I Shop, Therefore I Am?

Much ado about nothing

Two things can be true at once: shopping feels integral to my identity. Also, it feels very important to me to slow down.

thrifting a set of floral drapes that ended up in Claire’s house

I love to shop. Shopping was my sport growing up. I love a deal, I love the hunt, there’s something about it that feels primal, and while I look at shopping with all this fondness, I’m also holding the equal truth that it’s intertwined with a seemingly American obsession with consumerism, hypercompetitiveness and capitalism. All of which I’d love to see chill tf out in my lifetime.

my mantle with flowers from the garden

living room with lots of second hand treasures

Right after we painted our bedroom room, we brought in a bunch of art to try out. This room has a little more going on right now, but still trying to figure out lots of details

When it comes to my house, and the stuff in it, I feel like after a few years of living here, I’ve gotten it to a good (never perfect) place where my future purchases can hopefully be more measured and long term. This is truly a new phase for me (I call it Phase II, more on that soon) as I’ve put a lot of effort into collecting pieces, mostly via thrift stores and facebook marketplace.

With shopping in general, I’ve found that when the world feels chaotic, it has felt good for me to be the opposite: to slow wayyyy down and ground myself. It feels subversive. Like, look how mature I’m being…idiots.

my husband and my cats bird watching

a recent kitchen pic with a light handmade by my friend @abate_studio

the guest room

So all of that is to say, my habits are ever evolving. Instead of buying, I’ve been thinking about how I can be creative within the container of my home. Getting the paint colors just right, cleaning the window wells, rearranging furniture, planning out the garden, etc. Where are you with shopping these days? Does spending feel freeing, or are you slowing it down?

-Linny, House Friends cofounder