In defence of your supposed “stereotyping” – I have worked in Australian fashion retail for 7 years for a high-end designer, and I can tell you, except for those “i need a dress for [particular occasion], almost all shopping experiences we see at this level are hugely emotional! Often related to weight loss/gain, job pressure, relationship/family stress… You’re more like a make-shift therapist than sales assistant. So to those posters above who “don’t know anyone that really shops that much” – believe me, there are 1000′s of women who do this every single day, and that is why it’s a stereotype. At least people like Jill have realised what they’re doing!

(Maybe because of being in this environment as work?) I am also prone to disastrous emotional-shopping myself…
Had a crap day? I’ll just pop into DJ’s international designer section… OH! $350 pair of Italian leather heels, you’ve made me feel SO much better!
I came to realise I actually just liked the thrill of handing over my credit card, and being admired by other shoppers with my big designer-imprinted cardboard bags; I found an old twitter post: “Aaaah retail therapy; you are so REAL and so effective…”, I even liked bragging about how much I spent.

I allocated myself $3000 wardrobe budget for 2010 (incl makeup etc)…. but I spent over $6000!! (especially ridiculous considering I also get an AUD$5000 clothing allowance of gorgeous designer clothes from work!!). I DID have a rough year incl. the end of a 6yr relationship, but again it was emotional justification for ridiculous spending. I have now managed to ban myself from physical stores – but there are so many online shops these days!!

A caring (and thrifty) friend linked me to your article (albeit tentatively, like she was having an intervention with me!!), and I now have a direct link to it on my desktop so I can read it for inspiration whenever I’m tempted to go to eBay or asos.co.uk…

Everyone has to tailor the “quitting” process for themselves so this might work for some readers (I couldn’t go cold turkey like Jill!): I’ve made a rule that I can’t buy anything that I already have a functioning version of, and because I sew as well, as a “treat” I’m allowed to buy fabric to make my own clothes, or buy 2nd hand clothes from Op shops. But nothing new that isn’t replacing something broken (so no more patent black heels “with a slightly different heel”, no more “this one’s darker!” shades of pink nail polish….)

Would LOVE to hear a follow up story for further inspiration!

If her target audience is women, why would she be addressing men? How would talking about what men do be at all germane to her audience?

Nor did I have a problem with her observations. They’re her opinion and her point of view. That’s the purpose of a blog. From my personal experience, her comments are fairly accurate.

The stereoptypes didn’t bother me because I am a women, but his can effect anyone.

Why does an article about “Which Online High-Yield Money Market & High-Interest Savings Account is Best?” target people who are interested in online money market & savings accounts?

Why does a story about “How to Brew Cheap Wine” target wine drinkers instead of alcohol drinkers?

Why does a story about “My Debt-Free Marriage” target married people?

Because that is the story the author wrote about.

I have to say that many of the comments for this article baffle me.

The point of this article is that people sometimes shop without thinking. If you quit doing that, you can save money. Maybe a lot of money. Jill also discovered that there are many reasons why people shop without thinking.

Is this earth-shattering information? Nope.

Is it thought provoking? I thought so.

Many other people seem to have enjoyed the article, too.

Some were even able to see how the same concept pertains beyond gender and clothes.

I think this was a good choice for a personal finance article.

Thanks for running it JD!

From: another reader uncomfortable with the stereotyping in this post, and not satisfied by jill’s justification.

I do like to spend money. Until after I’ve spent it. Then there are guilt feelings. I figured out a long time ago, that spending money on “new” things makes me feel like I’m “together”, as in not struggling so much. It makes me feel …? Richer? maybe. Like I’m not stuck in the “lower class.” It’s a status symbol that the fashion industry encourages heartily. I guess I would consider us “lower-middle class.” But seeing people with beautiful things fires up the “covet” in me (which I usually beat back with a figurative stick), and then I want to be “in that club” too. So I totally understand shopping addiction. I could easily fall in there with some of you others out there. But for one, my budget will definitely not allow it, and for two, I was raised with a very very strong “bargain” ethic. I console myself when I can’t be in the “upscale club” (by buying pretty new things), by using my bargain-hunting as that status symbol instead (“I got this awesome 40-dollar thing for three bucks!”).

I guess what I’m curious about relates to the gender stereotyping as well. If its true that women buy clothing more often than men (I don’t have numbers here, but it seems like the volume of mens vs. womens choices in a shopping mall tells a story), is it at least partially attributable to the fact that mens clothing tends to be constructed better and lasts longer?

Don’t use dryer for your clothes. Line drying will extend the life of your clothes A LOT.

Olivia Mitchell and Annamarie Lusardi have some very interesting research done as part of a larger survey that compares women’s relationship with money to men’s relationship to money. It does find greater uncertainty about money and retirement planning etc. But it doesn’t go into day-to-day household finances, which many women have been in charge of historically.

If anyone is interested in the research linking women, emotions and shopping please click here: http://www.sheconomics.com/downloads/womens_emotions.pdf. The Professor who conducted the research gives her email address at the end of the report, and there’s a short executive summary at the beginning of it.

We’ll also update the article with this info.

It’s always lively on GRS, which makes it such a great blog!!

