The End of the Shopping Ban
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| Top right: Cold weather, brr! Clockwise: Delicious Greek yogurt from Pylos; Learning bharatnatyam (via); Getting ready for the Empire State Building Run-Up; Watching Cinderella on Broadway; Spicy and tangy papaya salad from SriPraPhai |
Well folks…I can’t quite believe it but my 2-month shopping ban is over. Yes, 59 days of avoiding frivolous purchases, mostly staying away from my favorite stores, and willing myself to look the other way when I saw bloggers wearing cute outfits that made me want to run out and buy the same thing! (I know, I know…#FirstWorldProblems)
So how did it go? Surprisingly, it wasn’t hard. I stuck to the shopping ban tips that I created for myself (as shared here), and I did all sorts of other shenanigans. So much so that I barely had time to think about this shopping ban. Here’s a quick recap of the past 2 months and how I’ve been saving money and doing better things with my time!
- I got creative with my closet…as you can see here and here.
- I tried new places to eat…One of my recent discoveries is a Thai restaurant called SriPhraPhai in Queens. It was highly recommended by some Thai friends, and my recent trip there didn’t disappoint. Coming from Thailand, I can probably say that this place has one of the most authentic Thai food I’ve had in a long time. If you ever make your way there, try the papaya salad and the tom yam soup. Another great brunch spot I tried was Pylos - their Greek yogurt there is the bomb!
- I complained about the cold…like, a lot. To my sister, my husband, my friends, and anybody who’d listen.
- I took part in the Empire State Building Run-Up…You’ve already heard me go on about this already here, but suffice it to say that this was definitely one of my biggest achievements of the year!
- I started new dance classes…It’s never too late to start something new, right? Bharatnatyam is a beautiful form of classical Indian dance and one that requires great discipline. I had taken classes as a teenager but, unfortunately, had never completed the full required training. I decided that now was as good a time as any to go back to it and start anew! It’s definitely been challenging but fun!
- I threw a badass Oscar Party…Rumor has it that Bradley Cooper and Ben Affleck crashed our party :)
- I attended a Broadway musical…Why not add a touch of fantasy in our lives? Cinderella on Broadway brought a childhood fairytale to life in a beautiful way. Definitely a must-watch (probably more so for us girls than boys!)
- I did a lot more reading…I don’t read as often as I would like but I’m working on it. There are several books on my iPad that I’m trying to make time for. Currently I’m reading Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
- I attended random NYC events…about a month back, I had the (mis)fortune of seeing people without pants in the Annual No Pants Subway Ride. Read about that here!
- I found the answer to world peace…Okay, not really…
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9 comments
Wow..Two months of shopping ban..u r one brave girl. N if u ever find a solution to world peace...do let me know. ;)
ReplyDeleteAditi
So-Saree
www.sosaree.blogspot.in
New Post Up
Haha, thanks Aditi! I'm sure you could do it too if you decided to! :)
ReplyDeletewow...wonderful...I am very inspired by the things you have done during shopping ban. I also used to learn Bhartanatyam and now I want to start it all over again.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.indianbeautie.com/
Congrats on sticking to it!
ReplyDeleteYAY! Now let's get shopping!!!
ReplyDeletethat sounds like a fun n happening start to the year! oh man, I trained in bharatnatyam too and actually did classes for Oddissi too for a couple of years ..but all that was in school. I love classical dancing too..hmm maybe I should thin of taking it up too. One thing I know is that its a full body work-out and body-sculpting too. I remember our dance teacher used to make us squat till our legs and thighs ached!
ReplyDeleteInvesting in an DSLR is a mart idea, esp with spring and summer coming up, I remember we got our DSLR around this time last year..we got the Canon 60D. You should def visit B&H Electronics on 9th ave, the sales team very helpdul and quite knowledgeable about the different cameras. Lemme know if you need any other info :)
~ashy
thezingofmylife.blogspot.com
You go girl! Glad it went well and has finally ended. You have had quite a productive start to the year, haven't you? Last year I took personal dance classes for Hip-Hop, and I thought it was going to be all fun and groovy. How wrong I was. Anyhoo, one thing you got right is staying busy is the best way to stay away from shopping!
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining me and extending your ban till Feb!
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wow, congrats on the achievement girl ! U really deserve a nice treat ! Are they giving out any awards yet to the ones who could stick around so long ? lol..And Dslr is a best investment u r going to make, what a nice way to begin shopping too.
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Great post & way to go! I'm also starting a self imposed shopping ban...kind of scared hahaha
ReplyDeleteI always love to hear your comments. If you enjoy reading Urban Mantra, please follow me on Instagram and Facebook as well. Thanks!