The Great American Apparel Diet
no buying for one year

Linda

My name is Linda Marshall, I’m 43 and live in Ash, Surrey , United Kingdom . I am married and work part-time as a retail sales assistant. Over a decade ago I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. This is under control with appropriate medication, but one of the symptoms of this illness is spending recklessly. It has to be said that this is one symptom which I definitely seem to have and the pills don’t cure it. On pay day I can usually be found pounding the high street looking for something to buy, to lift my spirits and more often than not it’s an item of clothing. Recently, having decided not to have any children, I have become more environmentally aware and I realise that my spending habits are not doing much for the sustainability of the planet, as well as my bank balance. In the future I would like to start up an online shop selling fair-trade, organic and green goods. In the meantime I think the Great American Apparel Diet would do me the world of good, and make me learn to seek pleasure that does not have a price tag attached to it. I may find a bit of a stumbling block if my food diet starts to work, when my clothes could start getting a little baggy for me, but I’m sure I’ll learn to live with that. Linda