The Corollary: An Assessment of My New Year's Resolutions for 2005

I had two resolutions for 2005:

1. Finish law school and deal with all related issues, including the bar exam and getting my educational debt into order. I did all of these things, although not with any great relish or sense of accomplishment. It was a hollow victory after a long and bitter war waged against my own better judgment. All I can say is that it is over now and therefore, I am free to call it a learning experience rather than a problem.

2. Stop spending money on stupid crap like unnecessary clothing items, shoes, and accessories. I thought it would be more difficult to do this than it actually was, but all I had to do was stop visiting stores as a method of recreation, and the urge to shop more or less left me. I still have to quash it from time to time, but I've mostly found that I need things with enough regularity that I get a fix here and there. My long term goal is to get my debts into a manageable state before the end of next year, and then I can reintroduce recreational shopping. It's going to be a revamped form of shopping, though. I'm not going to go back to buying stupid crap just because it's on sale and I kind of like it. I am going to buy things that I really like and that look good on me, even if they are more expensive, but I'm going to do it less often. I instituted the shopping diet for fiscal reasons, but I think it helped me stylistically too, because it's given me a chance to run through some older wardrobe items, wear them out, and move them along while they were still current.