flex, games and controllers for the Wii (my birthday gift to my gentleman friend), perfume (Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and Jo Malone White Jasmine and Mint), hair products (Bumble and bumble’s new line of finishing sprays has my heart), and most recently a tennis racquet and balls so the aforementioned gentleman friend and I can make use of the public courts down the street. Just saying. I’m not abstaining from buying altogether; I’m just abstaining from buying clothes. Signs of an addict? Yeahhhhhhh.

So, with this in mind, I’m feeling pretty sure this is going to be an interesting rollercoaster of an experience. I’m imposing a beauty product ban on myself henceforth – the only allowable purchases being replacements for products gone empty – and now that the Wii is stocked with accessories and games, there’s no need to keep supplementing those, either. I AM SAYING IT HERE SO YOU CAN HOLD ME ACCOUNTABLE. Otherwise I’m just substituting one for the other.

How’s your challenge going so far, #PetiteCrew?