Introduction
The article by Ann Patchett “My Year of No Shopping” deals with the discussion of the experiment that she conducted. The author was inspired by her friend who spent a year without purchasing new clothes, shoes, and perfumes. Her friend claimed that it kept her from spending too much money and brain energy on buying staff that one can easily live without. The author was interested in the idea and decided to experiment with herself.
My Year of no Shopping
Primarily, she hesitated what kind of goods she should allow herself to purchase during this year. The author loves books, and she could not restrict herself from purchasing them. Still, during the experiment, the author realized that many goods that she used to purchase without thinking did not matter to her. The author also understood that this experiment helped her to think more about what other people needed. Then she came to the idea that restricting oneself in shopping had a religious background. People who think less about material things might use the spare money to help others. Although she understands that shopping benefits economic growth, she thinks that New Year’s resolution to use self-restriction in purchasing helps to differentiate wishes from real needs.