GETTING LOST

Last week, I went to Chicago with my family - just me, my siblings, and my parents. We were there for my grandfather’s funeral, who recently passed at 95 years old. He lived an incredible life, and I can only hope that I’ve got another 60 great years left like his!

Aside from (or maybe because of…) the self-reflection that is typical when you lose a loved-one, I feel like I learned a few amazing lessons last week.

For context -

If you’ve been following along, I’m three weeks into a 6 month “No Spend” challenge. I have challenged myself to not purchase any “non-essential” items. The goal of this challenge is to not bring any new clutter into my home. 

Last week, I was in Chicago with my family, including my mom, who is also doing 6 months of no spending with me! Going on a trip to a big, cold city, in the middle of a no spend challenge taught me some lessons. Especially since my default activity for  killing time was typically shopping…

Here are the three lessons I learned from my trip:

Lesson #1 - Don’t buy it, borrow it!

I was actually born in Chicago, but that doesn’t mean I can handle the weather! I’ve been in Southern California for 14 years now, and my wardrobe reflects it! A hoodie is generally the warmest thing I wear.

When the weather forecast called for temps to barely top 40, I knew I’d be in trouble. BUT instead of going out and buying new clothes, coats, or winter gear that I might not use again for another 14 years, I borrowed! 

I reached out to friends, shared coats with my mom and sisters, and put together a winter wardrobe that got me through the week! And guess what, I survived! My closet isn’t any fuller, and my bank account isn’t any emptier!

I know it can be fun to buy for a trip, but next time you go somewhere that requires a different type of wardrobe - what can you borrow?

Lesson #2 - Make quality time more quality

My mom and I had an extra day together with nothing on the agenda. A day we normally would have spent shopping. I mean, come on, we were in Chicago - there were some incredible stores to check out! 

Since my mom is also joining in on the 6 month challenge, shopping was not an option for us. So, we walked, we talked, we explored, we drank coffee, we found a happy hour, we cried, and we laughed. It was an amazing day with my mom. We shared experiences that we never would have shared if we’d just gone shopping. 

Lesson #3 - The beauty of getting lost

During our day of not shopping, my mom and I walked - a lot. We walked around the town we were in and we kind of just let ourselves get lost. With no time constraints and no temptation to shop, we just wandered. 

Our wandering landed us at a beautiful lake just outside of town. And of course, we walked around it. 

We were actually in town for my grandpa’s funeral. He lived a great life to 95 years old, so it was more celebration than mourning. But just one day before her dad’s funeral, my mom had lots to reflect on, and our “getting lost” allowed for the time and a beautiful setting to do just that! I’m so grateful for that day with my mom, and I never would have had it if we just stayed in town and shopped. Those memories are far more valuable to me than whatever I would have purchased that day!

I know that not everyone is crazy enough to go 6 months without buying anything, like I’m doing. But what if the next time you had an opportunity to “kill some time” with shopping, you opted for something else - like a nice, long walk!

With shopping, you know exactly what you’re going to get: something new that you get excited about, that ends up in the back of your closet, never to be worn again. 

Eventually, most of those items just turn into regrets and clutter. 

What if you just got lost? What if you chose to wander? Or meet up for coffee with a friend? Or just spent some time alone in nature? 

What do you think serves you better in the long run - “retail therapy” or exercising in nature?

My challenge to you is to find a new way to kill time. You might learn a few lessons. 

P.S. Want to take on a 7 Day No-Spend Journey to see how it works for you? Click HERE for the guidelines and some tips to follow.