I’M PROUD to say that in the past month, I haven’t spent hard-earned cash on any thing I haven’t needed – a first for me.

You see, I’ve spent the past 21/2 years trying to break my bad shopping habits. To give you an idea of how bad my habits used to be, a boyfriend once commented that I  spent more time looking at catalogues of designer jeans than that of most guys looking at porn.

And my friends, thanks to years of being dragged around stores and tales of my being in debt because of an outfit or a handbag I had to have now, still associate me with Isla Fisher’s character in Confessions Of A Shopaholic.

This is why the opening of ION Orchard next Tuesday, which promises 400 shops, food-and-beverage outlets and entertainment stores, could spell disaster for me.

Yes, reader, the news of ION’s opening actually strikes fear in my heart. My hands get  sweaty and my mouth goes dry at the thought of it.After all, it comes at a time when I’ve weaned myself off eBay and have managed to resist bargain-hunting even at the Great Singapore Sale. Now, ION represents the true testing ground for my newfound strength.

My Achilles’ heel lies in the fact that I find clothes to be transformative. A new outfit or a new pair of shoes can entirely change how I feel – and, therefore, who I am – for a day.
Serious editor by day, and Native American-styled clubbing princess (in shorts, $69 from Billabong, and fringe boots, $130 from... Heck, I’m not telling you where) by night?
That’s me.

Don’t ask how many Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dresses I have, or why. I can’t answer without feeling guilty. But each one, with its different colours and prints, makes me feel different.

Superstar du jour, Lady Gaga, operates in much the same way. The 23-year-old told me in a recent interview that clothes change who she is, and that she never looks the same from day to day. But no two ways about it – having this attitude means spending cash. Lots of it.

Now, I’ve found that actually keeping my money, as opposed to spending it wildly, makes me a lot happier. I’ve built up a small nest egg, and have even invested a small  amount. I have a retirement fund.

Just knowing that I’ve got some savings – and that I’m worth more than what’s in my wardrobe – gives me a profound sense of gratitude that I’ve learnt the skill of saving.

But, most of all, I’ve learnt humility through the exercise of curbing myself. I’ve learnt how to live on less. And what that means is being grateful for the things I already have, material and otherwise. I still love clothes. But I love myself more this way.

So, you see, a visit to ION could potentially mean the erosion of all that I’ve worked for.

If I cave in and go on a spending spree, I might lose my self-respect. But does this mean that I’ll be staying away from ION? No, because, ultimately, to actively be scared of a shopping mall is rather silly.

But I’m definitely going to make sure I’m handicapped on any visits by sensible, non-fashion- loving friends who’ll give me a second, third and fourth opinion on anything I might be tempted to buy.

myp@sph.com.sg

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