I didn’t see this article as gender stereotyped. This is one person’s experience and it happened to be with clothes. Some people spend more than they need to on electronics, music, action figures, furniture or collectibles. Whatever it is that you are spending too much on, if that is the case, you can take a break from it and get a new perspective. This article is positive and motivating.

While I realize that the author, being a women, referred to shopping addiction in personal (female) pronouns, it’s not a “women’s” issue. Shopping addiction hits both genders equally, and it was really unfortunate to see it portrayed as a problem only women have.

One hidden environmental problem with commercially-produced clothing is waste – tons of fabric scraps end up in landfills because of poor pattern layout.

My problem is crafting rather than clothing. This is the end of my second year of a “new project” moratorium – no new projects unless I’ve finished at least 1 or 2 UFOs (unfinished objects). I still have a pile of unfinished stuff, but it is smaller than it used to be. I’ve also managed limit craft supply use to 95% of stuff already in my stash. (I did have to purchase an handful of notions and one piece of fabric.)

And I didn’t even realize this accomplishment until I started typing this post!

I’m thinking my resolution for 2011 is going to be to “use it up.” I have more clothes, accessories, make up, books, craft items, fancy spices and ingredients, blah blah blah than I can stand; it’s time to quit adding to the pile.

Like brooklynchick @6 and Mike Korner @19, I think the concepts in this article easily could apply to stuff other than clothes and books in particular. Although I have a year’s worth of books at home already, I don’t think I would successfully go for a year without buying a book. Instead I’m planning to limit myself to buying 1 per month.

I’m also glad to see a few other readers admit to liking to shop (like Lily @36). I lost a lot of weight in 2009, and egged myself on by buying new clothes and accessories. In 2011 I’m going to work on “using up” my current wardrobe instead of buying.

I think that really refers more towards compulsive shoppers but the author generalizes it to women either because she assumes that all women feel the same way she does or that she knows other compulsive shoppers and is drawing conclusions based on their experiences.

You can go and replace “shopping” with any other addictive behavior and it still makes sense (eating, drinking aloohol, etc) because what is being described is more about what an addict gets out of the experience not a normal person.

“Statistical discrimination” is what you’re talking about, when a stereotype is used because one group is more likely to do something or be some way than another group.

That still doesn’t mean that most people in a group behave that way or that it is right to judge any individual based on group characteristics, nor is it right to increase a culturally self-perpetuating stereotype. When we say that there’s a difference between boys and girls because boys love trucks and trains, that increases the probability that a girl will never be given a truck or train and will never be able to develop an all-consuming train or truck passion. She will continue getting barbie princess dolls and the suggestion that that’s what she should want to be playing with. Even if it is true on average that girls are more likely to enjoy princesses than boys.

I am definitely not an expert on feminist theory (Maggie, the other half of my blog is), but I have read Failing at Fairness and I do know that these kinds of negative stereotypes can be dangerous and self-perpetuating.

I’ve been reading some interesting economics/sociology books and blogs lately that show that some stereotypes are based on fact. Likely, studies have shown that at one point MOST women did A, B, or C. Not all women – you may personally know 20 women who hate to shop. But when retail numbers increase and they determine who is doing the shopping, is it often women?

I don’t know that the facts to say yes or no, I’m just stating the author may not be “stereotyping” as much as others feel she is. Often we want it to be unfair bias because it sounds or feels negative. Does the author (or anyone else) have some statistics (that are hopefully true!) or facts to back up her claims that women do these things and feel this way?

I don’t think I’ll be able to do anything as hardcore as Jill but I’ve decided that next year, I’m going to limit myself to one piece of new clothing and one piece of second-hand clothing (I buy a lot at charity/thrift/op shops and on eBay) a month.

I think this is more realistic for me as my existing wardrobe isn’t that extensive and a bit one note (very casual) – if I was doing a “no new clothes at all” challenge, I’d be stuck if I needed something more formal or smarter (I teach part time so sometimes need to look professional for that).

I still think it’ll be an interesting experience all the same – and will hopefully lower my carbon/ethical footprint and raise my bank balance a bit at the same time.

I reluctantly opened Quicken and looked up how much I spent YTD on clothes, accessories, shoes, and make-up. $1800 USD for someone who makes only 40K and carrying 8K of CC debt (unforeseen costs related to home ownership and a car accident) is not good.

3 years ago I decided not to spend any more money on leisure reading (I used to spend $600 a year on books and magazines). It was relatively easy. I don’t know if I can go a year without new clothes.

Thanks for sharing this story, especially since the writer points out the global costs of the things we buy. this last fact will probably motivate me the most.

Willpower aside, I don’t see that not buying clothes for a year when you have a double bedroom as a wardrobe is much of an achievement?

Also, you write that you saved $4,000-6,000? I’d argue that you *didn’t waste* $4,000-6,000 Most people don’t spend 50% of my annual housing bill on clothes

I do work for a major company and many of the women I work with tend to enjoy wearing labels. It makes it tough to keep to a budget! Now I tend to buy a few good pieces only and accessories and wear them for the season. I also don’t tend to buy expensive ‘play’ clothes…keeping more of my budget for work.

I consider the work clothes an investment because I think you need to look the part for credibility… at least in my environment it is expected. When I finally retire I am looking forward to using my clothes budget for something else…perhaps travel